Impact of engagement motives toward loyalty among agri-food consumers: The mediating roles of educational benefits, economic benefits, trust, and commitment

In the digital age, unverified news and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) have become pervasive, raising concerns about their influence on customer behavior and decision-making. This research aims to investigate how unverified news affects customer purchase intention and satisfaction, emphasizing the mediating role of brand image within customer relationship management. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) as the theoretical framework, the study collected the data from 378 undergraduate and postgraduate students in Vietnam. The hypotheses were tested through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS4. There are two significant results. Firstly, unverified news has significantly influenced brand image and trust, leading to customer satisfaction and purchase intention. Secondly, brand image plays a mediating role in the relationship between e-WOM and purchase intention. This research contributes to the marketing literature by demonstrating how unverified news shapes consumer behavior. The findings provide actionable insights for businesses to adapt their marketing strategies, addressing the growing challenges of misinformation to improve brand trust and customer satisfaction in today’s information-driven market.

Over the years, the number of organizations investing in CSR activities has increased considerably. This increase is partially attributable to the intention of the organizations to give back to the society to repair and reduce the loss their intentional or unintentional actions might have caused to the environment. The government’s decision to make it mandatory for businesses to invest a small part of their net profit in social welfare activities has also helped nudge the organizations towards CSR activities. However, the question whether this investment influences customers’ intention to purchase the product in any manner remains an unresolved paradox. Limited researches have been conducted in this area to explore and establish the relationship if any between CSR and consumer purchase intention. This research focuses on the five different factors of CSR comprising of loyalty, morality, awareness, behavior and environment, which are identified from the previous literature. With the help of these factors, the authors researched and established the relationship between them and consumer purchase intention. In this descriptive research, the research questionnaire was distributed to 1500 respondents, using convenient sampling method, out of which 319 responses were finally obtained for the analysis purpose. After testing the reliability and validity of the data, the five hypotheses were tested using SEM (Structural Equation Modeling). It was found that all the five hypotheses were supported and thereby acknowledged the significant influence of CSR related activities performed by companies on the consumer purchase intention. The CSR driven morality is emerging to be the most important dimension that appears to influence the consumer purchase intentions. These finding will help decision-makers to formulate their promotion activities in such a manner that it aligns with the value system of the consumers and increase the overall consumer base.

This study explores the pathways to sustainable consumption among Gen Z and Millennials in Indonesia, focusing on the roles of health awareness, lifestyle behavior, and trust. Sustainable consumption in this context refers to conscientious choices made by individuals to minimize negative impacts on the environment and society while supporting personal health and well-being. A total of 210 respondents, representing consumers aged 18 to 42, who had purchased from healthy food restaurants in Jakarta, participated in the survey. This age range was chosen to encompass both Generation Z and Millennials, with a focus on individuals who are likely to be financially independent and capable of purchasing food for themselves. This sample was chosen to capture insights from key demographics known for their influence on consumption patterns and environmental awareness. Utilizing structural equation modeling, the analysis reveals that health awareness and lifestyle behavior significantly influence healthy food choices and sustainable consumption patterns. The direct path coefficient from lifestyle behavior to sustainable consumption (β = 0.394) surpassed that of health awareness (β = 0.134), underscoring the importance of lifestyle factors in driving sustainable consumption behaviors. Furthermore, trust emerged as a significant mediator between these factors and sustainable consumption. Health awareness and lifestyle behavior explained 65.3% of the variance in healthy food choices and influenced consumer trust by 39.7%. Additionally, lifestyle behavior and trust accounted for 61.2% of the variance in sustainable consumption. These findings highlight the critical role of lifestyle choices and trust-building efforts in fostering sustainable consumption behaviors among Gen Z and Millennials in Indonesia.