Effects of Selection Criteria for Eco-Friendly Agricultural Products on Purchase Intention

친환경농산물 선택기준이 구매의도에 미치는 영향 : 소비자 태도와 신뢰의 매개, 조절효과를 중심으로

Purpose - This study investigated the effects of consumers' selection criteria for environment-friendly agricultural products on purchase intention and the effects of consumers' attitudes and the reliability of environment-friendly agricultural products on purchase intention by using the theory of planned behavior. Subjective norms of variables of behavioral intention, attitudes toward behavior and control of the behavior were used to create selection criteria, consumers' attitudes and reliability of environment-friendly agricultural products. The study investigated the effects of consumers' selection criteria, attitudes, and reliability of environment-friendly agricultural products on purchase intention constructing models and hypotheses of mediation and moderation between selection criteria for agricultural products and purchase intention by consumers' attitudes and reliability. Research design, data, and methodology - The findings were as follows: first, consumers' selection criteria for environment-friendly agricultural products had a significantly affirmative influence upon purchase intention. Health was the most important factor of selection criteria convenience was more important than quality and familiarity was next. Consumers' attitudes and trust had a significant influence on purchase intention. Second, testing showed that consumers' attitude and trust partially mediated selection criteria: sub-factors and purchase intention were important in selection criteria. Third, testing showed that consumers' attitude and trust had a significant moderation effect between selection criteria and purchase intention. In the test of the moderation effect between sub-factors of selection criteria and purchase intention, consumers' attitude had a significantly positive influence upon health, convenience, and familiarity, and had no significant influence upon quality and purchase intention. Consumers' trust had no significant influence upon health, convenience, and quality. Results - The study provided several theoretical implications: first, an empirical analysis was undertaken with selection criteria for environmental-friendly agricultural products, consumers' attitude, and trust to investigate subjective norms, attitude toward behavior and control of behavior based on the theory of planned behavior. Second, this study investigated both the mediation effect and moderation effect of consumers' subjective norms on attitudes toward behavior, the mediating effects of perceived behavior control and changes of behavioral intention depending upon size and direction of the variables. This study also provided several practical implications. Conclusions - First, consumption of environment-friendly agricultural products did not increase despite rapid increase of production therefore, promotion of consumption and distribution was needed considering the supply and demand of the products. Second, definite standards for selection criteria were suggested to build up consumers' attitude and trust. Consumers' attitude could be improved by factors including the brand of environment-friendly agricultural products, consistent quality, solving physiological problems caused by adverse effects of environmental problems, supplementary approaches, treatment of adverse effects by eating food, and the development and supply of products in accordance with changes of lifestyle. Finally, consumers' demand for sub-factors of selection criteria could be much higher than health, convenience, and quality of the products. Therefore, a process was needed that could continuously check consumers' needs for the products. Limitations were described at the end of the study.