Consumer buying motives and attitudes towards organic food in two emerging markets

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate if consumer buying motives regarding organic food in emerging economies China and Brazil are culture bound or determined by key characteristics of the product. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was collected in Guangzhou, China, and Porto Alegre, Brazil. Data were analyzed by means of structural equation modeling, checking for measurement invariance between samples. Findings – The reasons why Brazilian and Chinese consumers buy organic food are strikingly similar to what is found in Europe and North America. Consumers’ attitude toward buying organic food is strongly linked to beliefs about its healthiness, taste and environmental friendliness. Also, consumer attitudes toward buying organic food are positively related to what Schwartz’s “Universalism” values in all studied cultures. Research limitations/implications – Correlational (survey) data do not allow conclusions about causality and conclusions are limited by the covered countries and products. Practical implications – Key consumer value propositions with respect to organic food seem cross-culturally valid and universally accepted by a segment of customers that share these values. Hence, organic food can be marketed globally based on a universal set of key value propositions. The same could be true for other global products sharing similar types of certifiable value propositions. Social implications – New insights of value for the cross-cultural marketing of “green” and ethical consumer products. Originality/value – Fills a gap in research regarding the extent to which consumer purchase motives are culture bound or determined by the characteristics of the product.