Literature review on the application of FRL tools in the segmentation of food consumers
| Authors (year) | Title | Study area | Case study on specific product | Sample size | Main findings | Research limitation/suggestions for future studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wycherley et al. (2008) | Speciality food orientation of food related lifestyle segments in Great Britain | United Kingdom | Foods in general | 1,037 | The segments of adventurous, rational, carefree, snacking, conservative and uninvolved consumers with different specialities and interests in food specialities were identified | Despite the reduction in the number of items in the FRL tool and the creation of the relevance items, it is still necessary to consider the items associated with the respective food in order to determine the segments more precisely |
| Dimech et al. (2011) | Attitudes of Maltese Consumers Towards Quality in Fruit and Vegetables in Relation to Their Food-Related Lifestyles | Malta | Fruit and Vegetables | 881 | Taking into account five factors related to the subjective nature of quality, differences between consumers, intangible dimensions, the information environment and price, four different segments were identified: hedonistic, bargain-oriented, adventurous and traditional households. These segments show differences in their views and attitudes towards the quality of fruit and vegetables | The authors used a reduced version of the FRL instrument and were unable to assess changes in FRL over time and the possible emergence of new segments |
| Haas et al. (2016) | Attitudes and Preferences of Kosovar Consumer Segments Toward Quality Attributes of Milk and Dairy Products | Kosovo | Milk and Dairy Products | 300 | Using a simplified version of the FRL tool revealed three distinct consumer segments: the conservative consumer, the socially conscious food enthusiast, and the information-seeking eco- conscious consumer | This study has some limitations, in particular the focus on large urban areas, which precludes a direct transfer of the conclusions to rural areas. In addition, a reduced version of the FRL instrument was used in the study, so it is necessary to use the full FRL on a comparable consumer sample to ensure consistency and reproducibility of the results |
| Montero-Vicente et al. (2019) | Characterisation of fresh fruit consumption in Spain based on food-related lifestyle | Spain | Fruit | 500 | The segments total indifference, little time for cooking, cooks and preference for natural products and unconcerned consumers were analysed and characterised. These segments showed remarkable differences in the criteria for buying and eating fresh fruit | It is crucial to adopt a modular strategy by using an updated and reduced version of the original FRL tool that includes elements related to sustainability, food waste, nutritious diets and social responsibility. In addition, it is useful to validate the FRL segmentations with empirical means and establish links between the segmentation criteria and responses to marketing factors |
| Verneau et al. (2020) | Assessing the Role of Food Related Lifestyle in Predicting Intention towards Edible Insects | Italy, Denmark | Edible Insects | 300 | Based on the identified consumer segments categorised as uninvolved, carefree, conservative, rational and adventurous consumers, the main differences between consumers were highlighted and some of them were more inclined to include insects in their daily diet | A tool that specifically addresses an important aspect of the literature on inedible insects, such as disgust, is currently lacking. The relationship between FRL, perceived behavioral control, and disgust needs to be further explored |
| Yeo et al. (2020) | Food-related lifestyle segmentation and beverage attribute’ selection: toward understanding of sugar-reduced beverages choice | Korea | Beverage | 1,000 | The consumer groups were divided into rational, value-seeking, and careless consumers on the basis of the FRL, who had different preferences in terms of product quality/hygiene and sensory characteristics when selecting beverages | The main limitation of this study arises from the limited ability to generalise results from consumer panels to the population as a whole, as these panels were obtained exclusively from an online research company |
| Brunsø et al. (2021) | Core dimensions of food-related lifestyle: A new instrument for measuring food involvement, innovativeness and responsibility | Denmark, Hungary, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand | Foods in general | 3,396 | The authors introduced some new key elements of the instrument, which were validated for their cross-cultural applicability in the FRL instrument. This approach led to the identification of five distinct segments, foodies, moderates, adventurous, uninvolved and conservatives consumers | While the development of the new FRL tool was based on data from six countries, further studies in different regions are needed to better validate its cross-cultural applicability |
| Ahmadi Kaliji et al. (2022) | Fruit-related lifestyles as a segmentation tool for fruit consumers | Kosovo | Fruit | 300 | Based on the FRL tool, four different consumer segments were identified: carefree, adventurous, conservative and functional consumers, taking into account the different purchasing and consumption behaviour of fruit as well as their attitudes towards health, quality, taste and safety | The revised FRL was not revised according to the standard procedure for scale design. Future studies need to develop a more robust instrument that takes into account more relevant factors to assess lifestyle in relation to fruit in the future |
| Stancu et al. (2022) | European consumer segments with a high potential for accepting new innovative fish products based on their food-related lifestyle | Spain, France, Germany | Fish products | 1,500 | They identified five consumer segments: foodies, adventurous, responsible, moderate, conservative and uninvolved consumers. The segments differed mainly in their psychographic profile and their intention to buy new aquaculture fish products | The study relied on self-reporting, which may lead to bias and may not accurately reflect actual behaviour |
