Does Price Matter in Mainland China? Examine the Factors Influencing Broiler Chicken Purchase Intention

Abstract

Sustainable marketing emphasizes how businesses convey the concept of sustainability to consumers through marketing techniques. Previous research has focused on identifying the drivers that influence consumers’ purchase intentions for agricultural products. However, there is a lack of research on the quality of the messages that firms convey to consumers from a pricing perspective. To fill this gap, this study builds on the hedonic pricing theory using structural equation modeling to develop a formative model that enables the identification of the determinants that influence the market price of the broiler chicken industry in mainland China. By analyzing the information on 486 raw whole chicken samples in China, the results indicate that the basic, responsible production, and quality assurance attributes of broilers have a substantial effect on their selling price, whereas the marketing message attributes do not. The results of this study are enlightening for producers and marketers of agricultural products who are developing pricing strategies. This study raises important questions about the pricing of agricultural products in sustainable marketing practices, particularly in emerging economies, and suggests avenues for future research conducted in this area.