Factors Influencing Students’ Food Choices When Shopping for Food

Abstract

With the development of society, human beings require more on different aspects of life, especially on food. For coping with the conversion of consumers' requirement, marketers should master new requirements firstly. In addition, students are treated as a kind of consumers with high consumption on food, and it is necessary for marketers to exploit their new ideas towards food. On account of this, the most efficient way is to do marketing research. This report illustrates three methods of marketing research, comparison among three methods, and advice to marketers. It can be discovered that female students spent less than male students during the process. For another thing, female students like spending mainly on meals and fruits; regardless, male students like to spend more on fast food or other snacks. As the question that "usually where do you buy these kinds of food?" student E (Male, 21-year-old) answered: Karaoke, I rarely go to other places. Besides that, I hang out with my friends." Student B (Male, 21-year-old) and student D (Male, 21-year-old) both expressed that they always went to supermarkets and restaurants near the school. It is easy to find that most male students usually went to restaurants, while female students like to go to the canteen at school. Solomon wrote that market researchers found women eat more fruit and fewer quantities; men are likely to eat more meat and more quantities. That is because sexual identity, which is a vital component of a consumer's self-concept, makes people conform what they should act, dress, or speak (2007, p.164). In that case, it is ought to cost less for female students; even so, according to their answers about cost on food per month, female students spend more than male students. When male students were asked about the reason, they all answered when they hang out, every person pay for bill in turn. Consequently, it is possible for a person even not to pay per month. That is the way that male students demonstrate they are magnanimous, and that is a kind of psychology. By question 6, "what is your definition of healthy food, by your own thoughts, by mass media or by family and friends?", student A (Female, 21-year-old), student B, and student F (Female, 21-year-old) demonstrated they form the perspective from the process of growing which means their choice of food come from themselves with the growing. The left three students student C (Female, 21-year-old), student D, and student E (Male, 21-year-old) expressed they make choice by external factors such as magazines, ads, and their parents and friends. In reality, those above were all belong to Group Influence, and the influence to the students (C D E) is Informational influence. Their answers also match skinner's theory, known as behaviorism theory (Black et al, 2001, pp.398-400; Sheth et al., 1999, p.147). Similarly, about the question whether external factors such as the package, the attitude of sales people, student A answered she like the smaller size of products. Researchers call it "the experiential hierarchy" that consumers act on the basis of their emotional reactions, and behaviors are strongly influenced by intangible product attributes such as product size and external stimuli such as advertising (Schiffman et al., 2008, p.105). Basing on the answers of students and theories in the books, these factors can really affect the choice of consumers. 1.2 Findings of Interview I find food choice of student A and B are both affected by external factors, such as family members, friends, and ads etc. As Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel reported people modify their self-concept in their interactions with others in reference group, I find individuals would like to use reference groups as benchmarks to measure their own behaviors and opinions. What's more, about the question whether their families and friends support or prevent them buying something, student C and D both expressed the situation occurred. To clarify, student C and