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1 – 10 of over 37000Jane Lu Hsu, Charlene W. Shiue and Kelsey J.-R. Hung
The purpose of this paper is to reveal influential information used in vegetable purchasing decisions of household primary food shoppers in China and in Taiwan.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reveal influential information used in vegetable purchasing decisions of household primary food shoppers in China and in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
Two in-person surveys were administrated separately in Shanghai, China and in Taipei, Taiwan, the two most populous metropolitan areas in China and in Taiwan, respectively.
Findings
Results reveal that about 32 per cent of respondents in Taipei purchase vegetables once in every two to three days. The majority of respondents in Shanghai (81 per cent) purchase vegetables on a daily basis. Results of factor analysis reveal the four dimensions, origin labelling, promotion, selection, and quality, influence purchasing decisions of respondents in Taipei and in Shanghai. For household primary food shoppers in Taipei, origin labelling and selection help food shoppers in Taipei in vegetable purchasing decisions, but not promotion. For those food shoppers in Shanghai who purchase large volume of vegetables, quality is the most important factor in purchasing decisions.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into vegetable purchasing decisions in two populous cities in China and Taiwan. The contributions of this study are to provide valuable information in vegetable purchasing decisions for effective information communication in retailing; and to fill in the gap of research in vegetable purchasing decisions in consumer behaviour studies in Chinese societies.
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Muslichah M., Rose Abdullah and Lutfi Abdul Razak
The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating effect of religiosity on the relationship between awareness and purchase decision of halal foods.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating effect of religiosity on the relationship between awareness and purchase decision of halal foods.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a convenience sampling procedure, 200 questionnaires were distributed to various local higher education institutions with a 64% response rate. A moderated regression analysis is used to test the relationship between awareness and purchase decision, with religiosity as the moderating variable.
Findings
As expected, the authors find that among the sample, the level of awareness toward halal foods is high, and that the effect of awareness on purchase decision is positive and significant. Importantly, they find that religiosity acts as a moderating variable on the relationship between awareness and purchase decision.
Research limitations/implications
First, the sample was taken from higher institutions only and respondents were selected using convenience sampling. Hence, it may not be fully representative of the Brunei Muslim population. Second, there may also be omitted variables not considered in the study. Third, the survey instrument and conceptualization of religiosity are both issues that may require further investigation in the literature.
Practical implications
The results indicate that awareness is an important antecedent of Muslim students’ intention to purchase halal foods. Marketers should design their campaigns focusing on creating awareness regarding their compliance with halal products. Moreover, food manufacturers and sellers should use the reliable halal certification and logo as a way to inform their consumers that their products are truly halal.
Originality/value
This study adds to the current limited knowledge of halal foods research. In particular, the authors investigate the moderating effect of religiosity on the relationship between awareness and purchase decision of halal foods.
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Anchal Arora, Nishu Rani, Chandrika Devi and Sanjay Gupta
Organic food market has grown rapidly on a global level and so is the interest of customers. The present paper ranks the factors and sub-criteria which are taken into…
Abstract
Purpose
Organic food market has grown rapidly on a global level and so is the interest of customers. The present paper ranks the factors and sub-criteria which are taken into consideration while making organic purchase decisions resulting in understanding the behaviour of consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
The present paper considered a sample of 550 respondents in the area of Punjab. Fuzzy AHP technique was applied to understand the key factors and sub-criteria which play a major role in organic food purchase decisions. The paper is empirical and descriptive in nature. The factors considered for the study include price, consumer knowledge, trust, attitude, behavioural intentions, subjective norms, perceived personal relevance and perceived consumer effectiveness.
Findings
The three major influential factors include price, trust and attitude ranked in the same order of preference which majorly affects the purchase decisions and talking about sub-criteria the three major criteria to purchase organic food include: “Price plays a significant role in purchase decisions (P2)”, “Organic food keeps me fit and healthy (A1)” and “Organic food intake makes me feel energetic (A2)”.
Research limitations/implications
The present paper is limited to the area of Punjab and majorly eight factors have been taken into consideration. Further research can be explored on broader geographical and cultural areas with new dimensions in criteria and sub-criteria.
Practical implications
The findings of this paper will surely help the marketers to understand the behavioural intentions and preferences of the customers. Accordingly, they will strategize the policies to convert organic food market into a niche market with a high growth rate.
Originality/value
The existing literature explored various key factors. However, the present study comes up with ranking to the factors according to their priority in purchase decisions. This will definitely help marketers, business houses, practitioners and academicians about the key factors which affect purchase decisions, and it will surely add incredible knowledge into the existing database.
