Influence of Confidence on Local Foods on Consumer's Purchase Behaviors from Tasty Farm Eateries

Abstract

This study conducted an exploratory factor analysis to examine how consumers’ confidence on the local foods used at tasty farm eateries influence their purchase behaviors. The four factors of perception of local foods used at tasty farm eateries and the factors of consumer confidence and purchase behaviors were extracted for a reliability analysis, correlation analysis of variables, and simple and multiple regression analysis. The following are the findings: first, among the four factors of perception of local foods used at tasty farm eateries, safety, sociality and product value had statistically significant influences on consumer confidence, whereas regional economic value did not. In other words, safety referring to the nutritional value and sanitary safety of food ingredients used for the native foods at the tasty farm eateries, product value referring to the characteristics differentiated from general Korean cuisine, and sociality referring to the various related experiences for the interests in farm culture and local food, leads to consumer confidence, whereas regional economic value referring to farm household income, local job creation, and development of farm tourism does not. Second, consumer confidence had a statistically significant positive impact on consumers’ purchase behaviors. Among the five principles of local foods, reliability is the most important factor. When consumers gain confidence on local food items and are satisfied with them, they make additional purchases and revisits. Therefore, confidence is a very important aspect for the loyalty and sustainability of business.