Consumers’ Neophobic and Variety-Seeking Tendency in Food Choices According to Their Fashion Involvement Status: An Exploratory Study of Korean Consumers

Abstract

With recent food innovation and technological advances, a considerable number of new food products are being developed and launched in the global food market, and various attempts have been made to collaborate between food and fashion businesses to achieve a competitive edge. Fashion and food are essential items in our daily lives, so people are intentionally and unintentionally exposed to consumption decisions regarding these two items on a regular basis. The objective of this study was to determine consumers’ neophobic and variety-seeking tendencies in food choices according to their involvement in fashion-related choices. Internet surveys were conducted (n = 215), which included questionnaires regarding the food neophobia scale (FNS), the variety-seeking scale (VARSEEK), and the fashion involvement scale (FIS), along with demographic-related questions. A negative correlation was observed between the FNS and FIS (r = −0.735, p < 0.0001), suggesting that consumers who are highly involved in fashion product choices have neophobic tendencies. A positive correlation was observed between VARSEEK and FIS scores (r = 0.353, p < 0.0001), as was expected from FNS and FIS results. No significant differences in demographic characteristics between those with high and low FIS scores were observed, suggesting that other factors may have influenced these results.