Trust, price sensitivity and consumers' organic food purchasing behaviour in China

Abstract

Trust and prices are two factors of organic food purchasing intention and behaviour, which have been received more attention. However, the research of the former failed to address the role of trust in stakeholders, and findings of the latter did not make consistent. This study incorporates trust in producers, trust in retailers, and price sensitivity into an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to examine their effects on consumers' organic food purchasing behaviour (OFP). We conducted an online survey and obtained data from 640 consumers in China to empirically test the model. The results show that the two types of trust play essential roles in OFP, and the impact of trust in retailers is stronger than that of trust in producers. Moreover, price sensitivity is a negative factor of OFP. Furthermore, trust in producers and trust in retailers significantly strengthen the relationships between OFP and its antecedents from the extended TPB model. In addition, price sensitivity acts as a negative moderator on the relationships between perceived behaviour control and OFP, as well as purchase intention and OFP, while the moderating effect of price sensitivity on the relationship between personal norms and OFP has not been established.

Keywords:
trust; price sensitivity; organic food purchasing behaviour (OFP); the theory of planned behaviour (TPB)