**5. Conclusions**

The present study had multiple objectives: to investigate the preferences for natural and enriched products and to understand which drivers a ffect their preference and if there are common drivers between the two WTP. To respond to these research questions, consumers' preferences for enriched and natural attributes were measured via an experimental auction on fruit juices. Outcomes point out that consumers prefer natural fruit juice more than the enriched ones, but the motivations underlying consumers' preferences for both products are the same (the perceived reward from consuming fruit juices richer in vitamins compared to the conventional one).

These results can help us to understand how much and how consumers accept innovations in the food market, and therefore, help companies put their products on the markets.

Our analysis also reveals the primacy of natural fruit juice against the enriched fruit juices at WTP level. Regarding the participants' cohort and the way the juice was produced (fresh apples direct from the garden/local farms, without burdening the environment) we can also conclude that producers along the food chain may create additional value if they consider the consumer preferences of the younger generation.

Furthermore, the preference for natural fruit juice opens space for local production in gardens or in small-medium sized farms. This could have beneficial e ffects, on one hand for sustainable development of the rural area due to the resulting lower CO2 emissions from short-distance transportation and the recirculation of financial capital in rural areas. On the other hand, the preference for the natural attribute could be a leverage for the promotion of healthy and sustainable food systems more oriented towards sustainability in food consumption. This direction is very much in line with the sustainability requirements of the globe. The study carries significant implications for consumer research on the preference of sustainable fruit juices, as well as practical managemen<sup>t</sup> implications. Regarding the former, our study is one of the first to analyze consumer behavior towards fruit juices with health attributes, thus enriching extant literature on the willingness to pay a premium price for health attributes, and reinforcing business literature, which supports that consumers have a positive attitude towards sustainable products. In addition, our results corroborate the importance of consumer attitudinal characteristics in explaining the purchasing decision process for products with sustainable characteristics. As for the managerial perspective, our results o ffer entrepreneurs suggestions to di fferentiate their product o fferings. In fact, considering the growing awareness, among consumers, of the importance of healthy food consumption, the Hungarian fruit juices industry is called upon to develop e ffective marketing strategies that will help consumers identify and distinguish fruit juices on the market. From this point of view, the ability of industries to develop innovations in this direction, which could boost the competitive performance of companies, is particularly important.

Although the study o ffers much food for thought, it has some limitations, such as having used a non-representative sample; thus, the generalizability of the results is limited. Furthermore, the RFF attitude in explaining the preference for both attributes in fruit juices opens space for further analysis in order to validate the results of the present study or overcome its limitations. Therefore, further studies have to take into account statistically representative samples in order to capture a full picture of consumers' preferences for healthy fruit juices. Moreover, further research could be repeated in di fferent markets also for comparison. This would o ffer cross-cultural insights and help adapt marketing strategies to the individual and/or global perspectives.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, J.T. and G.R.; methodology, J.T. and G.S.; formal analysis, investigation and writing—original draft preparation, G.R.; writing—review and editing, J.T. and G.M. All authors have read and agree to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was funded by National Research, Development and Innovation O ffice (NKFI), Hungary, gran<sup>t</sup> number OTKA-120563

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.
