Southeast Brazilian Consumers’ Involvement and Willingness to Pay for Quality Cues in Fresh and Cooked Beef

This study evaluates consumer Willingness-to-Pay (WTP) according to preferences for quality-cue attributes offered in two different purchase modes: fresh and cooked meat. The questionnaire was applied and answered by 534 Brazilian meat consumers. Three clusters were defined: Group 1- price conscious consumers; Group 2- quality cues conscious consumers; and Group 3- consumers who were neither price nor quality cues conscious. Different levels of consumer involvement are related to different levels of a purchase intention regarding breed and flavor. Using a logit regression model, the probabilities regarding individual choice and WTP were then calculated. Results indicate significant differences (p < .01) between attributes and for both fresh and cooked beef. For fresh meat, the most important quality cue was its bright red color and the least important its marbling. Interestingly, the lowest product price level does not appear to motivate purchase intention. For cooked beef purchase, consumers highly valued tender meat with flavor and aroma. When a consumer evaluates the purchase of fresh meat, WTP starts at a low level, and then increases with the introduction of positive quality-cue attributes. The opposite is true for cooked meat, where WTP starts at a high level and then decreases as negative quality cues are introduced.