Older Consumers and Food Innovation

Traditionally older consumers are perceived as set in their ways and resistant to change and innovation. This paper investigates the validity of these perceptions through examining younger and older consumers' propensity to purchase varieties of a conceptually new product: polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) fed fish. Involvement and cognitive style, which have been found to influence consumer purchasing, are compared across age groups and their purchase intentions. It was found that older consumers, far from being resistant to innovation, were marginally more likely than the younger consumers to try the varieties of PUFA fish. Of particular interest is the fact that older consumers are more willing to pay a premium price for PUFA fish. These findings should be of particular interest to marketers who have largely concentrated on the younger end of the market.