Consumers' variety seeking tendency with respect to foods: Measurement and managerial implications

1992/01/01 by J.C.M. van Trijp, HANS C.M. VAN TRIJP, Jan‐Benedict E.M. Steenkamp +1
Business, Management and Accounting · #Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification #Consumer Market Behavior and Pricing #Consumer Retail Behavior Studies

paper · doi:10.1093/erae/19.2.181

openalex publication_date 1992/01/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Consumers' variety seeking tendency (intrinsic desire for variety) is recognised as an important characteristic that influences consumers' food choice behaviour. Empirical studies in economics and marketing have not specifically focused on this consumer characteristic, but instead have approached the issue from the overt behaviour side. Given the great many factors that may underlie variation in behaviour, intrinsic desire for variety cannot be validly derived directly from observed behaviour. Instead, a measure specifically tapping this consumer characteristic is required. In this paper a scale (VARSEEK) for measuring consumers' variety seeking tendency with respect to foods is developed. The construct validity of this VARSEEK-scale is investigated extensively and managerial implications are discussed.

Citations

• The Demand for Varied Diet with Econometric Models for Count Data
• An investigation into the validity of measures for variation in consumption used in economics and marketing1
• The consumer's demand for diversity