Search results

The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrative model where perceived competence, perceived warmth and “clean green image” of an exporting country are drivers for Chinese consumers' trust in food quality and food safety, which in turn predict their willingness to buy fresh fruit from this country.

Participants (N = 1,583) from the three metropolises in China were surveyed on their perceptions of the competence, warmth and clean green image of seven contrasting exporting countries and their trust in quality, trust in safety and willingness to buy fresh fruit imported from those countries.

Results support the proposed integrative model, explaining 39%–55% of the variance in willingness to buy. Clean green image was the strongest predictor of willingness to buy through enhanced trust in food quality. The effects of country competence and warmth on willingness to buy through trust in food safety and quality varied with exporting country.

The integrative model and findings of this study can help agri-food industries develop an in-depth understanding of Chinese consumers and to develop targeted strategies to increase willingness to buy through improving consumer trust in food quality and safety.

This study extends the country image framework which previously only consisted of human characteristics (i.e. perceived competence and warmth) by incorporating environmental characteristics (i.e. clean green image) in examining consumers' willingness to buy imported fresh fruit.

This study aims to investigate the influence of image and reputation of imported fresh fruits on consumer satisfaction and purchase intentions. The moderating role of familiarity with imported fruits was also assessed.

A total of 332 Taiwanese consumers who had purchased imported Korean pears participated using an online survey and were grouped based on their familiarity to Korean pears. Multi-group analysis with structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.

Image and reputation of imported Korean pears were identified as predictors of the satisfaction and purchase intention. Multi-group analysis results found the moderating effect of familiarity between image and satisfaction. Images were identified as predictors of the satisfaction and purchase intention of imported Korean pears for consumers with low familiarity, whereas image did not show any influence on satisfaction for consumers with high familiarity.

This study can contribute to the limited understanding of imported fresh fruit markets and provides insights into familiarity for consuming imported fresh fruits.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how variables related to lifestyle and ethnocentrism influence Chinese consumers' attitudes and intentions towards the purchase of domestic and imported fresh fruit.

A survey instrument was developed using established scales and focus groups. Data were collected in the city of Wuhan through structured intercept interviews with consumers at major supermarkets and fruit stores. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data.

Chinese consumers' purchase intention of imported fresh fruit is influenced by lifestyle groups, namely risk takers and traditionalists. Also consumers' ethnocentrism tendencies play an important role in shaping their purchase attitudes towards domestic fresh fruit.

Although the research investigated both the sensory and non‐sensory purchase attributes of fruits, it failed to shed light on the intended use of imported fruits, e.g. for gifts, self consumption, children, aged parents and ill patients. Additionally, future research should be conducted that is more product and country specific.

Marketers should ensure that both sensory and non‐sensory purchase attributes of fresh fruit are given due importance, as this will snowball into positive purchase intentions, customer satisfaction and overall profitability for firms.

Despite its potential importance, relatively little is known about consumers' buying behaviour of fresh produce in China. Findings of this study would thus be beneficial to practitioners and policy makers to formulate effective strategies designed to market fresh produce in China.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of accessibility, quality perception, and price perception on consumer satisfaction with imported fruit, specifically imported Asian pears. The moderating role of the country image was also assessed.

A total of 413 Americans aged over 19 years who had purchased imported Asian pears were surveyed through an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling and multiple group analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses.

Accessibility, quality perception, and price perception exhibited a significant impact on consumer satisfaction with imported Asian pears and influenced behavioral intention through satisfaction. Multiple group analysis results revealed a moderating effect of the country image on these relationships. Accessibility had a significant impact on consumer satisfaction of consumers with a high country image of Korea, whereas prices had no significant impact on them. In contrast, price was determined as a key satisfaction factor for consumers with a low country image of Korea, whereas accessibility did not have a significant impact.

This study contributes to the literature on imported fruits and provides practical implications for promoting the consumption of imported Asian pears in the US.

The purpose of this paper is to seek to illuminate the challenges and potentials that might be encountered by the exporters of Malaysian's tropical fruits, particularly the Harumanis mango into the Japanese market.

The research method utilised in the study were in‐depth interview with appropriate government authorities, fruit traders, importers and retailers in Malaysia and Japan.

The findings suggest that to succeed in this challenging and competitive yet lucrative market environment, it is vital that farmers, fruit exporters and relevant government agencies implicitly understand the aforementioned regulations, procedures and the Japanese trend of fruit consumption.

The study focuses on the challenges and potential of Malaysian's tropical fruits, especially Harumanis mango into the Japanese market.

The results provide insights to the Malaysian agricultural sector and other organizations of similar structures of how they could market tropical fruits into the Japanese market.

This study is perhaps one of the first to investigate on the challenges and potentials of Harumanis mango into the Japanese market.

