The Effects of Consumer Involvement, Price Sensitivity, and Sensory Appeal of Organic Food Purchase Intention During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Organic food is grown and produced organically without any use of chemicals such as pesticides, fertilizers, or any other modified organism. Due to the COVID-19, there was a significant change in consumer behaviour including organic food consumption that automatically increased the sales. This study aims to identify the effects of consumer involvement, price sensitivity, and sensory appeal of organic food purchase intention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modeling with Partial Least Square (PLS) was used to analyze the research models proposed in the study. This study used explanatory research to test the model with 240 respondents surveyed with criteria of the respondents that have purchased organic food during the pandemic. The result show consumer involvement and sensory appeal have a significant positive effect on consumer intention to purchase organic food. While lifestyle, an additional variable, does not moderate the relationships for the model used in this study.