Green Consumer Profiling and Online Shopping of Imperfect Foods: Extending UTAUT with Web-Based Label Quality for Misshapen Organic Produce.

Misshapen organic vegetables in the food supply chain can easily be discarded in the market if they do not meet aesthetic standards. E-commerce technology enables the distribution of imperfect organic produce from farmers to potential customers, mitigating agri-food waste issues. Green consumers are prospective customers of imperfect produce because their purchasing decisions are made based on sustainability and environmental considerations. However, each individual's degree of green consumption differs, impacting their preferences and behaviors toward green buying activity. Considering the gap between the varying levels of green consumers and their intention to purchase imperfect organic produce through e-commerce, this study aimed to profile three distinct green consumers and explore factors affecting their Online Green Purchase Intention (OGPI) for imperfect organic vegetables. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was applied in this study, and Web-Based Label Quality (WLQ) was introduced as an extended construct to describe green consumers' perceptions of the credibility and reliability of labels or product-related information displayed on e-commerce platforms. This study involved 668 internet users from environmental platforms and online communities of organic food enthusiasts. First, the consumers were classified into dark-green, semi/light green, and non-green using a cluster analysis approach. Then, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Multi-Group Analysis (MGA) were employed to determine the factors affecting OGPI among green consumer groups. This research found that Performance Expectancy (PE), Social Influence (SI), and WLQ positively influenced dark-green consumers' online green purchase intention. Only Performance Expectancy (PE) positively affected semi/light-green consumers' OGPI. Meanwhile, the Facilitating Condition (FC) positively affected non-green consumers' online green purchase intentions. This research revealed dark-green consumers as the target segment, broadening customers' perspectives on accepting imperfect organic products, including e-commerce technology. Moreover, the research results can be utilized for marketing and business purposes and contribute to food policy.

Trust and website conversion in consumer responses to green product purchasing: A new perspective through the lens of innovative website Design's technology integration.

This study aims to investigate the role of trust and website conversion in consumer responses to green product purchasing, with a new perspective through the lens of innovative website design's technology integration. To achieve this objective, an online survey was conducted with a sample of 384 consumers in Thailand. The results reveal that user trust in innovative website design are significant predictor website conversion in consumer responses to green product purchasing. Innovative website design's technology integration positively influences anticipated website usability and anticipated website quality requirements, which, in turn, enhances trust and leads to increased consumer conversion to green product purchasing. Moreover, anticipated website quality requirement acts as a partial mediator in the relationship between technology integration of innovative website design and user trust in innovative website design. The relationship between user trust in innovative website design and conversion of consumer response to green product purchase is notably strong (ß = 0.203, p-value = 0.014), with user trust accounting for roughly 57.1 % of the variability in consumer conversion (R2=0.571). This substantial link suggests that in the broader context, enhancing elements that build trust within a website's design is crucial as it influences over half of the consumer's decision-making process related to green product purchases. Essentially, for industries and markets centered around eco-friendly products, investing in strategies to bolster user trust in their digital platforms could significantly drive consumer response and engagement. These findings have important implications for marketers and website designers seeking to enhance their green product sales by developing innovative website designs that incorporate technological integration and build trust with consumers. Both markers and website designers can use these insights to optimize their website design strategies, leading to increased conversion rates.

Consumer Intention to Utilize an E-Commerce Platform for Imperfect Vegetables Based on Health-Consciousness.

Thailand has a problem with fruit and vegetable waste because consumers have a negative attitude towards fruit and vegetables with imperfect shapes; however, those imperfections have no impact on nutritional quality. Young adults are most aware of the problem of food waste. Here, we study factors influencing consumer' intention to adopt an e-commerce platform that commercializes imperfect vegetables (ugly veggies). In all, 390 respondents from four provinces of Thailand were enrolled in the study. Cluster analysis, structural equation modeling, and multigroup moderation analysis approaches were used. The main conceptual framework was adapted from the unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology. Respondents were classified into low, moderate, and high health-conscious segments. We found that performance expectancy positively influences the behavioral intention of highly health-conscious consumers. For consumers in the moderate health-consciousness segment, effort expectancy and social influence positively affect behavioral intention. None of the hypothesized factors influence the low health-consciousness segment's behavioral intention. This paper expands the understanding of consumer' attitudes toward accepting an imperfect vegetable e-commerce platform. Additionally, the research can guide platform development and marketing efforts.

Innovative price-setting approaches to high-value products: A pricing method for agribusiness farmers.

