Background

Cabinet and in-store layout design impose high demands on supermarket refrigeration systems, due to temperature requirements and interactions between the ambient environment and the display. It is clear that views diverge on how different barriers should be investigated, and there are reasons to believe that energy efficiency measurements, with regards to both energy efficiency in buildings and energy efficiency in the operations, have weak points. The energy efficiency situation is a paradox that needs to be elaborated on.

Scope and approach

The paper presents a systematic literature review of research on open (no doors) or closed refrigerated cabinets (with doors) energy efficiency, chilled groceries and the consumer behavior, followed by an analysis of the contemporary research. The paper draws on findings and collects peer-reviewed articles from databases in order to examine how research has reported on this issue. As a result, 31 articles were framed, with different variables, to form a body of this article.

Key findings and conclusions

Empirical research is needed that uses actual data, such as perceptions, behavioral research with lab experiments, and field measurements. Consumers shopping situation, for chilled groceries, is an extensive and complex topic, and a single study cannot provide a complete overview of all its related aspects. The results focus on two objectives. Firstly to present the review and secondly to analyze and identify knowledge gaps within the energy efficiency and store installations in the grocery context.

In the retail grocery business, new competitors such as pure e-commerce players are growing fast, and, in order to compete, ‘brick and mortar’ stores such as supermarkets need to become more professional at providing excellent customer service, and to use the physical servicescape as the main competitive advantages. However, supermarkets also face a challenge to offer consumers high quality products while at the same time providing a pleasant and functional servicescape. Products like groceries often need to be stored in cabinets due to strict regulations and in order to maintain correct temperatures. Some of these cabinets have doors which make them more energy-efficient (Evans et al., 2007 ;  Faramarzi et al., 2002), reduces costs, and contributes to grocery quality, but it can also affect the perceived servicescape, and risk a negative impact on sales (Waide, 2014; Kauffeld, 2015). For example, moisture from the atmosphere that condenses on the inside of the door glass (Fricke and Bansal, 2015) may make the cabinets less transparent, and doors can obstruct consumers from passing by. Thus, having chilled groceries in cabinets with doors can be both beneficial and problematic. However, no studies have been conducted on how open (no doors) or closed (with doors) cabinets for chilled groceries impact consumer perception and behavior. Hence, the purpose of the study is to contribute to an understanding of how consumers behave and what they perceive when shopping chilled groceries from cabinets with doors and without doors in the supermarket.

Based on a qualitative research approach, combining in-store observations and focus group interviews, and focusing on Bitner's (1992) three environmental variables in the servicescape, i.e. (1) ambient condition, (2) space and functions, and (3) signs, symbols and artifacts, the study investigates the question: do open or closed cabinets for chilled groceries in the supermarket impact consumer perception and behavior, and if so, how?

Our results indicate that consumers’ behavior and perceptions of the foodscape differ when there are doors or no doors on the cabinets. The paper thereby contributes to servicescape research by focusing on a particular part of supermarkets – the foodscape for chilled groceries–and by enhancing the understanding of environmental variables in the servicescape. The results further show how doors lead to different forms of approach or avoidance behavior in terms of accessibility and that consumers’ vision, olfaction and tactility all influence consumers’ perceptions of freshness and cleanliness in relation to doors or no doors. Our results also have practical implications for retailers who are designing new stores or considering changes in existing store layouts.

