From familiarity to loyalty: How image and emotion shape gastronomic experience
ORCID
- Rong Huang: 0000-0002-6061-9329
- Jinhua Zhang: 0000-0002-0182-4306
Abstract
Given the unique characteristics of gastronomic experiences, it is essential to understand how user-generated content (UGC) shapes consumers' perceptions of food-related images and their subsequent behavioural responses. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to examine consumers’ cognitive and affective perceptions of gastronomy and their impact on loyalty. In the first phase, word frequency and sentiment analyses of UGC reveal that food-related terms appear most frequently and are predominantly associated with positive sentiments. Based on this analysis, three key dimensions of cognitive image are identified: food quality, culinary culture, and dining environment. In the second phase, a questionnaire survey explores the relationships among familiarity, cognitive image, affective image, positive emotions, food neophobia, and loyalty. The results indicate that familiarity positively influences both cognitive and affective images, which in turn enhance positive emotions and loyalty. Compared with cognitive image, affective image exerts a stronger influence on the arousal of positive emotions. Moreover, food neophobia negatively moderates the relationship between familiarity and image perception. This study provides practical implications for enhancing consumer engagement and strengthening loyalty through the promotion of gastronomic experiences.
DOI Link
Publication Date
2025-12-01
Publication Title
International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science
Volume
42
ISSN
1878-450X
Acceptance Date
2025-10-30
Deposit Date
2025-11-17
Embargo Period
2026-10-31
Funding
This work was supported by Social Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (23XWC001), the Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (2022SJYB2097).
Keywords
Familiarity, Food neophobia, Gastronomic image, Loyalty, Positive emotion, User-generated content
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Chen, Q., Zhang, Q., Huang, R., & Zhang, J. (2025) 'From familiarity to loyalty: How image and emotion shape gastronomic experience', International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 42. Available at: 10.1016/j.ijgfs.2025.101350
This item is under embargo until 31 October 2026
