Identifying temporal drivers of product acceptance and rejection across sips during whole product consumption

Measuring emotional response gives insights into consumer product experiences beyond liking. However, existing research rarely considers that emotional and hedonic responses can change during consumption of a whole portion. This research considered how well a combined multiple-sip temporal check-all-that-apply approach captured temporal drivers of product acceptance and rejection. Consumers (n = 104) profiled temporal sensory, liking and emotional responses to three milkshakes. Associations in temporal sensory, liking and emotional response citation pattern across multiple sips were investigated using generalized linear models, analysis of deviance and Pearson's chi-square test. Differences in the temporal dynamics of sensory, liking and emotional responses and associations between temporal sensory and affective responses were identified highlighting liking and emotional experience were related to the evolution of sensory attributes over time. Notably, sensory associations with emotional responses, including “bored,” “relaxed,” and “satisfied,” were better at identifying temporal drivers of acceptance/rejection more than associations to level of liking.

Practical Applications

The research demonstrated that a combined multiple-sip temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA) approach, representing whole product consumption, is an effective approach to gain deeper insights into the sensory drivers of consumer affective response. However, the applicability of analyzing within-sip variations in perception, and potential to use check all that apply by sip as opposed to TCATA needs to be considered on a product category basis.