'012012 or 111000' : Preference for Consumption Pattern-Seeking

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how consumers make choices when they are faced with a fixed set of available options, consisting of both preferred and less-preferred choices, in the domain of food consumption. Specifically, the paper offers a novel perspective to predict repeated choice decisions in food consumption, which is termed as 'pattern-seeking' – a consumption choice pattern that involves a coherent repetitive sequence of sub-groupings or coherently concentrated sub-groupings of options.Design/methodology/approachEight experimental studies that contrast the existing theoretical predictions regarding repeated choices (e.g. primacy effect, recency effect, variety vs consistency) against pattern-seeking were conducted using hypothetical and actual food choices.FindingsThe results of experimental studies show that an explicit decision pattern (i.e. pattern-seeking) emerges as the most significant predictor of repeated choice in the food consumption domain.Research limitations/implicationsThis study offers a novel perspective on how consumers make repeated choices in the domain of food consumption.Practical implicationsThe results show that consumers prefer food consumption with a pattern (vs non-pattern). Thus, it would be better to generate marketing activities that allow customers to satisfy their pattern-seeking more easily.Originality/valueThis study advances the literature on repeated food choices by demonstrating that people possess an inherent preference for patterns in food consumption