Laura Helena Hartmann, Sina Nitzko and Achim Spiller
An observable shift in food consumption motives for some German consumer segments has created new market potentials for high-priced food items. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
An observable shift in food consumption motives for some German consumer segments has created new market potentials for high-priced food items. The purpose of this paper is to empirically show whether and to what extent financial, functional, individual and social dimensions as well as sustainability and authenticity contribute to consumers’ perception of the luxury value of food.
Design/methodology/approach
The effects of seven exploratory value dimensions on a perceived luxury value for foods were measured using a partial least squares structural equation analysis of a database generated by a survey done on 936 German consumers in summer 2014.
Findings
Luxury food was found to serve as a suitable setting to investigate both old and new motives for luxury consumption. The analyses revealed that all factors contribute significantly to luxury value, with functional and individual luxury facets having the strongest effects. Practical and methodological implications can be derived from the results.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations are due to the applied methodology.
Practical implications
The definitional dimensions of a luxury food value correspond to those for a general luxury good. The significance of two new luxury values, sustainability and authenticity, was confirmed for luxury food. The functional and individual luxury values were found to be the most significant. This supports the previously postulated change in motives for luxury consumption and also mirrors the new emphasis on quality and self-identity in the German food sector. These findings can be utilised in practical food marketing.
Originality/value
Although there are major similarities between food and luxury good consumption patterns, how luxury can be defined in the context of food had not been previously investigated empirically. This paper is the first to study the factors that contribute to the luxury value of food.
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Marie von Meyer-Höfer, Sina Nitzko and Achim Spiller
While the European organic regulation exists since more than 20 years consumers still do not seem to know what to expect from European Union (EU) labelled organic food. The…
Abstract
Purpose
While the European organic regulation exists since more than 20 years consumers still do not seem to know what to expect from European Union (EU) labelled organic food. The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer expectations towards organic food in mature and emerging EU organic food markets.
Design/methodology/approach
Online consumer survey data (n=1,180; 2011) from Germany, the UK, Spain, and the Czech Republic are used to analyse the question: “Which criteria would you expect of an organic food product labelled with the EU-organic label?”. In total, 23 items including organic production criteria according to EC 834/07 and unregulated food quality criteria are tested. Mean value analysis and exploratory factor analysis are performed.
Findings
Consumers expect organic food to be free from chemical pesticides and mineral fertilisers. In total, two factors affect consumers’ expectations: naturalness of organic food products; additional sustainability aspects like, e.g. resource saving. However, several differences between the analysed countries exist. Although there does not seem to be a big gap between what consumers expect from organic food and what EU organic labelled products fulfil, some attributes might not mean the same to each consumer which could be a source of consumer disappointment.
Practical implications
Consequently policy makers as well as market actors should take this risk seriously and use terms like “naturalness” only with great caution when promoting organic food.
Originality/value
Further cross-country studies focusing on consumer expectations towards organic food are still needed, because until today only few studies deal with consumer and marketing issues in EU countries with different organic market development.
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Anum Tariq, Changfeng Wang, Yasir Tanveer, Umair Akram and Zubair Akram
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of consumers’ attitudes towards organic food on online impulse buying behaviour as well as the moderating effect of three…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of consumers’ attitudes towards organic food on online impulse buying behaviour as well as the moderating effect of three website features (visual, information and navigation design) on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data were collected via an online survey using social media platforms. A total of 653 online questionnaires were collected (response rate = 72.5 per cent) and analysed by applying exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The proposed hypotheses were tested through structural equation modelling.
Findings
Social media forums, ratings and reviews shape Chinese consumers’ attitudes towards organic food and positively influence their online impulse buying in this market. Website features are critical for disseminating information on organic food. Informative webpages featuring product quality and certification have a greater moderating effect on purchase. Information cues such as nutritional content; production and processing methods, and environmentally friendliness also influence consumers’ attitudes and thus impulse buying decisions.
Practical implications
Marketers should reconsider their tactics for dealing with modern consumers, as webpages should be user-friendly and visually appealing with a social learning mechanism to drive organic food consumption.
Originality/value
This study bridges a gap in the literature on social commerce initiatives for developing consumers’ attitudes towards organic food and online impulse buying. Further, it proposes measures that can enhance organic consumption and contributes to the literature on the importance of social factors, resulting in enhanced knowledge on the online impulse buying of organic food.