Papers by Vicki McCracken
Hortscience, Jul 1, 2014
Developing new cherry cultivars requires breeders to be aware of existing and emerging needs thro... more Developing new cherry cultivars requires breeders to be aware of existing and emerging needs throughout the supply chain, from producer to consumer. Because breeding programs in perennial crop plants like sweet and tart cherries require both extended time and extensive resources, understanding and targeting priority traits is critical to improve the efficiency of breeding programs. This study investigated the relative importance of fruit and tree traits to sweet and tart cherry producers using ordered probit models. Tart cherry producers considered productivity and fruit firmness to be the most important traits, whereas sweet cherry producers regarded fruit size, fruit flavor, fruit firmness, freedom from pitting, and powdery mildew resistance as important traits. The location of producers' orchards and their demographic backgrounds influenced their perceptions of the importance of traits. Our findings provide a quantitative basis to reinforce existing priorities of breeding programs or suggest new targets.
The difficulties of the everchanging algorithm have marketers and researchers questioning what ma... more The difficulties of the everchanging algorithm have marketers and researchers questioning what makes an image impressionable for brands? To explore the research, we first developed the semantic likability scale by selected eight highly popular Instagram images in the past two years from the three most popular athleisure/outdoor brands profiles on a U.S. university campus (for a total of 24 images). Collectively the research finding suggests people are the content that may navigate the congestion of image likability on Instagram. Therefore, brands should post images of influencers ensuring their faces are not obscured or hidden. Also, this research showcases that race and ethnicity do not decrease the evaluation of an image’s likability; on the contrary, brands Instagram feeds should showcase the array of people is significant for brand impressions on Instagram.
This exploratory study examined how consumers’ enthusiasm for interacting with fashion brands on ... more This exploratory study examined how consumers’ enthusiasm for interacting with fashion brands on social media affects their purchase loyalty to those brands. Findings confirmed only the hypothesized relationship between brand equity and CLV, whereas value equity had a negative relationship between value equity and CLV. A total of 394 university students completed the questionnaire after interacting with the 12 selected images. Relationship equity was not found to be a significant predictor of CLV. Thus, brand equity could be the main driver for fashion brands on social media.
2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts, 2016
WTP research is typically applied to consumer groups. Scant applied economics research has been d... more WTP research is typically applied to consumer groups. Scant applied economics research has been done to elicit producers' preferences and values for fruit quality, despite the important role producers play in the supply chain, as they take the financial risk to invest in a promising cultivar, making it accessible to the consumer in the marketplace through a sometimes complex supply chain. Our results show evidence that fresh market fruit producers are generally aligned with consumer preferences, as flavor and textural components were consistently given the highest WTP value among other fruit quality characteristics. However, market intermediaries (e.g., shippers, packers, marketers) do not exhibit the same preferences across all crops. The specific economic valuation placed by growers, market intermediaries, and consumers on individual attributes can now provide breeding programs more specific information to evaluate the fruit quality trait, and the targeted levels for that trait, within their programs.
The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, Nov 1, 2015
We elicited market intermediaries' (i.e., shippers, packers, marketers) preferences for various f... more We elicited market intermediaries' (i.e., shippers, packers, marketers) preferences for various fruit quality traits in apples, peaches, strawberries, and cherries in terms of ratings of importance, and identify factors significantly influencing these ratings. In general, results indicate that market intermediaries rate fruit quality traits associated with U.S. grade standards and consumer acceptability as most important. Information about preferred quality traits and factors influencing those preferences should increase the efficiency of developing improved fruit cultivars that appeal to the whole supply chain. Improved cultivars should enhance the ability of breeders, growers, and market intermediaries to supply high-quality fruit that better satisfy consumer demand.
Hortscience, Nov 1, 2013
Systematic studies of the relative importance of apple traits for U.S. apple producers to inform ... more Systematic studies of the relative importance of apple traits for U.S. apple producers to inform U.S. apple breeding programs have been lacking. To fill this gap, a series of audience surveys with instant feedback at five apple producer meetings across the United States was conducted. The traits included in this study were fruit crispness, juiciness, firmness, flavor, soluble solids concentration, sugar-acid balance, shelf life at retail, freedom from storage disorders, host plant disease resistance, and other fruit and tree traits provided by the producer. Producers rated fruit flavor and crispness as the most important traits for a successful apple cultivar. The relative importance assigned to traits was associated with growing location and producers' years of experience in the decision-making process of managing apple orchards. This study contributes directly to a larger effort that provides breeding programs with systematic knowledge of trait preferences of supply chain members, including producers, and should result in a more targeted approach to developing and commercializing new apple cultivars.
