Food-Related Lifestyle Segments in Taiwan: Application of the Food-Related Lifestyle Instrument

Abstract

Problem statement: This study applied the Food-Related Lifestyle (FRL) instrument for market segmentation in the Taiwan food sector. FRL instrument was originally developed by the Market-Based Product and Process Development in Danish (MAPP) research group, the instrument was adjusted for the Chinese food culture. The FRL instrument is wildly applied to empirical market analysis, especially in European nations. Its reliability and validity are also empirically proven. The present study serves as the first attempt to employ the FRL instrument to explore food-related lifestyle segments in Taiwan. Approach: A short questionnaire was issued to 650 Taiwanese consumers using quota sampling procedures and 565 valid responses were collected. Using the two-step cluster analysis, four distinct food-related consumer lifestyle segments were identified. Results: The four segments includes: traditional consumers (23.54%), adventurous consumers (27.61%), uninvolved consumers (24.07%) and astute consumers (24.78%). Conclusion/Recommendations: Comparison showed that these segments differ in their attitudes and behaviors towards food consumption. Profiles of the segments are achieved by observing the socio-demographic characteristics of typical segment members.