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DOI 10.1007/s00550-016-0423-6

SCHWERPUNKTTHEMA

Consumer’s motivation, opportunities and abilities for sustainable


consumption: A case in China
Bing Zhu1

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016

1 Introduction academician, food producers, consumers and social media


(Connolly and Prothero 2008; Cronin et al. 2014; Port-
The unsustainability level of consumption is the heart of the wood-Stacer 2012). Reasons for the adoption of alternative
global sustainable development challenge (Peattie 2010) as practices are anxieties about health risks, food security, en-
some of the most serious environmental issues facing hu- vironmental degradation, animal welfare and human rights
manity today are related to consumers’ unsustainable con- due to lack of transparency in production and regulatory
sumption patterns and lifestyles (Thøgersen 2010; Sitarz processes (Brom et al. 2010; Chaudhury and Albinsson
1994; Stern 1992; European Environmental Agency 2005). 2014). Consequently, indicators of a growing popularity of
Environmental technologies, production systems, economic organic food like a rapid growth in the amount of land under
policies and social initiatives are projected to play important certified organic production but also a constant growth in
roles in the pursuit of sustainability; however, their contri- consumer demand (Lockie and Lyons 2002) are going up.
bution will be undermined if there will be no changes to be At the same time, a host of farmers, processors and retail-
infused in consumers’ consumption patterns and behaviors ers who formerly demonstrated little interest in either the
(Peattie 2010). In this sense, the importance of consumers ideological commitments of early organic producers or the
in shaping consumption behaviors and transforming it from niche markets they supplied (Burch et al. 2001; Lockie and
unsustainability to sustainability pattern is unquestionable Lyons 2002; Coombes and Campbell 1998; Lyons 1999)
(Schot et al. 2016). have recently become aware of the opportunities derived
Specifically, as one of the most important areas of private from the growing demand. Hence, it is quite clear that the
households, food consumption represents an environmen- future of organic food will be very much dependent on the
tally significant factor (Toble et al. 2011; Thøgersen 2010; motivation of end consumers. In other words, the ability to
Beverland 2014). For example, the production of meat and mobilize ordinary people to become “organic consumers”
animal-based protein for human consumption has signifi- will determine the future success of strategies aiming at the
cant direct and indirect impacts on climate change emis- creation and stabilization of organic food networks. There-
sions and other environmental concerns (Stuart 2009; Bev- fore, foods that are provided to materially and symbolically
erland 2014; Thøgersen 2010). Alternative forms of food satisfy and influence organic consumers ‘needs, desires,
production such as organics, “slow” production, and com- pleasures and terrors’ (Miller and Rose 1997) be more suc-
munity supported agriculture (CSA) have received increas- cessful than other available foods (Lockie and Lyons 2002).
ing attention from different parties such as policy makers, Thøgersen (2010) argued that to increase the sustain-
ability of food consumption, consumers can choose to 1)
reduce the amount of meat, especially beef, in their diet; 2)
 Bing Zhu buy organic instead of conventionally produced food prod-
bingzhu.mkt@gmail.com
ucts; and 3) avoid food products transported by airplane
1 (see also Carlsson-Kanyama and Gonzalez 2009; Dabbert
Faculty of Business and Economics, Ingolstadt School of
Management, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Inoglstadt, Auf et al. 2004). For the sake of limited space, however, the
der Schanz 49, 85049 Ingolstadt, Germany

