Food SelectionNCT06412276
Out-of-home Consumer Food Purchase Behaviour in the Presence and Absence of Value Pricing and Price Promotions
A study testing Product price promotions removed, Bulk buy reductions removed and Volume value pricing removed in people with Food Selection and Healthy Eating, run by University of Liverpool at 1 site in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
It is important to understand the role that price-based incentives in the out-of-home food sector play in food purchasing, and whether they lead to positive savings for the consumer (as they would likely anticipate when making purchases), or whether these incentives lead to increased spending and increased purchasing… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Food Selection, Healthy Eating, Eating Behavior
- What is being tested?
- Product price promotions removed, Bulk buy reductions removed and Volume value pricing removed
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 2,051 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 1 Jun 2024to 28 Oct 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Currently reside in the United Kingdom
- Over the age of 18 years
- Fluent English speaker Frequently use food delivery apps or websites (at least once a month, on average)
- Frequently eat takeaway pizza (i.e. once every 2-3 months)
- Can complete the study on a laptop or desktop
Who cannot join
- Partaking in a fast or other restrictive eating for religious reasons at time of participation
- Dietary restrictions/intolerances including:
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Sugar-free
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
It is important to understand the role that price-based incentives in the out-of-home food sector play in food purchasing, and whether they lead to positive savings for the consumer (as they would likely anticipate when making purchases), or whether these incentives lead to increased spending and increased purchasing of unhealthy products. Additionally, it is important to consider whether the impacts of price-based incentives differ according to a range of demographic characteristics. For example, some evidence suggests that effects of removing a price-based incentive are greater in individuals with a higher BMI. Evidence also suggests there may also be differences in impact according to socioeconomic position (SEP) as individuals in lower SEP groups reportedly use price-based incentives more frequently. If lower SEP individuals are more affected by price-based incentives (i.e. they prompt ordering in excess and greater spend), then the banning of such strategies could help to reduce health inequalities, by nudging lower SEP consumers toward healthier dietary choices in the OOH food sector.
To date, it is unclear what effect policies which remove specific types of price-based incentives would be likely to have on consumer behaviour. In particular, individual product price reductions (e.g. £ off this product), bulk buy price reductions (e.g., Save £ when bought together) and volume value pricing (e.g., the price increase from a small to large portion size not being directly proportional to volume increase).
Read more
Therefore our primary objectives are:
- To observe the effect of removing price-based incentives (individual product price reductions, bulk buy price reductions, volume value pricing) in the OOH food sector on:
- Energy purchased per household
- Money spent per household
Secondary Objectives:
- To explore whether any effects of removing price-based incentives differ based on participant characteristics (BMI, SEP, food choice motives)
Read the detailed description
See attached study protocol for detailed information
- Conditions
- Food Selection, Healthy Eating, Eating Behavior
- Being tested
- Control, Product price promotions removed, Bulk buy reductions removed, Volume value pricing removed, No price-based incentives
- Medical subject headings
- Food Preferences, Feeding Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
ControlBehavioural
Food menu will be provided as is typical for the out of home outlet
Product price promotions removedBehavioural
Food menus with no price reductions to products
Bulk buy reductions removedBehavioural
Food menus with bundles provided but not at reduced prices
Volume value pricing removedBehavioural
Food menus with proportionate pricing for multi-size products
No price-based incentivesBehavioural
Food menus with no price-based incentives offered
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Experimental | Food menu typical for the out-of-home outlet with
* Product price promotions (25% off orders over £10)
* Bulk buy reductions (bundle options for reduced prices)
* Volume value pricing (increase in size for a disproportionately small increase in price) Receives: Behavioral: Control |
| Product price reductions removed | Experimental | Food menu without product price promotions Receives: Behavioral: Product price promotions removed |
| Bulk buy price reductions removed | Experimental | Food menu without price decrease for bulk-buy items (i.e. bundles available but not at a decreased price) Receives: Behavioral: Bulk buy reductions removed |
| Volume value pricing removed | Experimental | For products on the food menu with size increases, increases in price will be made proportionate (as opposed to value) Receives: Behavioral: Volume value pricing removed |
| No price-based incentive | Experimental | Food menus will be provided with no price-based incentives Receives: Behavioral: No price-based incentives |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Energy (kcal) ordered
The total energy content of the hypothetical food order
Measured: immediately after food choice
Monetary value of order
The total monetary value of the hypothetical food order
Measured: immediately after food choice
Likelihood of using a bulk-buy promotion
The likelihood of participants selecting a bulk-buy option or 'bundle'
Measured: immediately after food choice
Likelihood of selecting a larger or smaller size
The likelihood of participants selecting a larger or smaller size for food items with multi-size options
Measured: immediately after food choice
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 May 2024
- Study start1 Jun 2024
- Primary completion26 Jul 2024
- Study completion28 Oct 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Food SelectionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- participants will be randomly assigned to one of five conditions.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 2,051 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Liverpool
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Liverpool John Moores University, University of Bristol, Economic and Social Research Council, United Kingdom
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06412276
