The effect of credence attributes on willingness to pay a premium for organic food: A moderated mediation model of attitudes and uncertainty

Abstract

ObjectiveWith consumers’ concerns about food safety and the environment growing, the interest in organic food has increased. However, due to the late start of the organic food market in China, the market size of the Chinese organic food industry is still relatively small. This study aims to examine whether organic food credence attributes have an impact on consumers’ attitudes and willingness to pay a premium (WTPP), in order to provide valuable information to facilitate the development of the organic food market in China.MethodsA questionnaire survey was conducted with 647 respondents in China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to verify the model and test the relationships among the constructs.ResultsSEM analyses showed that credence attributes stimulate consumers’ attitudes and increase consumers’ WTPP. Utilitarian attitudes and hedonistic attitudes play a partially mediating role in the relationship between credence attributes and WTPP. Uncertainty negatively moderates the role between utilitarian attitudes and WTPP, while it positively moderates the role between hedonistic attitudes and WTPP.DiscussionThe findings reveal the motivations and barriers for Chinese consumers to purchase organic food at a premium, providing a theoretical basis for companies to gain a deeper understanding of consumer groups and develop organic food marketing strategies.

Making a Brand Loved Rather Than Sustainable? Cosmopolitanism and Brand Love as Competing Communication Claims

“…Its starting point is not to assume, as is often done in the relevant literature (e.g., [54,55], but also, [56]), that sustainability attributes add positively to a perception of overall product quality (cf. also [8][9][10][11][12][13]). The foregoing discussion makes necessary the consideration of the possibility of a trade-off [21] or even an association of sustainability with a perception of reduced quality [57].…”

“…These labels' visibility allows them to be taken into account in a consumer's decision-making process towards the purchase of a certain product. A product's sustainability characteristics belong to the category of "credence attributes" [11], qualities that cannot be observed by the consumer. In order to perceive and assess these qualities, consumers have to rely instead on the firm's product communication [46,47] or an NGO's representation thereof.…”

“…This seemed surprising, as that dominant research taking a brand management perspective suggests that sustainability considerations increasingly influence the objectives and behaviour of socio-economic actors, including governments (e.g., [1]), firms (e.g., [2][3][4]), and consumers, (e.g., [5][6][7]). Additionally, dominant research suggests that consumers respond to eco-labels, such as the RSPO logo, with improved attitudes and behaviours (e.g., [8][9][10][11][12][13]).…”

The impact of anchor characteristics on consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for food—an empirical study

“…In addition, some external factors may also influence consumers’ willingness to pay a premium. Huo et al ( 22 ) found through an empirical study that credibility attributes stimulate consumer attitudes and increase consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for food products. Consumers prefer to pay a premium for packaged products over unpackaged product ( 23 ).…”

Health-driven mechanism of organic food consumption: A structural equation modelling approach

“…Consumers have significantly been panicked and concerned, from the moral condemnation of human consumption of wild animals at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak to the numerous food safety incidents during the pandemic. Chinese consumers now prioritize trustworthy, green, sustainable, and healthy food due to increased awareness of the adverse health impact of harmful food [ 18 , 19 ]. The production and consumption of organic food are believed to be green and safe, environmentally friendly, and linked to health, environmental protection, and low carbon.…”