PhD Dissertation Defense_Kemal Berkay Tüzün

Date: 10 June 2025 
Time: 14:00
Place: FMAN G042 Class
Subject: Reducing Food Waste Through Experimental Interventions: Consumer Choice and Retail Strategy for Near-Expiry Products

Abstract:

This dissertation presents an experimental investigation into how retailers can encourage consumers to choose near-expiry food products—an important step toward reducing food waste and promoting sustainable retail operations. Near-expiry products, while still safe and consumable, are often avoided by consumers due to concerns over freshness and perceived quality. Through three controlled experiments, this study examines how various interventions—including nudges, brand-related signals, and bundling strategies—influence consumer decision-making in near-expiry contexts. Study 1 finds that social norm messages significantly increase the selection of near-expiry items, outperforming both financial discounts and other nudges such as self-image or quality appeals. Study 2 tests the roles of premium branding and customer loyalty but finds that neither increases selection, suggesting that expectations tied to brand image may backfire when product freshness is perceived as compromised. Study 3 evaluates bundling as an operational strategy and shows that immediate delivery options are preferred over flexible ones, especially under low discount conditions—contrary to what temporal and control-based theories would suggest. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that carefully designed, low-cost behavioral interventions can outperform traditional pricing approaches in promoting near-expiry product selection. They also reveal that some widely accepted consumer behavior theories may not fully hold in the perishable goods setting, where concerns about simplicity, immediacy, and perceived freshness are dominant. Future research should explore the role of personalized nudging, substitution behavior between product types, and real-world testing in dynamic retail environments to further assess scalability and long-term effectiveness.