Understanding Consumers’ Willingness to Pay More and Choice Behavior for Organic Food Products Considering the Influence of Skepticism

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to uncover consumers’ willingness to pay more (WTPM) and their choice behavior (CB) for organic food products using the Theory of Consumption Values (TCV) while also examining how skepticism toward organic labeling impacts the relationship between WTPM and CB. This study includes 374 survey responses collected using purposive sampling. The statistical software package IBM SPSS 28 was utilized for factor analysis and reliability, while CFA, validity, and structural assessments were carried out using AMOS 28 software. Process Macro 4.1 was employed to study the interaction of skepticism. This study reveals that consumers favor organic foods due to various values: price, social, emotional, epistemic, and conditional. Despite this, only price value directly affects the willingness to pay more. Once committed, consumers are willing to pay more, yet skepticism can hinder this commitment. Marketers should highlight the health, eco-friendliness, and value benefits of organic food products through advertisements and infomercials linking organics to daily life. Emotional appeals can stress the harms of non-organic foods, though skepticism must be managed delicately by gaining consumers’ trust.