Consumer innovativeness and organic food adoption: The mediation effects of consumer knowledge and attitudes

Abstract

Although several studies have found a positive effect of consumer innovativeness on organic food adoption behavior, little research has explored how different sub-dimensions of consumer innovativeness work and differ in their pathways, which may limit the understanding of the role of different consumer characteristics. Based on the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory and the consumer decision-making model, we propose a new serial mediation model by focusing on two related yet distinct sub-dimensions of consumer innovativeness. Collecting the data from 1037 Chinese consumers through an online questionnaire platform and using a bootstrap approach to conduct a mediation analysis, the empirical results reveal that social innovativeness, which reflects the need for uniqueness, affects organic food adoption behavior through all direct and indirect pathways. Surprisingly, hedonist innovativeness, which measures the need for stimulation, affects organic food adoption behavior only through the mediation of consumer knowledge or the serial mediation of consumer knowledge and consumer attitudes. Of the different mediators, consumer knowledge is the most important, suggesting that innovative consumers primarily depend on the cognitive process to make their organic food adoption decisions. This paper contributes to sustainability literature by developing a theoretical model that reflects consumer decision-making process preferences in the specific context of organic food. These findings also assist marketers in improving marketing strategies to attract more organic food consumers.