Superfoods, super healthy: myth or reality? Examining consumers’ repurchase and WOM intention regarding superfoods: a theory of consumption values perspective

Abstract

‘Superfoods’ have become a popular diet style across the globe but are also criticized as a marketing gimmick. Despite the controversy, the essential drivers of superfood consumption and advocacy remain underexplored. Drawing upon the theory of consumption values and prospect theory, this study explores how consumers’ value perceptions of superfoods influence their behavioral responses (i.e., repurchase and positive word-of-mouth intentions) by introducing the concept of relative advantage in food consumption. Based on a survey sample of 447 superfood consumers and structural equation modeling, our findings identify relative advantage as an important mediator in the cognitive process that converts consumers’ value perceptions into behavioral responses. We also find buffering effects of perceived costs in the relationship between relative advantage and repurchase behavior. This research advances the understanding of consumers’ modern food consumption habits and lifestyles and has important implications for academics, marketing practitioners and policy makers.

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ORCID for Hongfei Liu: orcid.org/0000-0001-8539-9054

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