PREDITORES DA ESCOLHA DOS CONSUMIDORES POR HAMBÚRGUER PLANT-BASED: UMA APLICAÇÃO DA ANÁLISE CONJUNTA.

Abstract

Consumers are increasingly concerned about their diet, especially regarding nutritional aspects and environmental impacts. As a result, demand has been growing for products made from vegetables, the so-called plant-based, often analogous to meat (beef, pork, fish, and chicken). These products were recently introduced to the market, and little is known about consumer preferences. This research aims to identify the impact of attributes [brand, type of protein, price, cholesterol level, and environmental impact] on consumer choices for plant-based burgers. To this end, an experiment was carried out applying the choice-based conjoint analysis method, in which a shopping environment is simulated so the consumer decides on a product among several alternatives. Research participants were instructed to choose between different burger options that differed in relation to the mentioned attributes. The results demonstrate that the characteristics of the burger influence consumers' choices in relation to the proposed attributes. Specifically, it was found that cholesterol level is the most important attribute for consumers, followed by the type of protein, environmental impact, brand, and price. Furthermore, when the attribute conveys information with a "positive" characteristic such as low cholesterol and/or low environmental impact, there is an increase in the choice for the plant-based burger in relation to the traditional burger. However, when "negative," the opposite happens. From a managerial point of view, it is suggested that the food industry promotes attributes related to health and sustainability in its products. For the public sector, it is advisable to implement public policies that encourage the disclosure of cholesterol levels and environmental impact on product packaging in simple language accessible to consumers.