The Effects of Time of Day on the Purchase of New Commodity Food Products

This study investigates the influence of time of day (TOD) on new food product purchasing. Due to consumers’ perceived risk and inertial consumption, it is difficult for newly released products to achieve market success. Previous literature suggests that consumers tend to favor familiar and routine options in the morning and diverse and hedonic options in the afternoon. Since TOD affects consumer behavior physiologically and contextually, it may serve as an effective marketing tool to stimulate the purchase of new products. Using milk purchase records from 24-hour convenience stores in South Korea collected from 10,947 consumers, our analysis examines variations in new product purchase across different times of day – morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Logistic regression reveals that consumers are more likely to buy newly released products in the afternoon and at night compared to the morning. This finding provides insight into promoting new food products and optimizing stock management.