Customer Value Perceptions: Testing of a Conceptual Model in the Frame of Own-Country Geographic Indication Foods

This paper investigates Customer Value (CV) perceptions towards own-country Geographic Indication (GI) food products. CV perceptions are the outcome of the trade-offs between perceived Values and Costs from the purchase or consumption of a product. The objective is to examine if the perceived gains from purchasing of GI foods would exceed any perceived losses and shed light on the exact type of perceived values and costs that define CV for GI foods. Despite doubts in relation to specific search and experience parameters of GI foods that impact on the development of a good consumer-product relationship, it is the positive perceptions about products' quality, likeability and social status that mainly formulate CV. Concerns in relation to GIs' price-availability are too mild, not subtracting much from the overall CV indicating that consumers are driven by more self-centred motives. For market success, GI food producers need to build stronger associations in consumers' mind between GI foods and their altruistic value in terms of the ethical character of their production.