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Christian Tirelli and María Pilar Martínez-Ruiz
To address a research gap regarding the role of food during academic sojourns by international students, the aim of this paper is to analyze the influence of food attributes on…
Abstract
Purpose
To address a research gap regarding the role of food during academic sojourns by international students, the aim of this paper is to analyze the influence of food attributes on food purchase decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
An extensive literature review suggested hypotheses pertaining to the influence of food attributes on the different stages of the buying decision process of academic sojourners. With data from 139 international university students enrolled in a Spanish university, factorial principal component analyses and linear parametric regressions were conducted.
Findings
Three factors underlie food attributes and influence all stages of the food purchase decision process: sustainable production, appearance and accessibility, and then flavor. The greatest influence occurs in the choice stage.
Research limitations/implications
The sojourners exhibit a strong tendency to purchase products that reflect sustainable practices.
Practical implications
Useful information about the influence of food attributes on purchasing decisions can support more effective decisions in food distribution channels, including coherent image strategies, enhanced new product development, and better communications to target the growing market of sojourners.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the minimal empirical research pertaining to the role of food for international university students, and describes the influence of food attributes on purchase decisions.
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Xiaoxiao Fu, Bingna Lin and Yao-Chin Wang
Grounded in the theory of mental budgeting, this paper aims to investigate how the regret and perfectionism of exposition attendees influences their purchasing strategy.
Abstract
Purpose
Grounded in the theory of mental budgeting, this paper aims to investigate how the regret and perfectionism of exposition attendees influences their purchasing strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
This research collected on-site data at a well-established specialty food exposition in China. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were applied to test the proposed model.
Findings
The findings confirm the effect of psychological mechanism (regret and perfectionism) on exposition attendees’ purchasing strategy as one that boosts/impairs their confidence in purchasing healthy food at the exposition. Specifically, regret and perfectionism show differential contributions to purchasing strategy dimensions. Variety seeking has a positive effect, whereas price consciousness has a negative effect, on purchase confidence.
Practical implications
Event organizers and exhibitors should understand attendees’ consumption-related psychological mechanism and devise effective management and marketing strategies for optimal consumption experiences at expositions. They can create an informative and worry-free experience that facilitates a pleasant thought process to reduce uncertainty in attendees’ on-site decision-making.
Originality/value
The current research pioneered a unique model conceptualizing the important, yet underexplored, phenomenon of purchasing mechanism in the exposition setting. Addressing the emerging interest in food expositions, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first for examining purchasing mechanism from the perspective of mental budgeting, providing insightful knowledge about how the psychological mechanism affects exposition attendees’ pre-purchase evaluation and confidence toward purchasing healthy food at expositions.
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Sook Fern Yeo, Cheng Ling Tan, Ming-Lang Tseng, Steven Tam and Weng Kuan San
In recent years, consumers today recognise organic foods as high-quality products which can benefit them in various aspects. The tendency to switch consumption behaviours from…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent years, consumers today recognise organic foods as high-quality products which can benefit them in various aspects. The tendency to switch consumption behaviours from conventional to ecological food products or organic food has largely been due to the claims that organic crops are grown in eco-friendly and sustainable environments. Thus, the study highlighted unique results on young consumers' purchasing intentions from a new perspective. The paper aims to investigate the factors influencing consumers' purchase decision towards organic food, particularly amongst Generation Y consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
The underlying fuzzy set theory is employed to handle the fuzziness of consumers' perceptions since the attributes are usually expressed in linguistic preferences. Overall, the study focussed on five important aspects – health consciousness, environmental concern, social influencing and ethical concern – that also include twenty criteria that had been identified and introduced after a thorough review of related literature.
Findings
The results reveal that the most important criteria in the selected firm are environment protection, chemical instrument, buying attitude and animal testing. In comparison, the cause group includes criteria such as environment protection, natural food and support for training programmes, whilst the effect group includes production practices, monitoring protections and ethically produced food.
Research limitations/implications
The sample collection from the study focussed on Generation Y consumers who consume organic food in Malaysia. This could lead to the limitation towards external generalisability. The study will provide numerous advantages to the communities. The policy maker should develop a proper marketing strategy to promote organic food as food that is healthier, better in nutrition and safer for society.
Originality/value
Utilising fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) in analysing the fuzziness of consumers' perceptions towards consumers' purchase decision can be expected to expand the breadth of knowledge to both academic and practical.
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Nazlida Muhamad, Vai Shiem Leong and Normalisa Md Isa
This paper aims to model consumers’ decision to use halal logo on packaged food products. The model primarily tests the importance of country of origin (COO) of a halal logo as an…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to model consumers’ decision to use halal logo on packaged food products. The model primarily tests the importance of country of origin (COO) of a halal logo as an indicator for assessing credibility of a halal logo, and its relevance in consumers’ decision to use the logo in packaged food purchase.