Japan has the world’s second largest food service sector and its food market is three times greater than all other Asian food markets combined. Thus, exports of fresh fruit to Japan have potential for growth, but little research has been done about Japanese fresh fruit markets. Examines exports of fresh fruit from Australia to Japan, using fresh mangoes as a case study to explore the issues involved. A literature review of the fresh fruit market in Japan and Japanese consumer preferences for fruit formulates three research issues: (1) How do Japanese consumers view the taste and other characteristics of a new and foreign fruit such as mangoes?; (2) What are the factors affecting the popularisation of new and foreign fruit such as mangoes, in Japan?; (3) What are the possible bases for segmentation of the market for new and foreign fruit such as mangoes, in Japan? Next, the focus group methodology used to explore these issues is described and justified. Findings about each of the issues are compared with theory, and a model of fresh fruit opportunities in Japan is developed. Finally, implications for management about the promotion of a fresh fruit like mangoes are addressed and implications for further research are noted.

The purpose of this study is to determine French consumer perceptions and preferences for fresh fruit from different countries. French consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for citrus fruit and the factors affecting WTP are also determined.

An online consumer survey was conducted in France to collect data on consumer perceptions and preferences for fresh fruits from different countries. The contingent valuation method is used to estimate consumer WTP for fresh citrus fruit. A double hurdle model is used to determine the factors that have substantial impact on consumer preferences.

Results show that fresh fruit from China was perceived as the lowest quality, the least safe, and the cheapest among the fruit from various countries. French consumers had the highest stated WTP for fresh fruit from France, followed by fruit from Spain. In addition, consumer WTP for country of origin varies by type of fruit.

The contingent valuation method does not require consumers to purchase the product being evaluated, which may overestimate consumer stated WTP.

More domestically produced fresh fruit may be provided to satisfy consumer demand for fruit produced in their own countries. As second in consumer stated WTP, Spain should take advantage of the lower price high quality perceptions of their fresh fruit to gain a larger market share in France. Lower rated countries, such as China, Brazil, and Israel, need to improve consumer perception of the fruit from their countries to gain a better position in the fresh fruit market of France.

This is the first paper to present French consumer perception of fresh fruit and WTP for citrus fruit from different countries.

The present experimental study aims to investigate when a food safety incident occurs, how country image influences consumers' trust and purchase intention, as well as the relationship between trust and purchase intention.

Participants (N = 1,590) were randomly allocated into one of the eight conditions [(country competence: high vs low) × (country warmth: high vs low) × (clean green image: high vs low)], read the corresponding country image descriptions, and rated measures on trust in food safety and quality, and purchase intention of fruit imported from this exporting country before and after reading a fictional food safety incident scenario.

Results showed that the food safety incident led to a significant decrease in trust and purchase intention across all conditions. However, trust in food safety and quality, and purchase intention were still higher in high competence, warmth or clean green image conditions. The decreased magnitude of trust in food safety was larger when country competence and clean green image was high, and when country warmth was low. Food safety incident caused purchase intention to become more dependent on trust in food safety than food quality.

This study provides a novel insight into the impacts of food safety incidents on consumers' responses in different country image contexts including the human-related and environment-related dimensions.

Examines the Japanese fruit market, which, as a result of production and distribution factors, represents a viable target for fruit exporters around the world. The study provides guidance for fruit exporters by identifying three fruit‐specific segments based on fruit‐specific lifestyle factors. The process of identifying the lifestyle factors relies on a cross‐culturally validated theoretical framework developed within the context of food consumption. Cluster analysis is used to identify the segments: creative/highly involved; practical/moderately involved, and aesthetic/uninvolved. These three segments of the everyday fruit consumption market are characterized in terms of fruit shopping, fruit consumption, and socioeconomic factors. The creative/highly involved segment, older and more traditional, represents today’s heavy‐consumer of fruit in Japan, followed closely by the practical/moderately involved segment. Although the aesthetic/uninvolved segment is composed of relatively light consumers, its demographics suggest that exporters need to develop this segment in order to succeed in this market.

Memories and musings of the long ago reveal revolutionary changes in the world's food trade and in particular, food sources and marketing in the United Kingdom. Earliest memories of the retail food trade are of many small shops; it used to be said that, given a good site, food would always sell well. There were multiples, but none of their stores differed from the pattern and some of the firms — Upton's, the International, were household names as they are now. Others, eg., the Maypole, and names that are lost to memory, have been absorbed in the many mergers of more recent times. Food production has changed even more dramatically; countries once major sources and massive exporters, have now become equally massive importers and completely new sources of food have developed. It all reflects the political changes, resulting from two World Wars, just as the British market reflects the shifts in world production.