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current study will emphasize on organic food consumption consumption in China (Xie et al. 2015). Noticeably, quali-
only. tative studies on organic food consumption in Chinese mar-
kets as corresponding methods are rarely applied in com-
1.1 A glance on organic food market in China parison with survey studies. Hence, in order to gain in-
sight into Chinese consumers’ motivation for and about
China represents the most densely populated country in the organic food consumption, the MOA (motivation, opportu-
world. As early as the 1990s, the enhancement of agri- nity, ability) model (MacInnis and Jaworski 1989; Ölander
cultural land productivity heavily relies on the use of fer- and ThØgersen 1995) is applied. For that purpose, semi-
tilizers and chemical products (Ye et al. 2002; Xie et al. structured interviews have been conducted to analyze con-
2015) to fulfill an ever-increasing demand for agricultural sumers’ motivations, opportunities, abilities and barriers to-
food. Recently however, public consciousness for health, wards organic food chosen not from the beginning but from
food safety and environmental issues has been amassed, the midst of a transition process towards sustainable con-
thereby producing mass criticisms on unsustainable food sumption. Consequently, we aim to answer three research
production and consumption patterns. Consequently, or- questions:
ganic food consumption is perceived as an alternative that
leads consumers into a sustainable direction. Nevertheless, RQ1:What are the motivations that drive consumers to buy
a transition to sustainable consumption pattern cannot be organic foods?
achieved without corresponding efforts of all stakeholders RQ2:What are the opportunities that allow consumers to
including central and local governments, business and indi- buy organic foods?
vidual consumers and citizens (Thøgersen and Zhou 2012; RQ3:What are the abilities that facilitate consumers to buy
Peattie 2010). Most importantly, the sustainable transition organic foods?
requires a profound understanding of consumers’ motiva-
tion as well as their experienced impediments (Thøgersen The next section provides theoretical background of the
and Zhou 2012). study, which is followed by the presentation of the research
Organic agriculture has rapidly developed in China since methodology in the second section, and data collection pro-
2003 (CNCA 2014). This implies the unavoidable expan- cedure in the third section. Research findings are then sum-
sion of Chinese organic market and the imminent increase marized in the fourth section, followed by its discussion and
in consumer demand (IFOAM 2015; CNCA 2014; Rigby implications on the fifth and sixth sections, respectively. Fi-
and Cáceres 2001). Organic agricultural land use has grown nally, some conclusions are formulated and limitations of
from 0.3 mio. hectares in 2003 to 2.09 mio. hectares in the proposed theoretical architecture are reflected.
2013 accounting for 0.4% of the total agricultural land
(IFOAM 2015). While the land use of organic agricul-
ture has steadily increased, retail sales of organic food in 2 Literature review
domestic market has dramatically grown from 790 mio. C
in 2009 to 2430 mio. C in 2013. As for per capital con- 2.1 Organic food consumption: consumer, motives and
sumption, Chinese consumer’s spending on organic food barriers
has increased from 0.6 C per person in 2009 to 2 C per per-
son in 2013 having to do with growing concerns of health The recent boom of the organic food market has brought
and food safety, changes in lifestyle, family structure and about various studies on this topic, which have mostly fo-
society (CNCA 2014; Rao 2000; Pingali 2007; Ali et al. cused on developed organic markets in Europe and North
2010). Moreover, food quality is another important factor America. For instance, in terms of a socioeconomic profile
that influences Chinese consumers’ engagement in organic of organic consumers, higher level of education and in-
food consumption (CNCA 2014). These factors have facil- come are found to lead to proactive buying behavior (Roit-
itated a transition process towards more sustainable food ner-Schobesberger et al. 2008; Nasir and Karakaya 2014;
consumption in China. Remarkably, organic consumers Davies et al. 1995; Magnusson et al. 2003). In the study
have been identified by political authorities as one main of consumer perceptions, organic food is perceived to be
driver of organic agricultural development (CNCA 2014, healthier (Lockie and Lyons 2002; Jolly 1991; Magnusson
Thøgersen and Zhou 2012). et al. 2003; Hoefkens et al. 2009), tastier (Lea and Worsley
Recent academic researches on organic food consump- 2005; Chryssohoidis and Krystallis 2005; Padel and Fos-
tion have dominantly focused on the context of Europe and ter 2005) and more environmental friendly (Davies et al.
other Western countries (Stolz et al. 2011; Oates et al. 1995; Magistris and Gracia 2008; Roitner-Schobesberger
2012; Gracia and Magistris 2008; Padel and Foster 2005) et al. 2008). Besides, health and food safety (Michaeli-
while little is known about the status quo of organic food dou and Hassan 2008; Chen 2009) and consumer value

