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This paper analyzes the consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) in Senegal by: (1) urban and rural areas; (2) FV types (African-indigenous vs non-indigenous); (3) sources of FV (imports, purchases and own-production).

The authors undertake descriptive and regression analyses on consumption of FV sourced from purchases, own-production and gifts. The data come from primary surveys in 2017/2018 of 6,328 rural and urban households in Senegal.

The analysis showed that FV are important in urban and rural food consumption. A stunning 76% of rural FV consumption is from purchases, showing the importance of FV supply chains even into and among rural areas. Only 12% of national FV consumption is from imports. Most FV consumption in rural and urban areas is now of non-indigenous FV; African-indigenous FV have a minor share.

A limitation of this paper is that it uses a cross-sectional dataset.

There are few national survey-based studies of FV consumption in Africa. This is the first to disaggregate FV consumption between primary versus secondary cities and rural towns, and rural areas close to and far from cities, in such detail regarding types and sources of FV as outlined in the findings. The regressions contribute by including determinants beyond income, including gender, employment, spatiality and education.

This study aims to investigate the impact of service quality, as measured by the SERVQUAL model with extended variables of safety awareness and energy conservation, on consumer satisfaction. It also explores the mediating effect of energy conservation and the moderating effect of consumer residence of electricity on this relationship.

The study uses a quantitative research approach, with data collected from 1,004 respondents through a questionnaire from the household consumers of UGVCL. The survey measures service quality using the SERVQUAL model with the additional variables of safety awareness and energy conservation. The data is analyzed using structural equation modeling, mediation and moderation to test the proposed hypotheses.

The results show that service quality, safety awareness and energy conservation all have a positive impact on consumer satisfaction expect responsiveness. Energy conservation also mediates the relationship between service quality and satisfaction, indicating that when consumers perceive higher service quality, they are more likely to conserve energy and thereby increase their satisfaction. Additionally, the moderating effect of consumer residence of electricity shows that the impact of service quality and safety awareness on satisfaction is stronger for consumers living in areas with higher electricity rates.

The paper lies in its investigation of the impact of service quality on consumer satisfaction using the SERVQUAL model, with the inclusion of two additional variables, safety awareness and energy conservation. Furthermore, this study examines the mediating effect of energy conservation and the moderating effect of consumer residence of electricity on the relationship between service quality and consumer satisfaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to incorporate these variables in examining the relationship between service quality and consumer satisfaction in the context of energy services. Therefore, this study offers a novel contribution to the existing literature on service quality and consumer satisfaction.

This study investigated consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a local, organic chicken breed “Taphao Thong-Kasetsart” and the drivers that shape consumers’ WTP across different meat preferences in Thailand.

Face-to-face interviewing was used to collect data at food-service outlets in Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom provinces, Thailand. Data analysis used the double-bounded dichotomous choice model across different consumers’ meat preferences for preferred chicken and non-preferred chicken consumers.

The results showed that there were different WTP amounts for local organic chicken across consumers’ meat preferences, with a higher WTP among non-preferred chicken consumers. This indicated that local organic chicken may attract more consumers in the alternative market. Consumers’ values and attitudes to taste drove chicken-preferred consumers to pay a premium for local organic chicken; health concerns mattered for non-preferred chicken consumers. These findings should provide useful information for food marketing campaigns based on consumers’ preferences.

The study contributed to understanding consumer heterogeneous preferences toward WTP for local organic chicken. The findings indicated that analyzing WTP across different meat preferences highlighted more effective marketing strategies to achieve the premium that consumers would pay. These strategies could help farmers to enlarge their local organic market share, leading to increased revenue and farmers’ well-being.

This paper reports results of an investigation into semi-urban Ghanaian university youths' attitude to digitized financial services (DFSs) and the determinants of their adoption decisions.

Quantitative cross-sectional research approach was used. Three hundred and seventy-five (375) university students were randomly selected from a semi-urban town in Ghana to test the applicability of technology acceptance model (TAM) within such a context. Structural equation modeling was employed to assess stated hypotheses.