1) Elicit consumer's 'true' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for organic apple... more 1) Elicit consumer's 'true' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for organic apples. WTP defined as: the maximum amount a consumer is willing to pay at that time, on that given day Accurate WTP estimates will help the organic sector develop: 1) marketing and management strategies, ...
The estimated demands for four primal beef products suggest specific market segments are potentia... more The estimated demands for four primal beef products suggest specific market segments are potential targets to increase consumption. The changes in demand for ground beef was determined by market participants, while the demand changes for the other primals was determined by market transients.
Demand equations derived from household production theory stress the importance of time in househ... more Demand equations derived from household production theory stress the importance of time in household decisions.• Value of time was quantified using a method that corrects for selection bias. This study concludes that household time value, income, size and composition, and other environmental variables significantly influence beef consumption away-from-home.
Horttechnology, Jun 1, 2020
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Mar 20, 2017
As growers adopt and diffuse improved food crop cultivars, their investment decisions for produci... more As growers adopt and diffuse improved food crop cultivars, their investment decisions for producing new cultivars control product accessibility and directly affect the entire supply chain. In this study, we estimated growers' willingness to invest (willingness to pay (WTP)) in cultivars with improved quality traits for five rosaceous fruit crops: apple, peach, strawberry, sweet cherry, and tart cherry. WTP values differed by crop, but fruit flavor was consistently rated one of the most important traits, with higher WTP. This information will help breeding programs focus resources to develop superior cultivars for long-term economic sustainability of the rosaceous fruit industry.
American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Jun 12, 2013
Agribusiness, Jul 12, 2016
An online choice experiment was conducted to investigate U.S. consumer preferences for attributes... more An online choice experiment was conducted to investigate U.S. consumer preferences for attributes of fresh market strawberry fruit. Using a latent class logit model, three different groups of consumers are identified: "Balanced Consumers," "Experience Attribute Sensitive Consumers," and "Search Attribute Sensitive Consumers." This information on consumer segmentation can help the fresh market strawberry industry identify target markets, and provides valuable information to breeders, growers, and retailers to prioritize fruit attributes in their breeding, growing, or product sourcing decisions.
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Apr 1, 2016
We investigate heterogeneous consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for various sweet ... more We investigate heterogeneous consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for various sweet cherry attributes using choice experiments. A mixed logit model and a latent-class logit model are used to estimate consumer WTP for the attributes and identify groups of consumers based on those preferences. We find that consumers of sweet cherries will pay the greatest premium for sweetness and the smallest premium for fruit size. Three groups of consumers are identifiedflavor sensitive, price sensitive, and storage sensitive. The results are useful for suppliers of sweet cherries when adopting targeted marketing strategies.
Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Jul 6, 2012
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for organic ... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for organic versus conventionally produced cotton apparel, and to explore the role of purchase behaviors, apparel attributes and consumer beliefs about organics in purchase decisions.Design/methodology/approachA 2nd priced auction was used to estimate WTP, along with a follow‐up survey to collect information on participants’ demographics, attitudes and behavior.FindingsOn average, participants were willing to pay a 25 percent premium for an organic cotton t‐shirt over the visibly similar t‐shirt made from conventionally produced cotton. Participants who pay for their own clothing or make purchase decisions alone were not willing to pay a premium. Previous history of purchasing organic foods, perceived product quality, fit and the participant's race were also significant predictors of WTP.Research limitations/implicationsA more representative sample and the inclusion of other product categories are necessary to generalize the relationships found in this study.Practical implicationsThis research helps to profile the organic cotton consumer. Findings suggest that retailers need to consider the income of target consumers when making decisions about carrying organic apparel products. Further, consumers with a history of purchasing organic products appear to carry that purchase behavior across product categories. When marketing organic apparel products, the perception of a higher quality product may yield a higher WTP.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the first to use an experimental auction in estimating WTP for apparel. Relevant consumer beliefs about organics, purchase behaviors and apparel product attributes are also explored.
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Papers by Vicki McCracken