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(Aertsens et al. 2009; Chryssohoidis and Krystallis 2005; abstract level, motivation refers to human values, which
Grankvist et al. 2007) are viewed as important motives for have notably resulted in sustainable behaviors (Schwartz
organic consumption. 1992; Thøgersen and Ölander 2002; Vermeir and Verbeke
On the other hand, mainstream researchers also show the 2006). At the least abstract level, environmental concern
factors that hinder organic consumption. High price (Nasir is defined as a main source of motivation that leads to
and Karakaya 2014; Krystallis et al. 2008; Lea and Worsley sustainable behaviors (Mainieri et al. 1997; van Liere et al.
2005), lack of availability (Yiridoe et al. 2005; Nasir and 1981; Grunert et al. 2014). However, the mentioned find-
Karakaya 2014), distrust of organic labeling scheme and ings are not absolute. For example, consumer’s purchase
certification (Lea and Worsley 2005; Nasir and Karakaya of food does not always manifest his or her concern on
2014), lack of accessibility of product information (Padel sustainability issues (Grunert et al. 2014) even if he or
and Foster 2005) and time consuming process (Jolly 1991; she is highly aware of sustainability. In other words, an
Nasir and Karakaya 2014) are elaborated as the main bar- individual is motivated to behave when he or she is able
riers to organic food consumption. Optimistically, these to discern that his or her self-interest will be well-served
obstacles have been gradually overcome by a series of co- (Rothschild 1999) regardless of sustainability.
operation and collaboration among different actors such as
producers, marketers, public institutions, consumer organi- Opportunity as the second element of the MOA model,
zations, etc. opportunity is referred to as the circumstances in which
In short, a booming Chinese organic market manifests people are allowed or facilitated to behave (Ou-Yang et al.
a change of food consumption pattern and lifestyle, which 2014). Opportunity is treated as either a subjective phe-
is also seen as an opportunity for domestic and international nomenon (Ajzen 1985; Sarver 1983) or an objective phe-
organic product suppliers. For that purpose, a profound un- nomenon (Belk 1975; Dholakia et al. 1983). Opportunity
derstanding on how and in what circumstance Chinese con- also indicates an extent to which a situation contributes to
sumers are driven to buy organic food is will be helpful for an achievement of desired outcome (Ou-Yang et al. 2014).
different actors who have involved in organic food business Therefore, opportunity can be situational, noting that situa-
in China. tional factors such as time availability, cost, attention paid,
etc. either reinforce or restrain achievement of desired out-
2.2 The MOA (Motivation-Opportunity-Ability) model come (MacInnis and Jaworski 1989; Ou-Yang et al. 2014).
For example, a lack of opportunity reflects a situation in
The MOA model was originally proposed by (MacInnis and which a person desires to perform a behavior but unable
Jaworski 1989), which perceive consumers’ reactions to to do so as there is no environmental mechanism at hand
advertising characterized by three components: motivation, (Rothschild 1999).
ability and opportunity (Grunert et al. 2014; MacInnis et al.
1991; Rothschild 1999). This model discloses that “con- Ability as the third element of MOA model, ability re-
sumer’s opportunity to process ads information, consumer’s flects the extent to which the individual has certain re-
ability to interpret the ad information and consumer’s mo- sources (e. g. awareness, experience, knowledge, skills,
tivation to engage in processing the information” signifi- accessibility to information and financial resources) that
cantly determine advertising effects (Grunert et al. 2014; facilitate the achievement of desired outcomes (Hoyer and
Petty and Cacioppo 1996; MacInnis et al. 1991). The MOA MacInnis 1997; Sukoco and Wu 2010; Jepson et al. 2014).
model has later been adopted for and applied in various In the MOA model, ability consists of two dimensions:
studies such as work performance (Boudreau et al. 2003; habit and task knowledge. Habit manifests a person’s capa-
Peters and O’Connor 1980; Blumberg and Pringle 1982), bility to perform a task in a routine manner, and with least
environmental-friendly behavior (Ölander and ThØgersen conscious attention (Ölander and ThØgersen 1995), while
1995; Grunert et al. 2014) social marketing (Rothschild task knowledge refers to a person’s knowledge or profi-
1999), and community engagement (Hung et al. 2011; Jep- ciencies to achieve a desired goal or to behave in a certain
son et al. 2014). manner (Ölander and ThØgersen 1995; Thøgersen 1994;
Sonnenberg and Erasmus 2013). A lack of ability means
Motivation as the first element of the MOA model, a weak knowledge structure, which results in a complex
motivation is defined as goal-directed arousal (MacInnis operation in interpreting or understanding relevant infor-
et al. 1991; Park and Banwari 1985; Rothschild 1999) and mation (Sujan 1985; MacInnis and Jaworski 1989). For
a “driving force behind a person’s decision-making pro- instance, if a person lacks of sufficient information or for-
cess”, because it has an effect on the intensity and direction gets essential information, he or she will not be able to un-
of a particular behavior (Jepson et al. 2014; Bettman 1979). derstand the message accurately (Ölander and ThØgersen
Motivation can be classified on different levels. At the most 1995).

