Applying topic modelling and qualitative content analysis to identify and characterise ENDS product promotion and sales on Instagram

BackgroundIncreased public health and regulatory scrutiny concerning the youth vaping epidemic has led to greater attention to promotion and sales of vaping products on social media platforms.ObjectivesWe used unsupervised machine learning to identify and characterise sale offers of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and associated products on Instagram. We examined types of sellers, geographic ENDS location and use of age verification.MethodsOur methodology was composed of three phases: data collection, topic modelling and content analysis. We used data mining approaches to query hashtags related to ENDS product use among young adults to collect Instagram posts. For topic modelling, we applied an unsupervised machine learning approach to thematically categorise and identify topic clusters associated with selling activity. Content analysis was then used to characterise offers for sale of ENDS products.ResultsFrom 70 725 posts, we identified 3331 engaged in sale of ENDS products. Posts originated from 20 different countries and were roughly split between individual (46.3%) and retail sellers (43.4%), with linked online sellers (8.8%) representing a smaller volume. ENDS products most frequently offered for sale were flavoured e-liquids (53.0%) and vaping devices (20.5%). Online sellers offering flavoured e-liquids were less likely to use age verification at point of purchase (29% vs 64%) compared with other products.ConclusionsInstagram is a global venue for unregulated ENDS sales, including flavoured products, and access to websites lacking age verification. Such posts may violate Instagram’s policies and US federal and state law, necessitating more robust review and enforcement to prevent ENDS uptake and access.

A Salient Sugar Tax Decreases Sugary-Drink Buying

Many governments have introduced sugary-drink excise taxes to reduce purchasing and consumption of such drinks; however, they do not typically stipulate how such taxes should be communicated at the point of purchase. Historical, field, and experimental data consisting of more than 225,000 purchase decisions indicated that introducing a $0.01-per-ounce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax—without making it salient on price tags—had no significant effect on purchasing (−1.26%, p = .28). However, when the phrase “includes sugary drink tax” was added to tax-inclusive price tags, SSB purchasing was lower than (a) in the pretax period (−9.78%, p < .001), (b) in a posttax period when drinks did not bear price tags (−5.04%, p < .001), and (c) in a posttax period when drinks bore tax-inclusive price tags that did not mention the tax (−3.83%, p = .002). Making the tax’s beneficiary (student programs) salient on price tags had no added effect. Two follow-up studies suggested that tax salience was effective partly because consumers overestimated the tax amount, leading to reduced purchase intentions.

Spirals, spikes and spinning wheels: Temporal models challenging the sustainability agenda in relation to fast fashion consumption

Fast fashion has entered the political arena with specific reference to sustainability. To date the agenda has largely been informed by an examination of production methodologies and techniques documenting the rapid turnover of trends, the speed and efficiency of the production process and the lack of socially cohesive labour practices that it consistently engenders. Whilst governments seek to raise awareness and begin to generate initiatives to tackle the environmental fall out of fast fashion, this article turns its attention to the temporal patterns of consumer behaviour and why such a high percentage of what we buy is readily discarded soon after point of purchase. All stages in this linear model of consumption, it is argued, are shaped by a very specific relationship to time that ultimately informs our buying habits. Utilizing the work of the philosopher A. N. Whitehead and adopting a more psychosocial approach to fashion consumption, this article recognizes that even when purposefully seeking to consume sustainably, a greater need to align our use of time with a results-driven mindset locates the acquisition of something new as a highly achievable goal. As a consequence, rather than positioning the rationale for fashion purchases in the context of conspicuous consumption and emulation, here it functions to mitigate a lack of temporal control in other areas of our lives. In response, it is proposed that any successful attempts at tackling the problems associated with fast fashion must also seek to understand the temporal dynamics of consumption. For whilst governments’ attention is turned to ways to reduce the environmental impact associated with the production of clothing, increasing consumer demand derived from ‘neophilia’ will negate and indeed overturn any successes achieved. The conclusion will therefore suggest that promotional culture has a duty to explore ways in which it might engender greater emotional attachments to what we own. Future research into brand messaging, exploring the consequences of placing emphasis on quality over quantity and a subsequent potential deepening of a sense of brand loyalty, is also recommended as a way forward.

Impact of Quality on Customers’ Buying Behaviour towards Point of Purchase Display with reference to Haryana

The present paper focuses on the impact of quality on customers’ buying behaviour towards point-of-purchase display at various retail outlets in Haryana. Point-of-Purchase Display plays an important role to increase the sale of the retailers. Today customers are rational and prefer quality products at reasonable price. Moreover, due to the emergence of the supermarkets as the dominant retail, the retail industry is experiencing vibrant changes all over the world. Retail industry in India has grown to be more complex and dynamic with an increase rate of speed from unorganized towards being organized. In this research paper data has been collected from 100 respondents and analysed with the help of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) using one way ANOVA and t-test with demographic factors i.e. age-wise, gender-wise, occupation-wise and income-wise. . After analysing the data it was found that, there is neutral relationship in the opinion of different age groups and gender groups over the point-of-purchase display on quality. On the other hand Occupation and income does not have any importance on customers view point regarding ‘quality’. To conclude we can say that point-of-purchase display is not directly related to the quality.