| Authors (year) | Title | Study area | Case study on specific product | Sample size | Main findings | Research limitation/suggestions for future studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speciality food orientation of food related lifestyle segments in Great Britain | United Kingdom | Foods in general | 1,037 | The segments of adventurous, rational, carefree, snacking, conservative and uninvolved consumers with different specialities and interests in food specialities were identified | Despite the reduction in the number of items in the FRL tool and the creation of the relevance items, it is still necessary to consider the items associated with the respective food in order to determine the segments more precisely | |
| Attitudes of Maltese Consumers Towards Quality in Fruit and Vegetables in Relation to Their Food-Related Lifestyles | Malta | Fruit and Vegetables | 881 | Taking into account five factors related to the subjective nature of quality, differences between consumers, intangible dimensions, the information environment and price, four different segments were identified: hedonistic, bargain-oriented, adventurous and traditional households. These segments show differences in their views and attitudes towards the quality of fruit and vegetables | The authors used a reduced version of the FRL instrument and were unable to assess changes in FRL over time and the possible emergence of new segments | |
| Attitudes and Preferences of Kosovar Consumer Segments Toward Quality Attributes of Milk and Dairy Products | Kosovo | Milk and Dairy Products | 300 | Using a simplified version of the FRL tool revealed three distinct consumer segments: the conservative consumer, the socially conscious food enthusiast, and the information-seeking eco- conscious consumer | This study has some limitations, in particular the focus on large urban areas, which precludes a direct transfer of the conclusions to rural areas. In addition, a reduced version of the FRL instrument was used in the study, so it is necessary to use the full FRL on a comparable consumer sample to ensure consistency and reproducibility of the results | |
| Characterisation of fresh fruit consumption in Spain based on food-related lifestyle | Spain | Fruit | 500 | The segments total indifference, little time for cooking, cooks and preference for natural products and unconcerned consumers were analysed and characterised. These segments showed remarkable differences in the criteria for buying and eating fresh fruit | It is crucial to adopt a modular strategy by using an updated and reduced version of the original FRL tool that includes elements related to sustainability, food waste, nutritious diets and social responsibility. In addition, it is useful to validate the FRL segmentations with empirical means and establish links between the segmentation criteria and responses to marketing factors | |
| Assessing the Role of Food Related Lifestyle in Predicting Intention towards Edible Insects | Italy, Denmark | Edible Insects | 300 | Based on the identified consumer segments categorised as uninvolved, carefree, conservative, rational and adventurous consumers, the main differences between consumers were highlighted and some of them were more inclined to include insects in their daily diet | A tool that specifically addresses an important aspect of the literature on inedible insects, such as disgust, is currently lacking. The relationship between FRL, perceived behavioral control, and disgust needs to be further explored | |
| Food-related lifestyle segmentation and beverage attribute’ selection: toward understanding of sugar-reduced beverages choice | Korea | Beverage | 1,000 | The consumer groups were divided into rational, value-seeking, and careless consumers on the basis of the FRL, who had different preferences in terms of product quality/hygiene and sensory characteristics when selecting beverages | The main limitation of this study arises from the limited ability to generalise results from consumer panels to the population as a whole, as these panels were obtained exclusively from an online research company | |
| Core dimensions of food-related lifestyle: A new instrument for measuring food involvement, innovativeness and responsibility | Denmark, Hungary, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand | Foods in general | 3,396 | The authors introduced some new key elements of the instrument, which were validated for their cross-cultural applicability in the FRL instrument. This approach led to the identification of five distinct segments, foodies, moderates, adventurous, uninvolved and conservatives consumers | While the development of the new FRL tool was based on data from six countries, further studies in different regions are needed to better validate its cross-cultural applicability | |
| Fruit-related lifestyles as a segmentation tool for fruit consumers | Kosovo | Fruit | 300 | Based on the FRL tool, four different consumer segments were identified: carefree, adventurous, conservative and functional consumers, taking into account the different purchasing and consumption behaviour of fruit as well as their attitudes towards health, quality, taste and safety | The revised FRL was not revised according to the standard procedure for scale design. Future studies need to develop a more robust instrument that takes into account more relevant factors to assess lifestyle in relation to fruit in the future | |
| European consumer segments with a high potential for accepting new innovative fish products based on their food-related lifestyle | Spain, France, Germany | Fish products | 1,500 | They identified five consumer segments: foodies, adventurous, responsible, moderate, conservative and uninvolved consumers. The segments differed mainly in their psychographic profile and their intention to buy new aquaculture fish products | The study relied on self-reporting, which may lead to bias and may not accurately reflect actual behaviour |
Source(s): Table by authors
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