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Movaon
decisions of organic foods were influenced. The empiri-
cal data came from semi-structured interviews that consist
of 15 interviewees who have had actual buying experience
Actual purchase of of organic food, during which open-ended questions were
Opportunity
organic foods used. The interviewees included seven who live with par-
ents and children, four who live only with children, and
four who live with parents and have no children. The se-
Ability
lection of sample size derived from arguments in previous
studies, in which Guest et al. (2006) found that satura-
Fig. 1 Conceptual model
tion occurs when 12 participants involved in homogeneous
group, but Latham (2013) argued that 15 as a minimum for
Therefore, based on the MOA model discussed in above- most qualitative interview studies works very well when the
mentioned studies, the researcher proposes a conceptual participants are homogeneous.
model for this study (Shown in Fig. 1). The researcher used directed content analysis to ana-
lyze the data, which is based on a more structured process
(Hickey and Kipping 1996; Hsieh and Shannon 2005). By
3 Research methodology using existing theory, in this case the MOA model, the
researcher began by identifying key concepts or variables
In this study, consumers as a whole are viewed as de- as initial coding categories (Potter and Levine-Donnerstein
mand-side, and demand-side factors (e. g. consumer atti- 1999; Hsieh and Shannon 2005). Operational definition for
tudes, beliefs and values) will influence consumer motiva- each category was determined using the theory (Hsieh and
tion and ability (e. g. knowledge and habits) to buy organic Shannon 2005). In addition, the researcher read each tran-
food (Thøgersen 2005, 2009, 2010; Thøgersen and Ölan- script from beginning to end carefully and then highlighted
der 2002). In this sense, semi-structured interviews and text that appeared to describe the key thoughts or concepts
shop-along study were designed to disclose the issues and of motivation-opportunity-ability dynamic. All highlighted
thoughts relevant to consumers’ motivations, opportunities texts were coded using the predetermined categories wher-
and abilities when engaging in organic consumption. ever possible. In general, the categories are used to organize
A semi-structured interview was conducted in order to and group codes into clusters (Coffey and Atkinson 1996;
closely investigate consumer’s engagement in organic food Patton 2002). Text that could not be coded into one of these
consumption. Since an interview serves as an exploration categories was coded with new label that capture another
of the significance of the topics through the richness and foci relevant to MOA dynamic. Once all transcripts had
depth of qualitative data (Mason 2002; Jepson et al. 2014), been coded, the researcher checked again the data for each
the researcher was able to have an opportunity to capture category to determine whether subcategories were needed
the thoughts, feelings and perceptions of participants (Hol- for a category. Finally, the researcher organized the sub-
loway 2008; Jepson et al. 2014) that are close to their daily categories into a hierarchical structure (Morse and Field
situations. To begin from general themes guiding, the re- 1995).
searcher asked follow-up questions in a more flexible inter- As for the computation of data, QDA Miner 3.2 is uti-
view atmosphere (Brymann 2002; Frostling-Henningsson lized to process coding frequency based on distribution of
2003; Jepson et al. 2014). Each interview took between 20 keywords, and Compendium is applied to produce an issue
to 40 min. to complete. Besides, in order to observe actual map, which presents the key issues from research findings.
purchase behavior, shop-along studies (Frostling-Hennings-
son et al. 2014) were also conducted. The researcher went
shopping with interviewees either in supermarket or online 4 Research findings
over the weekend, during which the researcher asked ques-
tions on their choice of organic products and observed how This section gives details of important issues that influence
they finally made a purchase. consumers’ motivations, opportunities and abilities to buy
Purposive sampling was applied to recruit interviewees, organic food. Firstly, a comprehensive issue map is devel-
meaning that having experiences of buying organic foods oped based on the findings, and secondly, explanations of
was set as a prerequisite. The Interviewees share similar motivation, opportunity and ability are provided in terms
traits or specific characteristics in terms of cultures and of coding frequency analysis based on distribution of key-
shopping experiences. Thus, the researcher believe that words.
interviewees’ actual purchase experiences will provide de- A total of 47 issues were finally defined and an issue
tailed and credible evidences to explain how their buying map was produced based on Compendium. The issues were