Energy efficiency activities in sections of grocery stores for chilled groceries are subject to particular challenges as this is a complex indoor environment given that the goal of store owners is to offer consumers chilled groceries of high quality in a comfortable environment while at the same time trying to reduce energy use. Consequently, it is important to maintain the right temperature in the right place and to be aware of the consumers’ shopping situation. The way chilled groceries are displayed, the form of refrigeration, the building size, and business and merchandising practices may differ between retail stores, impacting energy efficiency. Finding a balance between being energy effective and efficient, i.e., doing the right things or doing things right, is therefore important. This particular environment, where consumers interact with store staff, other consumers, chilled groceries, and other environmental factors, is a surprisingly unexplored part of retail, especially when it comes to consumers’ behaviors and perceptions. This thesis is multidisciplinary, and the research has been broadened from studying measured and perceived comfort parameters in supermarkets to incorporating qualitative studies with a clearer and deeper interest in consumers’ perceptions and behaviors. In this thesis, findings from the cold environment of chilled food display cabinets, either with doors or without, are discussed and tangible commodities are used to illustrate how ‘details’ such as doors on cabinets matter to consumers. The consumers are of the main interest since they make up the businesses. The aim of this thesis is to gain knowledge of how to improve energy efficiency and the store layout for chilled groceries by adding consumer insights. Four specific papers contribute to this thesis’ aim of overcoming specific challenges faced by retail grocery stores as regards energy efficiency. The results show how details such as doors can affect consumers’ perceptions and behaviors. The details that matter concern how consumers perceive and behave in relation to having doors or no doors on cabinets, with different forms of approach or avoidance behavior in terms of accessibility, both beneficial and problematic. Moreover, the results also show that knowledge of how to provide service to the consumer, in particular in the foodscape and with doors on cabinets, can affect the store’s energy use in a positive way and contribute toward more sustainable and energy efficient retail grocery stores. By elaborating these results in relation to “foodscape”, this thesis contributes to research on servicescape. The thesis also contributes to research on in-store energy efficiency in relation to four challenges that retail grocery stores face: building design, retail context, consumer insights, and management. The perspectives of the consumers may help to overcome barriers to energy efficiency, aid in the design of a functional foodscape and facilitate technology change for sustainable and efficient energy use in supermarket buildings.

In the supermarket environment three factors must be considered: food (food quality), personnel (working conditions), and customers.The customers do not remain in this environment very long but are of particular interest since they constitute the supermarket’s commercial basis. However, there are no recommendations on the indoor environment based on this category. This study compares the perceived indoor thermal environment with simultaneous objective measurements of the thermal environment and includes multiple enquiry methods. These methods have been used for this specific environment in order to understand how customers perceive, evaluate, and prefer variations in the thermal environment.

Measurements were performed in summer and winter in front of twelve display cabinets, over 1100 questionnaires have been received.To provide recommendations, this study presents measured and perceived comfort in supermarkets, information which can be used for prescribing suitable thermal environments for customers.

"Active Ageing – Personalised food and meal solutions for health and quality of life" (Aktivt åldrande – individuellt anpassade måltidslösningar för hälsa och livskvalitet hos äldre. Diarienr 2013-02780) is a project that aims to maintain the quality of life and autonomy of older persons, through individual and personalised meal solutions that fit their needs and requirements. The target group are primarily the age 75 or older. Five work packages are included in the project. This report describes the work package that had the scope of developing a concept for the ordering, distribution and delivery of meal to the elderly.

Refrigeration technology and the cold-chain will play an important role in the concept by preserving the safety and quality of foods during its transportation to the elderly. Refrigeration technology and the cold-chain will also make it possible to prepare specific types of foods that meet the demand of the elderly. In particular for the elderly consumers that would like to eat at home and decrease their independency and overall quality of life. It is also important the value chain and concept for the business model must be flexible and taking into account needs from the elderly consumers at all stages, starting from ordering the meal, handling in the household and disposing of the packaging material.

An interdisciplinary approach – combining knowledge of ICT (information and communications technology) – Technology, food quality, packaging, logistic, sensory, and waste/return systems for the food that is distributed is increasingly necessary. As the demand for food for the elderly is on the rise, the development of new products, models and services might be facilitated by collaborating with SMEs (micro, small and medium-sized enterprises) and other business partners interested in delivering solutions for the elderly consumers. The concept for the ordering, distribution and delivery of meal to the elderly developed in the project can be used by other end users and/or for other products and services.

