The Relationship Between Consumer Innovativeness and Purchase Behaviour for Organic Products
New research by professors Ajax Persaud and Sandra Schillo has been published in the best paper proceedings of the Academy of Management Conference, August 1-5, 2014 in Philadelphia, PA.
This study explores the link between consumer innovativeness and purchase behaviour in the context of organic food adoption by examining social identity, social influences, and perceived value. The study’s theoretical contribution is in developing the relationship between consumer innovativeness and adoption behaviour. From a practical perspective, the results highlight the need for marketers to develop a very nuanced understanding of the social networks of potential consumers they may tap into, and thereby identify credible individuals to promote their products. “Essentially, marketers need to develop communication strategies that clearly articulate not only the value of their products but also the social impact of the marketing strategies,” the researchers conclude.
About the researchers:
Ajax Persaud, Associate Professor at the Telfer School, focuses his research on innovation, entrepreneurship, and marketing. His studies have been published in several leading refereed journals. He has authored/co-authored five books including Marketing, 1st & 2nd Canadian Ed. Dr. Persaud received several nominations and awards for teaching and research excellence. He received a Best Paper Award at the 2014 Conference of the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada for his study titled, “Adoption of advanced technology in the Canadian food-processing industry”(with Eric Xuhuchen).
Sandra Schillo, Assistant Professor at the Telfer School, centres her research on innovation, entrepreneurship and their impact. Dr. Schillo’s work is funded by several sources, including the BioFuelNet Canada, a Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE). She has extensive experience completing studies for Industry Canada and many science based departments and agencies of the Canadian federal government on topics relating to innovation and entrepreneurship.