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Fig. 2 Issue map of motivation, opportunity and ability

categorized into three groups: motivation, opportunity and These expectations have in fact, accelerated their actual
ability. There are 5 issues related to motivation, 12 issues buying decisions. This finding is in line with Michaelidou
related to opportunity and 30 issues related to ability. The and Hassan (2008), Chen (2009).
issues are presented in Fig. 2. Seven interviewees displayed concerns on personal
health. In addition, apart from food safety and health,
4.1 Motivation to buy some interviewees also believe that organic foods provide
good food quality such as good taste, freshness, more
There are five driving forces behind interviewees’ decision nutrition etc. In addition, a few numbers of interviewees
to buy organic food products (shown in Fig. 3). Out of also consider buying experiences of other people (e. g.
15 interviewees, 12 of them emphasized on food safety friends, colleagues etc) when making a buying decision.
concerns due to a series of food scandals and pollution is- They reported that the opinions and experiences of others
sues that have destroyed consumers’ confidence in domestic are more reliable than finding comments from internet by
food industry and expedited their anxieties. Consequently, themselves. Besides, organic food consumption is deemed
the interviewees expect to gain safety from their purchases as a support to enhance business ethics. Lack of ethics in
and eliminate their anxieties in consuming organic food. business activities has caused a constellation of food scan-

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Fig. 3 Motivation of organic food consumption

dals and environmental degradation; thus, consumers in ket. In addition, online suppliers also offer free delivery,
general have less trust in credibility of domestic food pro- more discount and rebate sometimes, which are seldom of-
duction and supervision system. Interviewees’ responses fered by retail stores as well. This finding implied that
manifested a rising concern on reconstruction of business a booming online sale of organic food has resulted from
ethics in contemporary business environment. a lack of availability in retail store. However, the fact is
that the interviewees normally buy perishable organic food
Informant: My wife always buys organic cereal, or-
(e. g. vegetables and fruits) from supermarkets and buy
ganic tea, and organic coffee through taobao.com. We
other food products (e. g. Organic milk, tea, cereal, snacks,
think organic products must be safer than others. We
etc.) from internet (mostly from www.taobao.com, www.
buy organic or natural food as much as we can. Food
jingdong.com). In addition, a minority of interviewees also
scandals really scare my family, and we spend money
mentioned their visit to the village nearby the city, where
on “safety” (Mr. Guo, 35 years old, no child, living
they can buy fresh products directly from farmers. More-
with parents).
over, few interviewees buy organic food product from open
air market. Summing-up, a lack of availability of organic
4.2 Opportunity to buy foods in retail channels is an impediment to the develop-
ment of organic food consumption, which is correspondent
Availability of organic food on the shelf and the issues that with the findings from Nasir and Karakaya (2014), Tsakiri-
interviewees have paid attention to reflect the circumstances dou et al. (2008), Magnusson et al. (2003), Krystallis et al.
in which interviewees are facilitated to buy organic food. (2008).
Informant: During the weekend my husband loves
Availability majority of interviewees said that organic
to drive to village. He loves Găn Xū (morning mar-
food is more available online than in supermarket based
ket). He enjoys fresh air and buys fresh vegetables and
on their experiences (shown in Fig. 4). For instance, the
fruits directly from farmers. The prices are cheaper as
interviewees can access to various food products through
well (Ms. Li, 39 years old, one daughter).
online purchase such as organic milk, tea, cereal, oil, cof-
fee, meat, rice, etc., which are rarely found in supermar-

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Fig. 4 Organic food available in different channel

Attention paid nowadays there is a tendency in China are the issues that interviewees have been aware of (shown
that more and more people will become interested in lead- in Fig. 6). The top three issues that the interviewees are
ing a healthy lifestyle and regimen program. This tendency aware of most are sales promotion, healthy lifestyle and
is obviously manifested by the interviews that almost every- food safety. Majority of interviewees reported that they
one has paid attention to health and regimen program. Apart are highly aware of sales promotion as the price of organic
from health and regimen information, the interviewees were food is generally higher than conventional food. Discount,
also concerned on topics related to nature and environment, as mentioned by interviewees, is the most influential tool
food safety, marketing strategy of organic food and children as compared to other sales promotion tools like product
issues (shown in Fig. 5). samples and rebate during decision-making process. In
addition, the interviewees are aware of how to maintain
Informant: My family likes to follow the updated
a healthy lifestyle, and mainly they refer to regimen pro-
information or program regarding health and Yǎng
gram. Also, food safety has attracted increasing attention,
Shēng (Regimen). People around me more or less do
because it is important issue involving the public health.
the same thing. I think it is time to improve the quality
As for those interviewees who are familiar with organic la-
of our lives and take a good care of ourselves when
bel, they can easily differentiate organic food product from
we are getting richer than two decades ago. Live
others. This can save cost (e. g. time consuming and infor-
healthily and eat carefully (with laughter) (Mr. Dong,
mation-search efforts) generated during information search
40 years old, one daughter, living with parents)
stage.
Informant: Now my family is aware of health more
4.3 Ability to buy
than in the past especially after my parents were found
to have high blood pressure and diabetes. Now my
Ability is reported under the headings of awareness, knowl-
parents have planned our daily diet and exercise based
edge, affordability, experience and accessibility of informa-
on regimen program (Mr. Tang, 43, one son, living
tion.
with parents)
Informant: I sometimes automatically will buy the
Awareness food safety, healthy lifestyle, sales promotion,
product labeled “organic”, because I am familiar with
ecology and environment, organic label, the activities or-
this label. To a certain extent, I believe the food qual-
ganized by local community relevant to organic food (e. g.
ity behind it (Ms. Xu, 39, one son)
seminar, exhibition etc) and opinions of other people around