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Price-based incentive study
- Status last verified
- May 2024
- First submitted
- 8 May 2024
- Last updated
- 1 Nov 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Study data (anonymised) will be shared on the Open Science Framework (OSF)
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Nov 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Out-of-home Consumer Food Purchase Behaviour in the Presence and Absence of Value Pricing and Price Promotions
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06412276
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Price-based incentive study
- Conditions
- Food Selection, Healthy Eating, Eating Behavior
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 2,051 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of LiverpoolUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Liverpool John Moores University, University of Bristol, Economic and Social Research Council, United Kingdom
- Study start
- 1 Jun 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 26 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 28 Oct 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 14 May 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
It is important to understand the role that price-based incentives in the out-of-home food sector play in food purchasing, and whether they lead to positive savings for the consumer (as they would likely anticipate when making purchases), or whether these incentives lead to increased spending and increased purchasing of unhealthy products. Additionally, it is important to consider whether the impacts of price-based incentives differ according to a range of demographic characteristics. For example, some evidence suggests that effects of removing a price-based incentive are greater in individuals with a higher BMI. Evidence also suggests there may also be differences in impact according to socioeconomic position (SEP) as individuals in lower SEP groups reportedly use price-based incentives more frequently. If lower SEP individuals are more affected by price-based incentives (i.e. they prompt ordering in excess and greater spend), then the banning of such strategies could help to reduce health inequalities, by nudging lower SEP consumers toward healthier dietary choices in the OOH food sector.
To date, it is unclear what effect policies which remove specific types of price-based incentives would be likely to have on consumer behaviour. In particular, individual product price reductions (e.g. £ off this product), bulk buy price reductions (e.g., Save £ when bought together) and volume value pricing (e.g., the price increase from a small to large portion size not being directly proportional to volume increase).
Therefore our primary objectives are:
- To observe the effect of removing price-based incentives (individual product price reductions, bulk buy price reductions, volume value pricing) in the OOH food sector on:
- Energy purchased per household
- Money spent per household
Secondary Objectives:
- To explore whether any effects of removing price-based incentives differ based on participant characteristics (BMI, SEP, food choice motives)
Detailed description
See attached study protocol for detailed information
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 5
- Model description
- participants will be randomly assigned to one of five conditions.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Experimental | Behavioral: ControlFood menu typical for the out-of-home outlet with * Product price promotions (25% off orders over £10) * Bulk buy reductions (bundle options for reduced prices) * Volume value pricing (increase in size for a disproportionately small increase in price) |
| Product price reductions removed | Experimental | Behavioral: Product price promotions removedFood menu without product price promotions |
| Bulk buy price reductions removed | Experimental | Behavioral: Bulk buy reductions removedFood menu without price decrease for bulk-buy items (i.e. bundles available but not at a decreased price) |
| Volume value pricing removed | Experimental | Behavioral: Volume value pricing removedFor products on the food menu with size increases, increases in price will be made proportionate (as opposed to value) |
| No price-based incentive | Experimental | Behavioral: No price-based incentivesFood menus will be provided with no price-based incentives |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Currently reside in the United Kingdom
- Over the age of 18 years
- Fluent English speaker Frequently use food delivery apps or websites (at least once a month, on average)
- Frequently eat takeaway pizza (i.e. once every 2-3 months)
- Can complete the study on a laptop or desktop
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Partaking in a fast or other restrictive eating for religious reasons at time of participation
- Dietary restrictions/intolerances including:
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| ControlFood menu will be provided as is typical for the out of home outlet | Behavioural | Control |
| Product price promotions removedFood menus with no price reductions to products | Behavioural | Product price reductions removed |
| Bulk buy reductions removedFood menus with bundles provided but not at reduced prices | Behavioural | Bulk buy price reductions removed |
| Volume value pricing removedFood menus with proportionate pricing for multi-size products | Behavioural | Volume value pricing removed |
| No price-based incentivesFood menus with no price-based incentives offered | Behavioural | No price-based incentive |
Primary outcome
Energy (kcal) ordered
Time frame: immediately after food choice
The total energy content of the hypothetical food order
Monetary value of order
Time frame: immediately after food choice
The total monetary value of the hypothetical food order
Likelihood of using a bulk-buy promotion
Time frame: immediately after food choice
The likelihood of participants selecting a bulk-buy option or 'bundle'
Likelihood of selecting a larger or smaller size
Time frame: immediately after food choice
The likelihood of participants selecting a larger or smaller size for food items with multi-size options
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Nov 2024.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Study data (anonymised) will be shared on the Open Science Framework (OSF)
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Product price promotions removed, Bulk buy reductions removed and Volume value pricing removed in people with Food Selection and Healthy Eating, run by University of Liverpool at 1 site in United Kingdom.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Nov 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Energy (kcal) ordered (time frame: immediately after food choice). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Nov 2024.