Abstract:
Consumer responses were observed for a within-sample comparison of preference and willingness-to pay (WTP) estimates for tenderness, leanness, freshness and hygiene for beef products from finished
cattle and non-finished cattle (status quo). This comparison was conducted through two sessions of
repeated choice-based conjoint experiments (CBC), starting with a hypothetical choice-based conjoint
(HCBC) experiment that involved cheap talk only followed by a real choice-based conjoint (RCBC)
experiment that involved the actual purchase of experimental products with real money. Consumers
prefer more tender, less fatty, chilled beef and clean retailing premises, regardless of the choice
session; however, the estimated coefficients were not equal (p<0.001). The selection was motivated by
alternatives in HCBC where finished beef constituted 76% of all choices made. The selection of finished
beef dropped to 67% in RCBC where consumers were sensitive to the price and quality content of
alternative products. Consumers overestimate the WTP for hygiene in HCBC (p=0.014); however, there
are no significant differences in WTP estimates for other attributes. Therefore, it is concluded that
monetary incentives can reduce hypothetical choice bias and provide more trustworthy WTP estimates
for all attributes.
Key words: Beef, fini
