The effect of sensonry incongruity on taste and price perception within the context of haptic and visual cues

When evaluating a product, consumers - with or without awareness - consider factors that do not have a direct impact on the quality of the product. For example, it is possible to enrich the taste of a dish using factors like the materials used in the presentation, the smell of the environment and the music playing in the background. How food is served to consumers is getting much attention today. The fact that the consumption of beverages requires an absolute interaction with the container emphasizes the necessity of this issue. In this case, it is necessary to discuss the effect of containers on the evaluation of beverages. Are the cardboard cups that differ in terms of material, color and form result in the same experience? Based on this idea, the effect of container weight and color on taste and price perception was investigated in this study. Almost all of the increasingly popular coffee chains provide takeaway coffee services. Therefore, the effect of differentiating the cardboard cups used in this service is the subject of research. The aim of this study is to find out how tactile (weight) and visual (color) signs affect taste and price perception. When the literature is examined, it's been discovered that sensory marketing studies using hot drinks are scarce. Similarly, commonly used takeaway coffee cups are not included in any study. The research is important to fill this gap. For this purpose, 3 different experimental designs were created. Six cardboard cups differing in weight (heavy and light) and color (congruent, incongruent and neutral) containing coffee were tasted and then opinions were taken about the taste and price of coffee. According to the results, increasing the weight of the cup has created a more positive perception of the smell and intensity of the coffee. Besides, the coffee served in heavy cups was perceived to be more expensive than the other ones. Differently colored cups did not cause any effect on price perception. However, it was found that the incongruent colored cup had a lower score in all assessments of taste perception. In the last experiment, the weight and color factors were used together and it was observed that the heavy cups produced a more positive perception of the price, albeit with a slight difference. According to the participants, the most beautifully smelling coffee is a heavy and congruently colored cup. It would be appropriate for coffee makers to make decisions regarding the use of cardboard cups in light of these results. Keywords: Sensory Marketing, Sensory Transfer, Multi Sensory Interactions, Weight, Color