Anticipatory Experience Appetites - pet food

Consumer decisions are often guided not only by functional needs or past experiences, but by the anticipation of future experiences and the emotions and memories those experiences will generate. This project introduces anticipatory experience appetites as forward-looking motivational states that shape product choice. 

Grounded in Geraldine Fennell’s Perceived Product-Use Situation framework and Daniel Kahneman’s distinction between the experiencing and remembering selves, this research provides a new lens for understanding consumer decision-making in emotionally meaningful contexts. 

Anticipatory experience appetites represent the ways consumers want to:

• Feel during an experience 
• Interpret the experience as part of their identity 
• Remember and evaluate the experience afterward 

Rather than focusing on what consumers have done or who they are, this framework focuses on:

the experiences consumers expect to create and remember

This research extends consumer behavior theory by:

• Introducing a forward-looking motivational mechanism 
• Connecting Fennell’s situational framework with Kahneman’s remembering self 
• Shifting segmentation from identity → anticipated experience 

It offers a compelling explanation for why consumers:

• Make emotionally driven decisions 
• Accept higher prices in care-oriented categories 
• Evaluate products based on imagined outcomes

This project applies the framework to pet ownership—a context where purchasing decisions are often expressions of:

• Care and responsibility 
• Identity and family roles 
• Emotional connection to animals 

Preliminary findings suggest three dominant anticipatory appetites:

Pets are treated as family members, and product choices reflect alignment with household standards.

Consumers derive satisfaction from the pet’s happiness, well-being, and shared experiences.

Consumers feel a responsibility to provide high-quality, ethically produced food.

These appetites appear to shape how consumers evaluate alternatives and make purchasing decisions.

The project also explores how beliefs about price and quality influence decision-making.

Consumers differ in whether they believe:

• Higher-priced food signals better nutrition 
• Premium products reflect better care 
• Ethical sourcing justifies higher cost 

These beliefs may moderate the relationship between anticipatory appetites and purchase behavior.

• Conference presentation (MMA Spring 2026) 
• Conceptual framework linking Fennell and Kahneman 
• Initial empirical exploration (survey-based) 
• Identification of core anticipatory appetites 
• Supporting materials (slides, abstract, notes) 

This project is well-positioned for development into a journal article. Potential directions include:

• Scale development and validation for anticipatory experience appetites 
• Expanded data collection with pet owners 
• Testing appetite → behavior relationships 
• Examining moderation by price-quality beliefs 
• Comparing appetite-based segmentation with traditional approaches

• How do anticipated emotional outcomes shape product choice? 
• Do anticipatory appetites predict behavior better than demographics? 
• How do beliefs about price, quality, and ethics interact with these appetites? 
• Can this framework explain willingness to pay in emotionally meaningful categories?

This project is particularly well-suited for:

Assistant Professors
Seeking a well-developed concept with clear publication potential.

Advanced Doctoral Students (ABD)
Looking for a dissertation paper or second research stream.

Researchers in:
Consumer behavior, branding, services, food marketing, pets/animals, ethics, or emotional consumption.

Extended abstract, slides, conceptual framework, and project notes are available upon request.

Request project materials or start a conversation to explore:

• Independent development 
• Collaboration 
• Data collection support or funding

Most projects can be developed into conference submissions or journal articles with appropriate empirical testing.