Consumers’ purchase behavior in short food supply chains using social commerce in Indonesia

Abstract

Short food supply chain (SFSC) practice using social commerce is still in its infancy; this is also true in Indonesia. Many studies on the SFSC that uses social commerce have been carried out in developed countries; however, there is only limited research on this subject in developing countries. In this study, factors that explain purchase behavior toward social commerce SFSCs in Indonesia are explored by considering information-seeking variables as components of knowledge formation and the perceived economic and social sustainability of SFSCs as advantages over long food supply chains. Our conceptual framework was developed from the theory of planned behavior and alphabet theory, with the addition of a perceived SFSC sustainability variable. Data were collected from consumers who purchase agricultural produce from social commerce SFSCs and members of the respective SFSC chat groups. Data analysis was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results reveal that perceived SFSC sustainability is influenced by product knowledge, which in turn has a positive association with information-seeking behavior. Perceived SFSC sustainability influences attitude and, subsequently, influences purchase intention. Consumers who have strong purchase intention are likely to purchase; subjective norm does not affect purchase intention for consumers who have received sufficient information from social media. Perceived behavioral control influences purchase intention but not behavior because purchasing agricultural produce is a regular activity. This research provides a deep understanding of consumer behavior toward SFSCs that use social commerce. Based on the factors identified as influencing purchase behavior, sellers can provide information through social media to facilitate consumers’ purchasing decisions.