Benefit-based market segmentation for innovative products: the case of carrot-enriched cheese bread

Resumen

Market segmentation based on demographic factors alone often fails to capture the expectations of consumers. Therefore, this study aimed to establish what value and benefit attributes most influence the acceptance of an innovative food product. A traditional and popular Brazilian snack food – cheese bread – went through the process of new product development. This resulted in replacing 40% of the cheese content with carrots, which is in line with current trends in health and sustainability. A sample of 2,158 respondents was tested using the food neophobia scale. Both the exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis were carried out to identify distinct consumer segments which represented the most valued attributes and benefits expected from an innovative product. Four segments were identified: hedonic (old women, middle income and seeking taste); convenience and health (young women concerned about time saving); innovation (older men and women, high level of education and low neophobia traits); and functional (young men who had higher levels of neophobia). Taste, convenience and health were the main determinants of intention that influenced the market segmentation for such an innovative food product. The perception for product benefits tend to reduce the rejection to this innovative product. The findings contribute to fill a gap in the literature, particularly regarding ‘desired benefits’ as a basis for segmentation applied to an innovative product from an emerging market perspective.