IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i8p6733-d1125002.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Research on the Influence Mechanism of Organic Food Attributes on Customer Trust

Author

Listed:
  • Shizhen Bai

    (School of Management, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin 150028, China)

  • Xiaochen Zhang

    (School of Management, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin 150028, China)

  • Chunjia Han

    (School of Management, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK)

  • Dingyao Yu

    (School of Management, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin 150028, China)

Abstract

Based on the quality level that consumers can discover at various stages, the literature summary divides organic food attributes into three categories: trust, search, and experience. This paper deeply analyzes the internal relationship among the search attribute, trust attribute, and perceived quality and the mechanism of effect on customer trust. After distributing and collecting 310 consumers’ valid questionnaires, the research hypotheses were empirically tested utilizing a structural equation model and mediation effect test. The research results indicate that: (1) The food safety attribute and nutritional content attribute in the organic food trust attribute have positive effects on the perceived quality and customer trust. (2) The price and label in the organic food search attribute positively affect the perceived quality, i.e., the price harms customer trust, while the label has no significant effect on customer trust. Perceived quality plays a mediating role between the trust attributes, search attribute, and customer trust, i.e., the price and label indirectly affect customer trust through perceived quality. (3) The perceived quality of organic food positively affects customer trust. The results provide an important theoretical basis for enterprises to implement effective strategies to enhance consumers’ trust in organic food.

Suggested Citation

  • Shizhen Bai & Xiaochen Zhang & Chunjia Han & Dingyao Yu, 2023. "Research on the Influence Mechanism of Organic Food Attributes on Customer Trust," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-14, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6733-:d:1125002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6733/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6733/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Darby, Michael R & Karni, Edi, 1973. "Free Competition and the Optimal Amount of Fraud," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 16(1), pages 67-88, April.
    2. Krittinee Nuttavuthisit & John Thøgersen, 2017. "The Importance of Consumer Trust for the Emergence of a Market for Green Products: The Case of Organic Food," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 323-337, January.
    3. Gracia, Azucena & de Magistris, Tiziana, 2008. "The demand for organic foods in the South of Italy: A discrete choice model," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 386-396, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rizzi, Francesco & Gigliotti, Marina & Runfola, Andrea & Ferrucci, Luca, 2022. "Don't miss the boat when consumers are in-store! Exploring the use of point-of-purchase displays to promote green and non-green products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. De Devitiis, Biagia & Viscecchia, Rosaria & Carfora, Valentina & Cavallo, Carla & Cicia, Gianna & Del Giudice, Teresa & Menna, Concetta & Nardone, Gianluca & Secca, Antonio, 2021. "Parents’ trust in food safety and healthiness of children’s diets: A TPB model explaining the role of retailers and government," Economia agro-alimentare / Food Economy, Italian Society of Agri-food Economics/Società Italiana di Economia Agro-Alimentare (SIEA), vol. 23(2), July.
    3. Gorton, Matthew & Tocco, Barbara & Yeh, Ching-Hua & Hartmann, Monika, 2018. "What determines consumers’ trust in the EU’s organic label? A cross country comparison of the role of institutional trust and consumer knowledge," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273857, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Giampietri, Elisa & Bugin, Giuseppe & Trestini, Samuele, 2020. "Exploring the Interplay of Risk Attitude and Organic Food Consumption," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 11(03), September.
    5. Azzurra ANNUNZIATA & Debora SCARPATO, 2014. "Factors affecting consumer attitudes towards food products with sustainable attributes," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 60(8), pages 353-363.
    6. Dirk C. Moosmayer & Yanyan Chen & Susannah M. Davis, 2019. "Deeds Not Words: A Cosmopolitan Perspective on the Influences of Corporate Sustainability and NGO Engagement on the Adoption of Sustainable Products in China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 135-154, August.
    7. Sporleder, Eva M. & Kayser, Maike & Friedrich, Nina & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2014. "Consumer Preferences for Sustainably Produced Bananas: A Discrete Choice Experiment," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 17(1), pages 1-24, February.
    8. A. Saidi & G. Sacchi & C. Cavallo & G. Cicia & R. Di Monaco & S. Puleo & T. Del Giudice, 2022. "Drivers of fish choice: an exploratory analysis in Mediterranean countries," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-25, December.
    9. Hwang, Jiyoung & Chung, Jae-Eun, 2019. "What drives consumers to certain retailers for organic food purchase: The role of fit for consumers’ retail store preference," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 293-306.
    10. Di Guida, Nina & Christoph-Schulz, Inken, 2023. ""Is organic really organic? " – Why consumers do (not) trust organic food and what they expect from the organic sector. - Results of focus groups -," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 14(01), January.
    11. Shahnaj Akter & Shahjahan Ali & Mária Fekete-Farkas & Csaba Fogarassy & Zoltán Lakner, 2023. "Why Organic Food? Factors Influence the Organic Food Purchase Intension in an Emerging Country (Study from Northern Part of Bangladesh)," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-19, January.
    12. Kathleen Jacobs & Jacob Hörisch, 2022. "The importance of product lifetime labelling for purchase decisions: Strategic implications for corporate sustainability based on a conjoint analysis in Germany," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1275-1291, May.
    13. J. K. Pappalardo, 2022. "Economics of Consumer Protection: Contributions and Challenges in Estimating Consumer Injury and Evaluating Consumer Protection Policy," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 201-238, June.
    14. Feser, Daniel & Runst, Petrik, 2015. "Energy efficiency consultants as change agents? Examining the reasons for EECs’ limited success," ifh Working Papers 1 (2015), Volkswirtschaftliches Institut für Mittelstand und Handwerk an der Universität Göttingen (ifh).
    15. Xiaoxu Dong & Huawei Zhao & Tiancai Li, 2022. "The Role of Live-Streaming E-Commerce on Consumers’ Purchasing Intention regarding Green Agricultural Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-13, April.
    16. Dhaval M. Dave, 2013. "Effects of Pharmaceutical Promotion: A Review and Assessment," NBER Working Papers 18830, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. David M. Waguespack & Robert Salomon, 2016. "Quality, Subjectivity, and Sustained Superior Performance at the Olympic Games," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(1), pages 286-300, January.
    18. Gu, Yiquan & Rasch, Alexander & Wenzel, Tobias, 2022. "Consumer salience and quality provision in (un)regulated public service markets," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    19. Eunae Jung & Hyungun Sung, 2017. "The Influence of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Outbreak on Online and Offline Markets for Retail Sales," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-23, March.
    20. Ahlin, Christian & Kim, In Kyung & Kim, Kyoo il, 2021. "Who commits fraud? evidence from korean gas stations," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6733-:d:1125002. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.