Which Aspects of Food Value Promote Consumer Purchase Intent after a Disaster? A Case Study of Salmon Products in Disaster-Affected Areas of the Great East Japan Earthquake

Consumer Perceptions of the Canadian Salmon Sector and Their Associations with Behaviors: A Perspective from Indigenous Rights

Previous studies on consumer perceptions and behaviors of salmon have often neglected Indigenous rights within the Canadian salmon sector. This study innovatively addresses this gap by integrating Indigenous rights into the current analysis, alongside considerations of sustainability practices, socio-economic impacts, and consumer motivations. Our research objectives aim to fit three consumer perceptions-environmental sustainability, economic considerations, and Indigenous rights-and to evaluate their associations, alongside perception of a price increase, socio-demographics, and consumer motivation factors, with purchasing behaviors related to Canadian salmon products. Data for this study was collected from a nationwide online survey. Responses to Question 2 and Question 35 are encoded with numerical values ranging from 1 to 5, where larger numbers indicate stronger agreement with the statement. The inclusion of methodologies such as the Graded Response Model (GRM) and Cumulative Link Models (CLM) adds another innovative dimension to this study. Our findings demonstrate how consumer profiles are associated with these four perceptions and their underlying determinants. Furthermore, the study quantifies the influence of these four perceptions on each consumer purchase behavior. The implications of these findings extend to the realm of mathematical modeling in consumer decision-making processes, offering practical insights for businesses and marketers, and emphasizing the importance of implementing regulatory frameworks and initiatives that promote sustainability, safeguard Indigenous rights, and address socio-economic disparities.

Nostalgia evocation through seasonality-conscious purchasing behavior revealed by online survey using vegetable names

Food can be a valuable mediator of nostalgia. Japanese food culture places a great emphasis on seasons, and thus there may be a relationship between nostalgic foods and seasonality. In this study, we hypothesized that participants who emphasized seasonality at the time of vegetable purchase (seasonality-oriented; hereafter, SO) would be more likely to feel vegetable-evoked nostalgia than those who did not (non-seasonality-oriented; hereafter, non-SO). To test this hypothesis, we administered an online survey to older Japanese adults regarding 103 representative vegetables considered to be seasonal foods. After participants selected vegetables that they had eaten, they then selected those that evoked nostalgia (hereafter, nostalgic vegetables). For each nostalgic vegetable, they evaluated the degree of nostalgia and state if a past event (autobiographical memory) was recalled. If an autobiographical memory was recalled for a certain nostalgic vegetable, nostalgia for that memory was evaluated. Comparing between SO and non-SO participants, SO participants had significantly higher numbers of nostalgic vegetables with associated autobiographical memories, as well as nostalgia for those vegetables and autobiographical memories. The results supported our hypothesis, suggesting that seasonality-conscious purchasing behavior evokes nostalgia.

Investigating Consumer Attitude and Intention towards Online Food Purchasing in an Emerging Economy: An Extended TAM Approach

Along with the development of the Internet and technology, food retailers have increasingly adopted online channels that enable consumers to buy food products online. This research aims to investigate the factors that influence consumer attitude and intention towards online food purchasing. A research framework was developed by combining the technology acceptance model with website trust, which is an important facilitator of online shopping. Using an online survey, data were obtained from 319 online food shoppers in an Asian emerging economy, i.e., Vietnam. Results from structural equation modeling show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and website trust are important drivers of attitude towards online food purchasing. Among these drivers, perceived ease of use has the greatest impact on attitude. Additionally, attitude and website trust exert a direct and positive effect on intention towards online food purchasing. Taken together, these findings have important managerial implications for key stakeholders, such as online food retailers, associations, and policy makers. One key implication is that online food sellers must endeavor to make their websites simple to use, easy to navigate, reliable, and secure. Several potential caveats for future research studies are also presented in this paper.