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Fig. 5 Issues that interviewees have paid attention to

Fig. 6 Issues that interviewees are aware of

Knowledge when the interviewees were asked about what food safety, and support organic agriculture. Seven inter-
they have known about organic food, they answered from viewees could explain the meaning of organic label. For
7 different perspectives (shown in Fig. 7). The highlight instance, they know that organic means being natural; and
is that majority of them understand the impact of organic as such organic food is the type of food that does not use
food consumption. For example, organic food consumption fertilizer and chemicals; and organic label means a stan-
will lead to environmental protection, enhance health and dardization of food production required by the government.

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Fig. 7 Knowledge about or-


ganic food

Fig. 8 Factors influencing interviewees’ affordability

These responses show that interviewees have already had informed. Additionally, few interviewees also have knowl-
basic knowledge of organic food. However, minority of edge about product information in terms of brand, price,
them knows about the retail channels. They know from and manufacturing. For example, our interviewees told us:
which store they can buy organic food in a reasonable price,
Informant: when I buy organic milk, I know I only
or from which store they can enjoy more discount. Apart
buy tè Lún sū organic milk which is produced in Inner
from that, some interviewees know the activities or program
Mongolia. I know I need to pay 88 yuan (250 ml*12)
relevant to organic food consumption such as regimen pro-
every month (Ms. Su, 40, one son, living with parents)
gram, exhibition, seminar, distribution of product samples
Informant: For me, my understanding about organic
in local community, etc. Whenever the local community
food is that the foods are produced in a natural way
organized relevant activities, the interviewees are usually

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Fig. 9 Factors that influence interviewees’ actual purchase of organic food

without using fertilizers, or using minimum fertilizers organic milk. In fact this price level is at least 3 times
that is under the supervision of government (Mr. Qing, higher than non-organic milk (Mr. Qing, 45, one
45, daughter) daughter).
Researcher: So what do you do?
Informant: I team up with my colleagues to buy a big
Affordability the factors that influence interviewees’ af- volume (also known as tuán go), so we can have dis-
fordability are product price, monthly income, budget, and count price.
discount (shown in Fig. 8). Majority of interviewees claim
that the price of organic food sold in supermarket is ex- Experience: the interviewees explained about their actual
pensive, which sometimes hinders their actual purchases. purchase experience, and there were six main factors that
This finding is in line with Tregear et al. (1994), Botonaki influence their shopping experience: sales channel, price,
et al. (2006) and Lea and Worsley (2005). Consequently, variety, their perception towards organic food, sales pro-
when buying organic food, some of them will compare their motion and cost issues (shown in Fig. 9). It is the fact that
monthly incomes to price. Few interviewees are used to set sales channels of organic food are still very limited in Nan-
up a budget to buy organic food, and they think it is not ning City. Organic foods are mainly sold in supermarkets
desirable to overbalance the budget. In general, discount located in the city center, and specialty stores are hardly
seems to be the most attractive sale promotion tool for the found. The limited retail channels of organic food have
interviewees as the price of organic food is very premium. revealed some features of a immature organic food market
such as low demand, low level of the indication knowledge
Informant: In general, the price of organic food is
and low premium acceptance (Luczka-Bakula 1998). Thus,
more expensive than non-organic food, so it is im-
the interviewees prefer to buy organic food from internet
possible for many people like me to eat everything
rather than from retail stores. In addition, the interviewees
organic or natural. I and my wife together earn about
must reckon with premium price and other cost issues (e. g.
4000 Yuan every month, but one dozen of Tè Lún sū
Travailing cost, time consumption, energy used for informa-
organic milk (250 ml*12) is sold between 80–90 Yuan,
tion search, etc.) when they are considering to buy organic
online. My daughter drinks at least 3 dozen. It means
foods either from internet or from retail stores. As for the
that we spend 6–7% of our monthly income on only
perception, few interviewees reported that they perceived

