Research Area

Consumer Insights

All value comes from what consumers are willing to pay for their purchases. Our research uses advanced econometrics to provide estimates of consumer willingness-to-pay.

The AERU has an extensive history of research into what international consumers want, with a particular focus on the sale of New Zealand’s primary products in important overseas markets. This includes the examination of consumer attitudes, preferences and behaviours, as well as estimations of their willingness-to-pay for the qualities of New Zealand’s unique products. These attributes can include basic product attributes, such as price and taste, as well as credence attributes such as environmental, social, ethical, cultural and other qualities.

The AERU has a future vision that no primary product exports from New Zealand should be sold without a premium. This research can support New Zealand exporters in achieving premiums in international markets by providing salient, accurate and timely data on their preferences and the amount they are willing to pay for these products.

Related Research

What We've Done

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade

Unlocking Export Prosperity

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade

Unlocking Export Prosperity is delivering new knowledge on how local enterprises can achieve higher returns by ensuring global consumers understand the distinctive qualities of the physical, credence and cultural attributes of agri-food products that are Made in New Zealand.

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, Regional Development, Wellbeing Economics

Rewarding Sustainable Practices

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, Regional Development, Wellbeing Economics

Following on from the successful Integrating Value Chains programme, this research is testing whether the key characteristics identified in that programme as important for a successful value chain have validity for designing a new value chain for a New Zealand land-based export product.

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, Regional Development, Wellbeing Economics

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade, Wellbeing Economics

Integrating Value Chains

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade, Wellbeing Economics

Integrating Value Chains tested whether New Zealand’s world-renowned reputation for food and fibre would allow our producers and processors to capture higher returns for agri-food exports.

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade, Wellbeing Economics

Climate Change, Consumer Insights, International Trade, Regional Development

The Matrix of Drivers

Climate Change, Consumer Insights, International Trade, Regional Development

The AERU were the principal investigators for the Matrix of Drivers, a project aiming to identify all of the known drivers and issues that affect land and water use in New Zealand, funded by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge.

Climate Change, Consumer Insights, International Trade, Regional Development

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade

Maximising Export Returns (MER)

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade

Maximising Export Returns (MER) was a three-year project, funded by MBIE, examining international consumer preferences towards key food and beverage product attributes in key markets for New Zealand's food and beverage trade.

Consumer Insights, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade

Consumer Insights, Country of Origin Profiling, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade, Wellbeing Economics

Primary Sector Council Report

Consumer Insights, Country of Origin Profiling, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade, Wellbeing Economics

The Primary Sector Council commissioned the AERU to prepare a situational analysis that provided a global perspective and a national context for developing a refreshed vision for food and fibre sector at a time of unprecedented change.

Consumer Insights, Country of Origin Profiling, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade, Wellbeing Economics

Consumer Insights, Country of Origin Profiling, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade

Taste Pure Nature

Consumer Insights, Country of Origin Profiling, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade

The AERU has contributed to Beef+Lamb’s New Zealand origin brand, Taste Pure Nature, through our work in the Integrating Value Chains programme (funded by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge).

Consumer Insights, Country of Origin Profiling, Food & Fibre Value Chains, International Trade