European consumers' intention to buy sustainable aquaculture products: An exploratory study

Abstract

Given the increasing global importance of low trophic level aquaculture (LTA) products (e.g. seaweed and mussels) for sustainable and healthy seafood supply, this study examined consumer intentions towards LTA products among European consumers. This study performed an extended theory of planned behaviour to focus on the influence of health consciousness, subjective knowledge, food neophobia, and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors on consumers' intentions to buy LTA products. We conducted an online questionnaire survey in Denmark, the United Kingdom and France (~500 respondents per country). Consumer segmentation analysis, based on food-related lifestyles, employing K-means clustering techniques, revealed five distinct segments, namely ‘Adventurous’, ‘Uninvolved’, ‘Foodies’, ‘Rational’, and ‘Conservative’, each reflecting unique consumer behavioural patterns. Furthermore, partial least squares structural equation modelling analysis revealed that subjective norms are the main predictor of LTA product buying intention, followed by attitude, food neophobia, subjective knowledge, and health consciousness. Furthermore, food neophobia seems to moderate the influence of subjective norms and subjective knowledge on LTA product buying intention. This dual approach explains the predictive power of the model while identifying targeted segments for sustainable aquaculture product marketing, ensuring that the distinction between the model's test and the subsequent segmentation analysis is clearly articulated. To enhance the adoption of LTA products, marketers should primarily target the ‘Foodies’ segment, characterised by high involvement and innovation, by emphasizing attitudes, health consciousness, subjective knowledge, and food quality attributes, while mitigating food neophobia and leveraging subjective norms.