Determinants of purchase intentions: foreign imported functional foods in Asian emerging country

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to investigate factors that impact consumers’ intention of buying foreign-made functional foods. By highlighting various consumer features related to foreign imported functional foods buying behaviours, this study proposed a comprehensive model relating to consumers’ purchase intentions in the context of an emerging country. A quantitative study by a self-administrative survey was applied with a sample of 527 respondents from the north of Vietnam. From the results of structural equation modelling analysis, the study discovered that electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) information and credibility, health consciousness positively influence consumers’ attitude toward foreign functional foods and through attitude influence purchase intention. Interestingly, our results showed that consumer ethnocentrism in the case of foreign imported functional foods, conversely with other products, does not influence either consumer attitude or purchase intentions. The study filled a gap in functional foods consumers’ buying behaviour literature in emerging markets by analyzing the mediator role of attitude toward functional foods in the theoretical model of the relation between online information sources and other traditional determinants with purchase intention. From the research results, implications for managers were proposed. Functional food managers should use internet media as a business tool and emphasize the health benefits of functional foods to change consumers’ attitudes and then encourage purchase intention.