The effect of incidental information on consumer behavior: an illustration with the choice of a meal in a restaurant

Abstract

Some studies have shown that figurative cues, presented in the environment of somebody, led to affect his/her later behaviour. This effect was applied to consumer behavior. In a restaurant various figurative objects related to the sea (a boat or a sailor's picture, a napkin with a boat and poetry related to the sea) or not (control condition) were present in the environment. Results show that figurative cues related to the sea increased the consumption of fish dishes.