Despite being determined by global market prices, the majority of Thai farmers have never become innovative price setters. Not many Thai farmers considered a pricing approach that would maximize the value of their agricultural products. To this end, this study provides empirical evidence regarding the impact of marketing-based variables on pricing. This study aims to identify marketing-based determinants involved in innovative, dynamic price settings for value-added agricultural products. We consider two approaches to innovative pricing - segmented (tiered) pricing and peak-load pricing - to see if there is a possibility for such pricing. A sample of 840 agribusiness farmers was collected from different regions of Thailand. Using multigroup structural invariance analysis, the sample was grouped into four types of farmers: rice, sugarcane, maize, and cassava, to see if there were any differences between them in each of the proposed pricing propensities. Our study finds that cassava farmers tend to pay significant attention to market focus, customer and product differentiation, brand orientation, and segment-based mass customization. Other groups of farmers, like rice and sugarcane, tend to set segmented (tiered) pricing as a result of brand orientation and mass customization. As for peak load pricing, market demand and seasonality are significant factors that can be found among four crops. No matter how prices are set on the global market, this study suggests that agribusiness farmers should think about marketing-related factors to stand out from their competitors.

Conceptualizing a Gluten-Free Instant Noodle Prototype Using Environmental Sustainability Aspects: A Cross-National Qualitative Study on Thai and Danish Consumers.

Gluten-free food products have been developed to satisfy the needs of consumers with celiac disease. However, there has been little research on the product feature development of sustainable gluten-free instant noodles through a qualitative study to explore the customer insights related to environmental attitude and purchase decision. Using a cross-national comparative study between Thai and Danish consumers, this study aims to (1) identify the target customer segments for each country; (2) explore the target customer segments regarding behaviours, desired outcomes, and pain points; and (3) suggest gluten-free instant noodle product prototypes suitable for each country. With a qualitative interview approach, 60 target customers (30 Thai and 30 Danish) were recruited to participate in this research. In addition, a thematic analysis was undertaken to examine their behaviours, desired outcomes, and pain points toward sustainable gluten-free instant noodle products. The findings revealed that convenience-oriented customers were the target segment of gluten-free instant noodle products in Thailand. This segment primarily focused on convenience as the main reason for consuming instant noodles and had common pain points in terms of taste. In contrast, environment-oriented customers were the target customer segment in Denmark. This segment consisted primarily of young women who eat less meat and shared common pain points such as difficulty accessing more sustainable options. Hence, there is a need to educate customers in Thailand (an emerging economy) and increase their awareness regarding environmental sustainability and consumption.

Open innovation as a strategy for collaboration-based business model innovation: The moderating effect among multigenerational entrepreneurs.

The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of collaboration-based business model innovation through an open innovation strategy among multigenerational-cohort SMEs in the context of the Thailand setting. This current research identified four key antecedents of open innovation based on resource and capability review. Open innovation is examined in two main strategies: (1) open innovation breadth and depth, and (2) open innovation cooperation. Using survey data from family-owned SMEs in Thailand, we estimate multigroup structural invariance models considering four generational cohorts by age: Generation Z, Generation Y, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. The empirical results indicated that family business owners are more likely to pay attention to innovative human capital and strategic agility among Generation Y and Baby Boomers. Meanwhile, Generation Z, Generation Y, and Baby Boomers tend to understand the importance of strategic agility before they strategize their breadth and depth of open innovation. To execute an open innovation strategy, Generation Z, Generation Y, and Generation X tend to implement a partner-search strategy and then do a cooperation plan. Our findings imply that business practitioners should understand the moderating role of generational cohorts due to their experience age. There are differences among Generation Z, Generation Y, and Generation X when participating in collaboration-based business model innovation using an open innovation strategy.

A COVID-19 disruption: The great acceleration of digitally planned and transformed behaviors in Thailand.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has reshaped human behaviors and switched communication systems from face-to-face to digital communication technologies. This study aimed to examine how digital transformation practices affect human behavioral change digitally, and how perceived COVID-19 severity affects digital transformation practices and behavioral decisions. We use the traditional theory of planned behavior (TPB) to determine new behavioral roles in the digital era, namely digitally planned and transformed behavior. The quantitative survey method was designed to collect cross-sectional data from 550 Thai citizens to provide the conceptual evidence of key proximal measures of digital attitude, digital social norms, digital behavioral control perception, and the digital behavioral decision to predict digitally planned and transformed behavior. The results show that people are more likely to digitalize than before, which predicts the decision to behave digitally at 93.9% of the variability, more than 75% of the predictive power of the total variance suggested by Hair, Ringle, and Sarstedt [1]. However, the higher the COVID-19 severity, the more likely digital transformation is impactful (ß = 0.481). This study provides interesting evidence that people struggle to transform their digital behavior during the pandemic. We demonstrate that digital transformation can offer the desired consequences by cultivating digital attitudes, promoting digital social norms, increasing digital behavioral control perception, and enhancing digital behavioral decisions.