Great expectations: How experience, exposure, and product performance shape the perceived normality of plant based dairy alternatives

A week-long home-use study catalogued the experiences of 145 consumers in Sweden, selected for their intent to increase their own consumption of plant-based products, as they attempted to integrate a provided selection of plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs) into their daily lives. For behavioural change to occur, it is thought that capability, opportunity, and motivation are needed (COM-B model). By giving consumers opportunity through provision of seven PBDAs to use at home, this study attempted to isolate and explore their described capability and motivation to change their dietary behaviours. Given free-reign to try the products in whichever manner they preferred, participants qualitatively logged their thoughts about the products and, if they would not choose to use them again, described their reasoning. Responses were analysed thematically through the lens of the COM-B model of behavioural change. The main themes identified, expectations, direct comparisons, sensory experience , and functional experience were modified by two subthemes : prior experience and uncertainty . This showed that participants relied on their understanding of their own ‘normal’ product use to contextualise their experiences with the new products. Direct sensory and functional comparison to the analogous dairy product often influenced acceptance or rejection. However, previous experience with other dairy replacements also shaped expectations, reflecting the increased social normality of these products. Motivation to continue using a product was often related to a feeling of pleasant surprise upon testing it: creating an updated experience, and thus expectation, for future consumption. Strategies for positively shaping consumer expectations are discussed.