Shelf organization of plant-based meat alternatives - Study retailer 1

Background: For accelerating the protein shift we need to normalize plant-based products. Shifting (plant-based) meat shelf organization from source to function is in line with categorization theory. The two most used categorization strategies are taxonomic vs. goal-derived categories (Felcher et al., 2001). Taxonomic categorizations are based on similar physical external attributes (e.g., source: meat, chicken, plant-based). Goal-derived categorisations are based on aspects related to the fulfilment of common consumption goals within salient contexts (e.g., function, meal type: minced meat, schnitzel, shoarma). The aim of this study is to test the impact of changing the shelf organization from source (i.e. taxonomic; e.g. chicken, meat, PB) to function/texture (i.e. goal-derived, e.g. minced, schnitzel, shoarma) on consumers’ categorization and perception of plant-based (PB) proteins. Objectives/research questions - Does the change in shelf organization shift sales towards PB products? o ... within intervention store (baseline vs. during intervention vs. post-intervention)? o ... in intervention stores compared to control stores (cross-sectional)? o ... within- and between store comparison at three timepoints (diff-in-diff)? o ... and how do sales differ per consumer group (omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans) or segment (meat vs. non-meat eaters; in case no loyalty card data available)? o ... do we see different effects for type of PB products: analogues vs. non-analogues (e.g. nuts, beans, tofu)? o ... what is the impact on animal-based product, including meat/fish/dairy (replacing/substituting/spill-over effects or only complementing)? o ... sales of type of PB products or alternative animal-derived products specified per consumer group? - Does the change in shelf organization change consumer perception of PB products? o ... increase in positive perception for meat-eaters (i.e. omnivores, flexitarians)? o ... in terms of findability (positive and negative: frustration/annoyance) of PB products? o ... in terms of knowledge/familiarity (past experience PB products) of PB products? o ... in terms of categorization (does alternative shelf positioning act as information/reminder which assimilates consumers’ category of “meat”)? o ... in terms of future buying intention of PB products?