Design/methodology/approach
A data set from a survey of 559 respondents from two countries was used to test eight hypotheses that were developed based on a modified theory of planned behaviour framework, using partial least squares procedures.
Findings
Halal certification logo was found to have COO effect on consumers’ evaluation during purchase decision of food items. Consumer uses information on the COO of a halal logo to assess the logo’s credibility in delivering the halal food standard. The construct, along with the constructs of religiosity and its interaction terms, subjective norms and attitude, explains consumers’ intention to consider the halal logo during packaged food purchase.
Research limitations/implications
Generalization of the findings is limited to the packaged food industry and to the consumer groups surveyed in the two countries.
Practical implications
There is a need for marketers to recognize Muslim consumers’ sensitivity towards the origin of a halal logo in choosing the right logo for their products. Logo certifiers may want to consider adopting marketing strategies to market their certification as a credible marker of a halal food standard.
Originality/value
The effect of COO of halal logo and its influence on consumers’ decision to use the logo in purchase decision are new to the literature.
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Jesse Sherry and Shannon Tivona
This study aims to use life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impact of food purchases at a small, liberal arts college. The authors also use the results to develop…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to use life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impact of food purchases at a small, liberal arts college. The authors also use the results to develop a simple decision-making tool for college and university dining services administrators, attempting to make their food purchases more sustainable.
Design/methodology/approach
Life cycle assessment was used to analyze the global warming potential (GWP) of all food products purchased at a college café during a four-month study period.
Findings
The authors found the top ten highest impact products accounted for 40% of orders by weight, but 80% of the GWP. In particular, beef and cheese exhibited the highest GWP/kg. These findings highlight the importance of considering the carbon intensity of food products when making purchasing decisions. The authors also examined the carbon intensity and cost of common meal options and developed a carbon intensity comparison heuristic that can assist in making food purchasing decisions with the goal of lowering the GWP of food purchases.
Practical implications
The results of this study show that life cycle assessment is a useful tool for university food service operations seeking to reduce environmental impact. The carbon intensity food comparison heuristic based upon this data serves as a helpful decision-making tool in guiding food service to reduce GWP.
Originality/value
While life cycle assessment has typically been used to analyze individual food products, this study demonstrates its use as a decision-making tool to guide purchasing decisions across an entire array of food purchases.
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This study aimed to investigate consumers' understanding of country of origin (CoO) information and its relative importance in the context of their everyday food purchase decisions…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to investigate consumers' understanding of country of origin (CoO) information and its relative importance in the context of their everyday food purchase decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional intercept survey of 402 consumers in two cities in New Zealand was conducted. Respondents were asked to describe what they had considered when selecting a food item in their trolley. This was followed by questions to assess respondents' knowledge of CoO and their use and understanding of common CoO labels.
Findings
Price (42 per cent), taste (40 per cent), health (18 per cent), and quality (18 per cent) were the most important factors that respondents mentioned. Only 3.5 per cent of respondents mentioned CoO as one of the factors influencing their decision. Of respondents 61 per cent, when prompted, stated that they knew the CoO of the food product selected. Of these respondents, 90 per cent were correct. Of respondents 62 per cent stated that they look at CoO labels when making food purchase decisions. Yet, only one third of respondents correctly understood the difference between the “Made in” and “Product of” labels.
Research limitations/implications
The findings suggest that consumers that do access CoO labels are misinterpreting this information which may form the basis of their assumptions about the source of origin of the brands and food products they routinely purchase.
Practical implications
Mandatory CoO labelling policies may add costs and reinforce misconceptions that consumers already hold about the meaning of these labels.
Originality/value
This study contributes to understanding of the extent to which consumers are competent in their knowledge and understanding of these informational labels.
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The importance of packaging design as a vehicle for communication and branding is growing in competitive markets for packaged food products. This research utilized a focus group…
Abstract
The importance of packaging design as a vehicle for communication and branding is growing in competitive markets for packaged food products. This research utilized a focus group methodology to understand consumer behavior toward such products and how packaging elements can affect buying decisions. Visual package elements play a major role, representing the product for many consumers, especially in low involvement, and when they are rushed. Most focus group participants say they use label information, but they would like it if simplified. The challenge for researchers is to integrate packaging into an effective purchasing decision model, by understanding packaging elements as important marketing communications tools. Propositions for future research are proposed which will help in developing better understanding of consumer response to packaging elements.
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