The results indicate a high penetration of digital financial services among the students, which confirms the applicability of TAM for such studies. The results further suggest that DFS provides a pathway to financial inclusion and can stimulate small enterprise development and job creation in Ghana's semi-urban communities.

Hitherto, little academic attention has been given to digitization of financial services in semi-urban African towns. The study contributes to filling this research gap.

This study investigates the influence of consumption values on green Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) purchase behaviour in the context of green household cleaning products in the Western Province of Sri Lanka.

We used the survey strategy and 326 effective responses as the sample of this study.

Our findings reveal that specific consumption values, specifically functional, conditional and epistemic values, significantly impact green FMCG purchase behavior towards green household cleaning products. However, social and emotional values did not substantially influence this behavior.

The results of our study suggest practical implications for green FMCG marketers aiming to boost consumer adoption of green household cleaning products in Sri Lanka. To achieve this, marketers should focus on enhancing consumer value perceptions and strategically emphasize the consumption values consumers prioritize. Green FMCG marketers have a competitive advantage in the Sri Lankan market by doing so.

This research addresses a notable gap in the literature concerning green FMCG purchase behavior related to green household cleaning products within international and local contexts. Furthermore, this study distinguishes itself by adopting the Theory of Consumption Values as its foundational theory, offering fresh insights compared to previous research employing alternate theories, such as the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Theory of Reasoned Action, to examine similar phenomena.

The study's primary purpose is to establish the direct and indirect roles of word-of-mouth communication (WOM) in initiating and maintaining consumer loyalty in the bottom of pyramid (BOP) markets in the Indian context. In addition, the study seeks to evaluate the conditions (viz. extent of media usage, brand distribution intensity and brand social connections) under which WOM leads to the initiation and maintenance of consumer brand loyalty.

The study hypotheses were formulated following the social identity theory. Later, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted among 898 rural BOP consumers. Structural equation modelling technique was applied to test the study hypotheses.

Results suggested a positive effect of WOM on brand credibility and self-brand connections-indicative of the initiation of strong cognitive and affective relationships respectively. Brand credibility and self-brand connections also mediated the paths between WOM and brand loyalty-indicative of the maintenance and continuation of strong affect-laden relationships. These indirect relationships were moderated by the extent of media usage, brand distribution intensity and brand social connections.

This is among the first studies that holistically evaluate the role of WOM in developing customer loyalty to rural BOP consumers against the backdrop of the systemic deficiencies in these markets.

This study investigated consumers' satisfaction with local rice attributes and willingness to pay (WTP) for improvement by internal migrants and natives in urban Ghana.

Primary data was sourced from 304 urban consumers and ordered probit regression was employed.

Urban consumers had higher satisfaction with imported rice attributes than local rice. Consumers were unsatisfied with aroma, availability/accessibility, cleanliness, packaging, grain appearance, measurement standard, and taste of local rice. Moreover, 90% were willing to pay higher prices for local rice with improved attributes and WTP was higher among natives than migrants. Averagely, urban consumers are willing to pay 51% increase in market price of local rice if attributes were improved. Natives, males, educated, high-income, local rice consumption, shopping from supermarkets, trust in certification bodies, and dissatisfaction with local rice attributes boost WTP for improved local rice attributes.

There is a great market potential for local rice with improved attributes. Thus, there should be an improvement in local rice attributes and sold at moderate price and in supermarkets.

We compared consumers' satisfaction and WTP for improved local rice attributes among internal migrants and natives in urban Ghana.

There is widespread belief that intermediaries in African agri-food value chains have disproportionate market power. In this paper, the authors examine this belief by uncovering the purchasing and selling prices, costs and profit margins by farmers, intermediaries and retailers in the matooke (cooking banana) value chain in Uganda, and by analysing the prevailing value chain and market structures, seasonal entry and exit dynamics and the trading relationships in the chain.

