Impact of theory of planned behavior, health consciousness, product availability, price, and technophobia on online organic food purchases by digital natives in Malaysia

Omar, Sajid (2026) Impact of theory of planned behavior, health consciousness, product availability, price, and technophobia on online organic food purchases by digital natives in Malaysia. PhD thesis, UTAR.

PDF Download (2430Kb)

Abstract

The increasing demand for organic food, alongside the expansion of ecommerce, has made understanding online consumer behavior a pressing concern in today’s digital economy. This issue has become particularly relevant in Malaysia, where digital natives represent a fast-growing segment of online consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the transition to online shopping, further emphasizing the importance of identifying the factors that influence online organic food purchases. This study aims to explore both psychological and situational determinants of online purchase behavior, integrating key constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) which are attitude, subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) with additional predictors including health consciousness (HC), product availability (PA), product cost (PC), and technophobia. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 381 students from foreign-based universities in Malaysia, supplemented by a pilot study with 60 participants at Monash University to validate the instrument. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test 14 hypothesized relationships. The findings reveal that 11 paths were statistically significant, showing that attitude, SN, PBC, PC, PA, and technophobia significantly affect behavioral intentions (BI) and organic food purchases (OFP). However, three paths attitude to OFP, HC to OFP, and PA to BI were not supported, indicating that some commonly assumed predictors may have weaker effects in this context. The study advances TPB by incorporating external variables, thereby offering a more comprehensive framework to explain online consumer decision-making. The results highlight practical implications: businesses must ensure reliable product availability, competitive pricing, and simplified digital platforms to overcome technophobia while also emphasizing the health benefits of organic products in marketing strategies. Together, these findings provide valuable insights for both scholars and practitioners seeking to understand and influence online purchase intentions for organic food among digital natives in Malaysia.

Actions (login required)