An extended approach combining sensory and real choice experiments to examine new product attributes

As an extension of the current strategies employed to evaluate new products/attributes, this research presents a more realistic approach and obtains more accurate results through the combination of real choice experiments (RCEs) and sensory analysis. Two RCEs are carried out to mimic a real shopping scenario before and after experiencing the taste of extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) with a new attribute. Regular EVOO consumers evaluated the products under three different stages: i) purchase stage (i.e., evaluation based on search and credence attributes); ii) consumption stage (i.e., tasting to familiarise with the experience characteristics); re-purchase stage (i.e., re-evaluating the products after the taste experience). Results indicate that in a typical purchase process, consumers form taste expectations based on quality certification attributes while after experiencing the real taste of the product, preferences change. These changes are also reflected in the willingness-to-pay (WTP) estimates given before and after tasting. The findings reveal that combining sensory analysis and RCEs is a promising strategy for the evaluation of new products/attributes.