Drivers of frequent fair-trade coffee purchase in France: insights from a large-scale survey using an extended theory of planned behavior

Abstract

This study examines the drivers of purchase frequency for fair-trade products using an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model. The impacts of behavioral control, subjective norms, and attitudes on behavioral intention and purchase frequency were analyzed. Additionally, the study explores how altruistic values, reflecting benefits for producers and the environment, influence attitudes toward fair-trade products and how gender and spirituality moderate the relationships between behavioral intention and its predictors. A survey of 2,174 fair-trade coffee consumers in France was conducted, and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in AMOS software. The findings indicate that attitude, social norms, and behavioral control significantly affect behavioral intention, which in turn influences purchase frequency. Attitudes toward fair-trade products were predicted only by the benefits to producers. Gender and spirituality significantly moderated the relationships between behavioral control and subjective norms with behavioral intention, but not between attitude and behavioral intention. This study validates the TPB in the context of fair-trade consumption and extends the theory to include the moderating roles of spirituality and gender. Insights from this research can help managers and policymakers refine communication and marketing strategies to promote fair-trade product consumption.