Alternative food networks on digital platforms: Consumer preferences for platform versus local food attributes

Abstract

Digital platforms are affecting more areas of our lives, and both practitioners and researchers have begun exploring their potential for alternative food networks (AFNs). As AFNs move into the digital realm, additional attributes become available to consumers that can offer motives for participation. Past literature about AFNs and digital platforms has described very different types of consumer motives for participation. As AFNs move into the digital realm, we know very little about consumer preferences regarding this new and complex choice context. This study explored consumer preferences for digital AFN attributes based on a choice experiment with best-worst scaling. The data were collected from 768 Norwegian REKO (a digital farmer's market on Facebook) consumers. The analysis revealed that traditional AFN attributes were more important than digital attributes. However, digitalisation can help augment traditional AFN attributes, such as shorter value chains and transparency. The results also show the presence of two customer segments with different motives and preferences for AFN attributes. Overall, the findings confirm the need for further research on digital AFNs as this new context is a unique environment that challenges assumptions from several different perspectives.