Data for this study were collected along the trading routes from the main matooke producing districts in South-West Uganda (Kabarole, Bunyangabo, Bushenyi, Isingiro and Mbarara) to the main urban markets around the capital Kampala. A structured survey was administered with 383 producers, 172 collectors and wholesalers and 71 retailers. In addition, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were held.

The authors find that price mark-ups by intermediaries (selling prices minus purchasing prices) vary with the type of intermediary, season and location but generally reflect the costs of moving matooke down the value chain to the urban consumer. The authors do not find evidence for disproportionate market power among the intermediaries in the chain. Intermediaries enter and exit the market in peak and off-peak season, such that profits are kept in check. This seasonality does imply a small shift in market power in favour of farmers in off-peak season and in favour of intermediaries in the peak season.

The investigation concentrated on an important and relatively homogenous staple crop along its main trade route. More remote areas, where there is less of an abundance of matooke, might still be characterised by local monopsonies where intermediaries have more market power due to high search and transport costs. Similarly, (local) monopsonies might exist for products for which there is a smaller market (segment), for products with a stronger seasonal variation in supply and for more perishable products.

While there is an important literature on the role of intermediaries in African agri-food value chains, the evidence on intermediary market power is scant. Beliefs on intermediary market power are largely based on anecdotal evidence from farmers or inferred from observed prices or market structures. The paper contributes in addressing this important knowledge gap by studying the matooke value chain in Uganda.

The study investigates whether the customer experience, satisfaction and continuance intention interrelationships in mobile banking services vary across Generation (Gen) Y and Gen Z consumers.

The data were collected using online surveys from 224 Gen Y and 238 Gen Z mobile banking users. The study uses the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique and an asymmetrical analytical approach through fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine the effects of five experience dimensions (pragmatic, usability, affective, sensory and social) and satisfaction on continuance intention.

Whilst Gen Z values pragmatic and affective experiences more than Gen Y and assigns less importance to usability experience (Uxp), both PLS-SEM and fsQCA did not find any significant impact of sensory experience (Sxp) in any cohort. In contrast, fsQCA suggests that social experience could play a significant role for specific segments within both generations. Furthermore, PLS-SEM demonstrates a greater impact of satisfaction on continuance intention for Gen Y than for Gen Z.

The sample consists of high/middle-income urban consumers in one country. Future research could investigate low-income and semi-urban/rural consumers and consumers living in other countries.

Banks must recognise the diversity within and between Gen Y and Gen Z, adopting a segmented user experience approach. Users within each generation may prioritise distinct aspects of the mobile banking app and understanding the specific differences between Gen Y and Gen Z preferences is crucial.

Encouraging mobile banking users to engage in community-driven financial initiatives can inspire non-users, promoting digital financial inclusion.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to compare the customer experience-based psychological patterns of continued mobile banking use in Gen Y and Gen Z.

Effective agricultural product price regulation policies depend on market integration and the degree of symmetry in the transmission of agricultural product price signals. This study analyzes the transmission and asymmetry of the price series between the Ouagadougou consumer market and assembly markets considering three primary cereal products in Burkina Faso.

This study applies the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) econometric model, which is an asymmetric extension of the ARDL cointegration model. The price series examined covers the period extending from January 2005 to December 2020.

Our analysis provides novel insights regarding short- and long-term asymmetric effects in the transmission of price signals between assembly markets and the consumer market. We also determine that the effects of negative shocks are more persistent than those of positive shocks in several markets.

For markets that exhibit symmetrical responses of assembly market prices to consumer market prices, the results could reflect the continuous efforts of market players, particularly the government, to eliminate market failures and ensure the long-term efficiency of cereal markets. To this end, an agricultural market information system can have a crucial role in easing information access for all market players.

This study provides new evidence regarding the nature of the transmission and asymmetry of price information on primary cereal products in the largest markets in Burkina Faso. Applying the NARDL model makes it possible to simultaneously estimate short- and long-term asymmetry.