Information Behavior and Brand Commitment of Organic Produce in Japan and China : Consumer Latent Segment and Preference

Inspired by the paucity of empirically sound literature on consumers of organic produce in Asian markets, we employ choice experiments to conduct a latent class analysis of organic produce preferences of Japanese and Chinese consumers residing in urban areas. We focus on consumers’ ability of information behavior in order to understand how the latent segments of Chinese and Japanese consumers influence their Marginal Willingness-to-Pay (MWTP) for organic produce. Our results confirm regional heterogeneity in how consumers perceive and respond to marketing information, which ultimately affects their marginal willingness to pay—a valuable finding for retailers. Our study provides important insights into the preferences of Asian consumers for organic produce and sheds light on the factors that influence their purchasing decisions. Our results are relevant not only to academics but also to policymakers, marketers, and producers in the agri-food industry. We believe that they will contribute to the ongoing discussion on sustainable food consumption and production