Segmenting Croatian university students and investigating their tendency to adopt innovative food products based on their food-related lifestyles

Purpose This paper aims to detect the patterns of food-related lifestyles of university students, identify the groups of individuals based on these lifestyles and investigate their tendency to adopt innovative food products. Design/methodology/approach The data collected from university students in Croatia ( n = 641) were analysed using factor and cluster analyses and a chi-squared test. Findings The findings revealed 11 food-related lifestyles and four groups of university students: “Convenience-oriented”, “Conscious consumers”, “Adventurous eaters” and “Family-oriented Cooks”. Adventurous eaters are the most interested in buying innovative food products, and many of them are food innovators (20%). Sampled individuals are open to new foods, and only a tiny percentage are reluctant to try new and unfamiliar foods. Practical implications The study provides recommendations on how marketers and food producers might target these consumers more efficiently and boost the sales of innovative food products. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by (1) revealing food-related lifestyles among university students in Croatia, (2) developing the typology of consumers based on their lifestyles and (3) providing new knowledge of how food-related lifestyles affect the adoption of innovative food products.