Editors Judith A. Evans and Alan M. Foster present readers with a collection of expert contributions on the ways in which to optimize refrigeration display cabinets and refrigeration systems for sustainability. The selections that make up the main body of the text cover the latest technologies and contemporary best practices from around the world in maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste in retail refrigeration. The Editors are both faculty members of London South Bank University in the UK. (© Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR)

Several studies have shown that it is of importance to keep the chilled air inside the

cabinet for refrigerated food. Accordingly, the physical environment in front of the

cabinets affect both the thermal comfort for consumer and personnel, the energy usage

for the supermarket and the quality for the chilled food products. Knowledge on what

consumers experience and how they behave in-store when introduced to vertical

cabinets with doors for chilled food creates new business opportunities for retailers, as

well as saving energy. Most consumers are aware of environmental issues and the need

of energy savings, however they lack knowledge on the impact by fitting doors on

cabinets in stores, besides energy savings, doors might also prevent consumers from

buying products from closed cabinets. There is a strong need to develop a deeper

understanding from the consumers´ behaviors in order to understand and improve the

servicescape and shopping experience in supermarkets were refrigerated food is

displayed.

The purpose of this study is to investigate what consumers perceive and how they

behave in supermarket store settings when being introduced to closed vertical display

cabinets for chilled food. In doing so, we elaborate on the servicescape literature and

how the influence of servicescapes might be used in order to develop the understanding

of how new technique might facilitate the provision of service offerings in-store. From

the qualitative consumer study, we underline the importance of considering the physical

environment as well as sensory perception and experiences when introducing doors on

cabinets in a supermarket. The experiences, insights and definitions about freshness in

parallel with consumer behaviour with or without doors on the cabinets for refrigerated

food is further discussed.

Keywords: consumer, behaviour, supermarket, sensory, servicescape

Subject classification codes: include these here if the journal requires them

In Europe the percentage of citizens aged 65 and over is increasing at an unprecedented rate, and is expected to account for over 30% of the population by 2050. Coupled with an increase in life expectancy, this massive demographic change calls for a major effort to ensure quality of life in our older population. A thorough understanding of the elderly as food consumers, their nutritional needs, their food perception and preferences is increasingly needed.

The role of food in healthy aging was a prominent theme at the 6th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research, which had quality of life across the life span as a focal point. This short paper is based on a workshop held at the EuroSense meeting, focusing on research from sensory and consumer scientists. The workshop featured contributions focusing on food-related perception, needs and behavior of the elderly, and aimed at demonstrating the relevance of sensory and consumer scientists in promoting food-related well-being in an aging population. The workshop contributions are here reviewed and summarized three main themes: nutritional needs, food perception and aging, and behavioral drivers of food consumption.

Resurser och hållbarhet är nära förknippade. Hållbarhet innebär att hushålla med resurser - materiella, miljömässiga och mänskliga. Och hushållning är per definition kärnan i ekonomi. Man börjar alltmer se framväxten av en hel arsenal av verktyg och förhållnings- och angreppssätt för att bygga hållbarhet. Detta förenas av ett synsätt att det som hitintills setts  om avfall och värdelöst, och rent utav besvärligt att ta hand om, nu blir en värdefull resurs. Det glömda och gömda kommer åter. Faktum är att många ord och begrepp kring detta börjar på just åter- eller re- . Internationellt talar man om Redesign, Recycling, Remake, Recycle, Recraft, Reuse, Recreate, Reclaim, Reduce, Repair, Refashion.

Vad är då allt detta? Ja, vill man dra det långt, är det inte mindre än framväxten av ett nyvunnet sätt att tänka, ja av en ny samhällssektor, en bransch och en industri,  sammanbundet av filosofin att återanvändningen, spillminskningen, vidarebruket, efterlivet anses som viktiga faktorer för ett miljömedvetet samhälle. Re: blir paraplytermen för detta. I denna antologi av forskare från skilda discipliner vid Högskolan i Borås lyfts ett antal av dessa begrepp inom Re: fram.