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Fig. 10 Channels that influence interviewees’ accessibility to information

consumption of organic food as a fashion and identified searching information in detail. However, regarding on-
themselves as the pioneers. line shopping, their main concern is quality inspection.
For example, they may encounter fraud and the shop may
Informant: I think eating organic food has become
suddenly disappear. Also, it is more complex than buy-
a fashion in the city. When people become richer than
ing products from retail stores in terms of product return,
before, now it is time to improve quality of our lives.
complaints or giving a feedback. 2) The interviewees nor-
Eating organic can be a sign of such improvement.
mally compare prices between different suppliers, and they
I like to follow this fashion and I think I am a pioneer
tend to ignore the suppliers who sell organic foods at the
in my group (Ms. Long, 43, one daughter).
cheaper price. On the contrary, they believe that a higher
Accessibility to information: interviewees point out six price symbolizes a higher level of quality. This reflects
channels which influence their accessibility to information that the interviewees appear to “use price as a cue to qual-
relevant to organic food (shown in Fig. 10). Outstandingly, ity” (Shugan 1984). 3) The interviewees who are living
most interviewees access to information through internet with parents are not the people who do shopping regularly
or online community such as Weibo, Wechat, QQ. Also, but their parents. Thus, their buying behaviors differ from
word-of-mouth (WOM) within peer group (e. g. friends, their parents. For instance, the interviewees are familiar
schoolmates, colleagues) is another important information with E-commerce. They read comments from other buyers
source, which affects interviewees’ accessibility to product and use online transactions (e. g. AliPay, Wechat Red En-
information. velopes) due to their convenience. However, their parents
prefer shopping in retail stores or bargaining with sellers
Informant: I get information about organic food from
in the open-air market. 4) Group-buying is a very popular
my friends. They tell me which brand of cereal is
shopping technique in China, which will enable the inter-
good, from where I can get the products at a reason-
viewees to enjoy more rebate or discount. The product that
able price level, or when it is the best moment to get
they frequently buy via group-buying is organic milk.
discount online (Ms. Xu, 39, one son)
Finally, the observations from shop-along study are as fol-
lows: 1) Most interviewees prefer to buy organic food on-
line during the weekend as they can spend more time on

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Fig. 11 The factors that encourage interviewees to engage in more organic food consumption

5 Discussions and conclusions food production will enhance their trust in the food product
they buy. The organic foods that are sufficiently available
The application of the MOA model to the semi-structure in- in the market are vegetables, fruits, rice, meat and milk.
terview has produced profound understandings about status However, interviewees demand more varieties on the shelf
quo of organic food consumption in China. The discussion such as snacks (e. g. chocolate, cookie), drinks (e. g. wine,
focuses on the possibilities that can drive interviewees to juice), cereals, tea, coffee, detergents, etc. This signals
engage more in organic food consumption. a great potential for the supply and demand sides of or-
ganic industry. Also, since a high price is an obstacle when
5.1 How to increase motivation? making a purchase decision of organic food (Tregear et al.
1994; Lea and Worsley 2005; Hill and Lynchehaun 2002;
Even if a rising-concern on food safety has brought promis- Botonaki et al. 2006), a proper pricing strategy should be
ing opportunity to organic food industry, it also implies implemented by retailers in order to sustain organic busi-
a need to strengthen the supervision of food production in ness. Finally, interviewees also call for a reconstruction of
general and enhance ethics in business. A series of food ethics in business activities. They believe that once more
scandals has not only destroyed Chinese consumers’ con- and more businessmen have ethical mindsets, food scandals
fidence in domestic food production but also damaged the will be eliminated, and their confidence in food safety will
reputation of Chinese food product. When referring to or- be restored. This will lead the whole food production and
ganic food, some interviewees also questioned the supervi- consumption to a sustainable direction.
sion of organic food production.
Informant: If businessmen have ethical mindset, food
Informant: I don’t know if the organic cereal I have scandals will not happen from time to time. if the su-
bought is real organic or not. Can I fully trust the or- pervision is strong and strict, there is no soil for those
ganic label since the supervision of food production is unethical businessman (Mr. Guo, 35 years old, no
weak? (Ms. Lin, 33, one daughter, living with parents) child, living with parents)
Fig. 11 shows four main issues that may encourage in-
terviewees to engage in organic food consumption in the
future based on the findings. Foremost, most interviewees
desire a credible food production. A high credibility of

