Research by van Ittersum and colleagues indicates patterns in food selections that may be more generally applicable to situations involving healthy alternatives. The investigators report that “Across two studies, one study with purchase data from a brick-and-mortar supermarket and one online experimental study, we empirically demonstrate that the relative healthiness of an initial product choice is indeed inversely related to the relative healthiness of the subsequent choice, regardless of the category of both products. That means: a relatively healthy choice is followed by a relatively unhealthier choice, and vice versa. . . . In the brick-and-mortar supermarket, the dynamics also become less pronounced as the shopping trip progresses.”
Koert van Ittersum, Martine van der Heide, Niels Holtrop, Tammo Bijmolt, and Jenny van Doorn. 2024. “Healthy Shopping Dynamics: The Healthiness of Sequential Grocery Choices.” Journal of Retailing, vol. 100, no. 1, pp. 24-40, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2023.09.002