Consumers Preferences for Dairy-Alternative Beverage Using Home-Scan Data in Catalonia

Abstract

The changing lifestyles and the growing health concerns towards the negative impact of the saturated fatty acids originating from animals has increased consumers’ preferences for dairy-alternative products. These products belong to the food and beverage classification that is similar to certain types of dairy-based products in terms of texture and flavor, and has similar nutritional benefits. In this context, we seek to identify the willingness to pay (WTP) for the most important attributes that consumers take into account when purchasing the dairy-alternative drinks. A revealed preference discrete choice experiment was carried out using home-scan data belonging to ©Kantar Worldpanel (Barcelona, Spain) regarding the consumption of dairy-alternative drinks in Catalonia (Spain) in 343 households. Furthermore, factors that affect the purchasing frequency of this type of product were analyzed through the Poisson and negative binomial models. Results showed that price was the major driving factor, followed by the original non-dairy beverage flavor attribute. The original non-dairy beverage flavor compared to other added ingredients and tastes showed higher WTP when purchasing the non-dairy alternative. Marketing strategies should promote products by focusing on the “original” and “pure” version of the product without additional ingredients, or through reduction of the undesirable compounds if they exist in these kinds of beverages.