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5.2 How to increase opportunity? organic food consumption in the long-term. Second is to
organize relevant seminars in local community. Seminar
Since retail stores (e. g. conventional supermarkets) do not organized by local community is commonly seen in China,
fulfill interviewees’ demands for organic foods due to lim- through which relevant information or knowledge is effi-
ited food variety and less availability, consequently the in- ciently delivered to community members. It is a fact that
terviewees tend to choose online purchase more. However, consumers may not have sufficient knowledge and accurate
since retail stores still remain a very important role in our information regarding organic food. Seminars emphasizing
daily life, a strategic improvement of the sales of organic on health, food safety, regime, lifestyle and organic food are
foods in retail stores may increase interviewees’ opportuni- parallel with the tendency that Chinese consumer nowadays
ties to buy organic foods thereby developing organic food are more interested in healthy lifestyle. This will increase
market. consumers’ knowledge of organic food and relevant aspects.
First, less availability in retail stores results in inconve- Most importantly, an introduction of sustainability in ed-
nience. Thus, an extension of sales channel can help to ucational system is quite important. If the youth is cul-
increase convenience and attract more consumers. It means tivated by sustainability program, their knowledge might
that conventional supermarkets should not be the only re- shape their shopping behaviors to be more sustainable-ori-
tail channel for organic foods; instead, organic foods can ented. This will not only foster sustainable consumption
be distributed to convenient stores or mini-markets in local but also facilitate a formulation of a sustainable consumer
communities. In addition, specialty stores are another op- society in the future.
tion to increase availability of organic food products. How-
ever, such improvements may require some supports from
local government. For example, the local government may 6 Managerial implications
introduce tax incentives to encourage organic food produc-
ers to open specialty shops. Second, a regular “direct sales A booming organic food consumption is an opportunity
of organic foods” activity organized by the local commu- to accelerate sustainable consumption in China. However,
nities and organic food producers (e. g. Farmers, manufac- the reality shows that the development of organic food con-
turers, etc.) will offer more choices to the consumers and sumption is still limited especially in less developed regions
encourage more elder consumers engaging in organic food due to the unbalanced economic development and education
consumption. The findings revealed that among 15 intervie- levels. Therefore, a simulation of sustainable consumption
wees, 11 of them live with their parents. Their parents are tends to be a collaborative scenario building based on vari-
the people who go shopping regularly, prepare meals and do ous parties.
some housework while the interviewees work. This repre- For organic food companies and marketers, different
sents a typical Chinese family culture. The most important marketing techniques should be utilized to promote organic
thing is that elder people are less familiar with online shop- foods consumption. For example, organic foods can be
ping. On the contrary, they prefer to buy foods from open placed at a supermarket entrance, or “Bio corner” can be de-
air market or supermarket, because they can enjoy social signed in retail chain stores. This can increase the visibility
interaction with sellers directly, through which they will and sales of organic food. Also, affordability of consumers
receive specific information concerning organic foods. will be increased if more marketing promotions especially
discounts are launched. Besides, organic food companies
5.3 How to increase ability? should extend distribution channels through existing local
retail chain stores or opening organic specialty shops in
A lack of ability brings about a weak knowledge struc- local communities and increase product categories. More-
ture, which will make interpretation and understanding of over, communication strategies should highlight the value
relevant information complex (Sujan 1985; MacInnis and of organic foods consumption. This will help organic con-
Jaworski 1989). However, consumers’ abilities can be en- sumers differentiate themselves from ordinary consumers,
hanced from three perspectives. First is to increase the which will create a sense of back to nature, belongingness,
sales promotion in retail stores, which likely will lead to fashion and uniqueness. An effective communication strat-
a growing awareness. The findings showed that the inter- egy will draw more attentions from young consumers.
viewees are sensitive to sales promotion techniques such as For policy-makers, they should firstly support an es-
discount, but discounts are often provided by online sellers. tablishment of farmer association and launch a scheme of
If retail channels use not only discount but also distribu- community supported agriculture (CSA). By doing so, lo-
tion of product samples and rebate for organic food, more cal consumers will have more chance to buy organic foods
consumers who regularly go shopping in supermarket will directly and regularly from local farmers through subscrip-
be more aware of organic food. Indirectly, it will facilitate tions. This will not only reduce the uncertainty of income

K
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