The Influence Of Consumer's Perceived Value On Organic Food Purchase Behavior In Developing Countries

In recent,the world has been facing various environmental problems that mightbe because the industrial revolution and urbanization led to the over-consumption and declination of natural resources.Most of the ecological issues are mainly caused due to human behavior^[1],as the unsustainable practices continue to impact negatively on natural environment.To counter the current environmental challenges,the prime focus of concerned authorities is to manage and guide human behavior in such a way that lessens the environmental impact.Past studies have examined the influence of consumer's perceived values to determine consumer choice of organic food products.Moreover,previous literature also reported the significant role of individual self-identities and emotions to determine pro-environmental behavior.However,most of these studies were conducted in developed countries likeEurope and the USA,and the prospect of developing countries are limited in the literature.Along with that,as per our best knowledge,consumer perceived values,individual self-identities,and emotions have never been explored together to determine consumer choice behavior,specifically in developing nations.Therefore,knowledge gap still exists regarding the significance of individual self-identities and their emotions to determine their choice behavior specifically in the developing countries.Moreover,which dimension of the consumer's perceived value is more vital for the individuals'self-identity and emotions in determining their behavioral intention to consume organic food in developing countries?To fulfill this research gap,the prime objective of this study is to determine theinfluencing factors of consumer choice of organic food in developing countries.By integrating the theory of consumption values and the classical stimulus-organism-response framework,this research explores the relationship among consumption values?functional value price,functional value quality,social value,conditional value,and epistemic value?,behavioral intention to consume organic food and organic food purchase behavior.Based on the classical stimulus-organism-response?S-O-R?framework,in the current study,we have examined the mediating impact of environmental self-identity and emotional value among the structural relationship between consumption values and behavioral intention to consume organic food.Moreover,current study also examined the extent to which behavioral intention leads to influence organic food purchase behavior.The majority of organic food producers are found in developing countries,whichis around 86%of total organic food producers^[2].Asia is leading the list of organic food producers,and approximately 40%of world organic food producers belong to Asian countries,along with that,it also has the third-largest market of organic products.The data was collected from organic food consumers through a structured questionnaire from two developing countries including China and Pakistan.For data collection,the sample questionnaires were distributed among six cities in China and five cities in Pakistan.A sample of 627 respondents from China and 537 respondents from Pakistan were used for data analysis in this study.Statistical package for the social sciences?SPSS 24.0?^[3]was employed to conduct a descriptive analysis.However,to test the proposed model,partial least square-structural equation modeling?PLS-SEM?technique was used through Smart-PLS 3.2.4^[4].A two-stage approach of PLS-SEM was applied including the measurement model assessment and the structural model assessment.This study extends our understanding of consumer choice behavior for organicfood in developing countries.It provides the general perspective of organic food consumption in developing countries,and also discussed the specific aspects of China and Pakistan.Based on the data analysis,this study found the significant influence of consumption values on consumer choice behavior in developing countries in general,as well as in China and Pakistan.Also,the study result supported the mediated mechanism and suggested that intervention targeting individual environmental self-identity and emotional value found to be a viable tool to promote organic food consumption in developing countries.The results of the current study provide support for the role of marketing research in the organic food sector of China and Pakistan.Moreover,our findings also have important implications for the development of organic food market-based in developing countries.Based on these results,some managerial implications were also put forward forthe management of the organic food industries in China and Pakistan.First,the significant impact of functional value quality,conditional value,and epistemic value are found on behavioral intention to consume organic food.Hence,providing consumers with better product quality,situational benefits,and adding product details on packing will be highly beneficial to attract and improve the commitment level of the existing customers in the organic food market of China and Pakistan.Moreover,in Pakistan's organic food markets,consumers also consider the social value of the organic product.Based on these significant values,the promotion of organic food products will help to boost organic food consumption in developing countries.The current study will also have implications in terms of effective marketing strategies to promote organic food markets in developing countries.It will enable the marketing professionals to play a more active role in the performance of this sector and also in improving their commitment level in both countries.Finally,this study will also allow management of the organic food manufacturer companies in both countries to have a comparative perspective,and along with that it also provides a general trend of organic food choice behavior in developing countries.