sardine users in Detroit bought sardines on 

 impulse at the time of their last pierchase; 

 the remainder made a planned purchaise. The 

 explanation of their behavior by impulse 

 buyers included "on sale," "Just happened 

 to notice them," and "Just wanted to have 

 them on hand." 



Serving Habits 



Slightly more than one-half of the 

 sardine users in Birmingham sometimes 

 served sardines for dinner compared with 

 only about one -eighth of those in Boston 

 and nearly one-third of the users in 

 Detroit. 



^Open questions and the probing 

 technique also may be used when 

 attempting to ascertain >rtiy the 

 product is or is not used in a 

 certain way. Specific, spontane- 

 ous responses of the type elicited 

 only after skilled probing are 

 Important sources of information 

 for those interested in expanding 

 the market for canned sardines. 7 



"Hie analysis of the respondents' 

 answers to an open question eind probes 

 revealed that the chief reasons for not 

 serving sardines for dinner &re the feel- 

 ing that sardines are primarily a luncheon, 

 snack, or picnic food; or that there are 

 not enough of them to make a full dinner 

 meal. 



Sardine users in Birmingham served an 

 average of 4.9 small sardines per adult for 

 a snack compared to an average of 5.9 in 

 Detroit and 6.3 in Boston. 



Birmingham seurdine users served an 

 average of 5^3 sardines per adult for a 

 meal. This average is based on the 53 per- 

 cent of those in the city ^o knew the 

 number of sardines they serve. The average 

 of 5.'* in Detroit and 7^6 in Boston were 

 based on only 39 percent and l7 percent of 

 the users in the respective cities. 



In 78 percent of the seurdine-user 

 households in Birmingham, sardines were 

 served in the heme 'v^en the respondent was 

 a child. For Boston and Detroit, the com- 

 parable percentages were 71 percent and 70 

 percent, respectively. 



^The replies of consumers to 

 open questions and their re- 

 sponses to the use of the prob- 

 ing technique revealed the 

 relative Importance of price 

 reduction and other considera- 

 tions as motives for the more 

 frequent use of canned sardines. _/ 



Seventeen percent of the sardine users 

 in Birmingham and 15 percent in Detroit 

 indicated that a lower price would lead 

 to an increase in their consumption of the 

 product. Only k percent mentioned a price 

 reduction as an incentive in Boston. The 

 removal of the bones and better cleaning 

 at the cannery were mentioned as induce- 

 ments to greater consumption by 16 per- 

 cent of the users in Detroit, 7 percent 

 in Boston, and 6 percent in Binningham. 

 However, k6 percent in Boston, 27 percent 

 in Birmingham, and 21 percent in Detroit 

 said that nothing would induce them to eat 

 more sardines. In addition, about one- 

 fifth of the users in all three cities 

 said that they eat sardines often enough 

 at present. 



Percentage of 

 sardine users 



50 



40 \- 



30 



20 



10 



Boston Detroit Birmingjiam 



FIGURE III. —PERCENTAGE OF SARDINE USERS 

 WHO SAID THAT NOTHING WOULD INDUCE 

 THEM TO USE MORE SARDINES 



