Factors Influencing Consumer Purchase Intention toward Organic Food Products: an Empirical Study in Vietnam Market

Abstract

Organic foods have drawn more and more attention from consumers. Consumers perceive organic food products are more nutritious, healthy, and environmentally friendly than conventional alternatives. This study seeks to investigate significant factors influencing purchase intention toward organic food products in developing and emerging markets, which have received less attention from scholars. By focusing on an emerging market, the study examines whether the consumer behavior for organic foods previously identified in developed countries is relevant in a context such as Vietnam. It also aims at examining the moderating role of trust and limit of availability on consumer attitude towards organic food purchase intention. The data were collected by using a customized and validated survey instrument from a sample of 305 organic food consumers in Vietnam. The findings suggested four factors (food safety, health benefits, nutritional value, lack of knowledge) that significantly influence the consumer attitude towards organic food products. Interestingly, environment-friendly and price barriers did not impact on consumer attitude towards organic foods, but price barriers impact directly on purchase intention. Additionally, the results show that trust in certifications moderate positively and limit of availability moderates negatively the relationship between consumer attitude and purchase intention. This study provides a better understanding of consumer attitude and purchase intention towards organic foods in developing countries. The findings of this study have several implications for organic food manufacturers, retailers, policymakers and, marketers that find to develop strategies aimed at increasing organic food product consumption in Vietnam.