Terroir store brand authenticity

Purpose

The objective of this exploratory study was to investigate the communication themes that retailers should prioritise to convey terroir store brands’ (TSBs) authenticity and the impact of their authenticity on several variables (i.e. value, attitude, trust, intentions and effective purchases). TSBs combine a variety of products that adhere to stringent standards associated with a terroir. Charters et al. (2017) referred to a terroir as “a resource based on unique physical origins and shared cultural personification that shape a product’s benefits into a meaningful value proposition” (p. 755). Three communication themes were studied: the ingredients’ origin, traditional local recipes and the producer’s history in a region (terroir).

Design/methodology/approach

An experiment was conducted in a store laboratory. A total of 420 consumers representative of the French population were randomly assigned to four independent groups in a between-subjects study design. They shopped in the store laboratory with a section dedicated to a TSB. Each of the independent samples in this experiment was exposed to posters in the store laboratory related to the three communication themes studied. The control group did not see any posters.

Findings

The study showed that the level of TSB authenticity was highest for the communication theme related to the traditional local recipes of the culinary dishes offered by the TSB. Next came the theme related to the ingredients’ origin, followed by the producer’s history in the terroir. Moreover, for the communication theme related to the traditional local recipes, TSB authenticity had a direct impact on value, trust and intentions. Moreover, the link between intentions and effective purchases of TSB products has only been established for this specific communication theme.

Originality/value

First, this study adds to the limited research on TSBs’ authenticity and identifies the communication themes retailers should use to promote such brands. It also proposes an integrative model of the consequences of TSBs’ authenticity in the retailing field that highlights the direct and indirect links (through value, attitude, trust and intentions) between authenticity and consumers’ effective purchases. Finally, it indicates the kind of discourse on TSBs that conveys their authenticity.