Determinants of Consumer Purchase Decision Towards Online Organic Fresh Produce in Malaysia: A Conceptual Analysis

Abstract

Organic fresh produce has been experiencing a steady growth around the world due to its multiple benefits from the perspective of health, safety, and environment. Despite the growth, the organic fresh produce market in Malaysia remains niche. Since 2020, the world had been hit with the COVID-19 pandemic which significantly affected society and consumers especially changes in lifestyle and business practices. As a result, organic food producers and marketers have ventured into e-commerce whereby organic fresh produce is sold online to sustain their businesses. Over the past years, numerous studies have been conducted to ascertain the factors and barriers influencing organic food consumption. However, limited research is done in the areas of e-commerce organic fresh produce. It is also noted that these studies are done before the COVID-19 pandemic, as such the nuances of pandemic and its influence on consumer behaviour have not been established in the literature. It is crucial to know the drivers of online organic fresh produce purchase decisions and to understand the changes in purchase decisions towards consumptions products post-pandemic. By using the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this conceptual paper identifies the determinants of consumer purchase decision towards online organic fresh produce such as perceived price, perceived product quality, electronic word of mouth and the impact of COVID-19. The paper further reviews past literature of the determinants and finally proposes a research framework for future research.