Using Imagination to Overcome Fear: How Mental Simulation Nudges Consumers’ Purchase Intentions for Upcycled Food

Xiaoke Yang, Yuanhao Huang, Xiaoying Cai, Yijing Song, Hui Jiang, Qian Chen and Qiuhua Chen
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Xiaoke Yang: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Yuanhao Huang: School of Business, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100089, China
Xiaoying Cai: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Yijing Song: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Hui Jiang: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Qian Chen: College of Economics, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Qiuhua Chen: College of Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-21

Abstract: Upcycled food, a new kind of food, provides an effective solution to reduce the food waste from the source on the premise of food security for human beings. However, the commercial success of upcycled food and its contribution to environmental sustainability are determined by consumers’ purchase intentions. In order to overcome consumers’ unfamiliarity with upcycled food and fear of new technology, based on the cue utility theory, we adopted scenario simulation through online questionnaires in three experiments to explore how mental simulation can improve consumers’ product evaluation and purchase intentions for upcycled food. Through ANOVA, the t -test, and the Bootstrap methods, the results showed that, compared with the control group, consumers’ product evaluation and purchase intentions for upcycled food in the mental simulation group significantly increased. Among them, consumers’ inspiration played a mediation role. The consumers’ future self-continuity could moderate the effect of mental simulation on consumers’ purchase intentions for upcycled food. The higher the consumers’ future self-continuity, the stronger the effect of mental simulation. Based on the above results, in the marketing promotion of upcycled food, promotional methods, such as slogans and posters, could be used to stimulate consumers, especially the mental simulation thinking mode of consumer groups with high future self-continuity, thus improving consumers’ purchase intentions for upcycled food.

Keywords: upcycled food; food waste; mental simulation; marketing communications; inspiration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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