Internalisation of farm animal welfare in consumers' purchasing decisions: A study of pork fillet at point of purchase using the means-end chain and laddering approach

The purpose of this study was to investigate how farm animal welfare (FAW) is internalised in consumers' purchasing decisions at the point of purchase. The study is based on means-end chain theory and the laddering interview technique to elicit respondents' mental representation of attributes, consequences and values of an animal food product. Respondents were approached and interviewed at the point of purchase in two supermarkets in Uppsala, Sweden. A summary representation of respondents' mental representation of attributes, consequences and values of an animal food product (pork fillet) was created. The findings indicate that FAW is the most salient means-end-chain element. FAW enters respondents' mental representation of pork fillet at the point of purchase as a consequence of other elements. FAW is considered to lead to values of hedonism and universalism type. This study contributes to the literature by detailing how animal welfare can be embedded in consumers' mental representation of cause and effect of animal food product attributes at the point of purchase. The findings are useful practically for policy-makers and for agri-business and other actors in the food value chain who would like to promote enhanced FAW. The findings also provide insight into how FAW can be promoted through market-based solutions.

Gender identities in e-shop perfume descriptions

Perfume descriptions serve as an important persuasive tool in fragrance advertising. Scents traditionally elude clear verbal description, yet perfumes are nowadays frequently sold online, with no direct olfactory experience on the part of the consumer at the point of purchase. The products are thus often represented by metaphorical means depicting a desirable experience or portraying attractive identities of wearers, including stereotypical images of men and women. This article analyses 80 e-shop fragrance descriptions equally divided among adverts targeted at males and females. The sample texts were collected randomly from British and American e-shops, with the primary research objective to determine how male and female identities are reflected in these descriptions. The method of discourse analysis was applied and the AntConc 3.4.4 toolkit was used to calculate the frequency of words and their collocations. It was found that current female perfume descriptions on e-shops generally suppress gender stereotypes quite successfully, while gender stereotyping is more prominent in male perfume descriptions. The possible causes as well as ramifications of this disparity are also discussed.

In or out? A field observational study on the placement of entertaining robots in retailing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the role of the placement (i.e. location) of humanoid service robots (HSRs) for entertainment applications in retailing by inspecting a multitude of performance metrics along the point-of-sale conversion funnel.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted using unobtrusive observations at a Belgian chocolate store. In total, 42 h of video observation material was collected and analyzed, with an even spread over three conditions: (1) an HSR placed outside, (2) an HSR inside the store and (3) a control condition (no robot stimuli). All passersby and their interactions with the robot and the store were systematically coded and compared.FindingsThe study found that the better placement of HSRs (inside or outside the store) is contingent on the goals the retailer prioritizes. When the goal is to create awareness and interest toward the store, the HSR should be placed outside, as it has double the stopping power. To induce consumers to enter the store, placement of the HSR inside the store is the better option. Ultimately, however, in terms of the number of transactions and total amount spent, outside placement of the HSR outperforms inside placement.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was not able to verify the internal emotional/cognitive state of the passersby, as the method relied on unobtrusive camera observations. A longitudinal research design would be desirable to exclude potential bias due to the novelty effect.Originality/valueWhile research on robots in retail services is emerging, this study is the first to provide insights on how retailers can decide on the placement of robots inside or outside the store, depending on the particular goals they are aiming to reach at the point of purchase.

A Standardized Guide to Developing an Online Grocery Store for Testing Nutrition-Related Policies and Interventions in an Online Setting

Simulated online grocery store platforms are innovative tools for studying nutrition-related policies and point-of-selection/point-of-purchase interventions in online retail settings, yet there is no clear guidance on how to develop these platforms for experimental research. Thus, we created a standardized guide for the development of an online grocery store, including a detailed description of (1) methods for acquiring and cleaning online grocery store data, and (2) how to design a two-dimensional online grocery store experimental platform. We provide guidance on how to address product categorization, product order/sorting and product details, including how to identify outliers and conflicting nutritional information and methods for standardizing prices. We also provide details regarding our process of “tagging” food items that can be leveraged by future studies examining policies and point-of-selection/point-of-purchase interventions targeting red and processed meat and fruits and vegetables. We experienced several challenges, including obtaining accurate and up-to-date product information and images, and accounting for the presence of store-brand products. Regardless, the methodology described herein will enable researchers to examine the effects of a wide array of nutrition-related policies and interventions on food purchasing behaviors in online retail settings, and can be used as a template for reporting procedures in future research.