Etik Güvenin Tüketici Tercih Niyetindeki Rolü: Türkiye'de Eko-Etiketli Taze Meyve ve Sebzelerde Bilgi Algısı, Karar Zorluğu ve Zincir Uyumu

Öz

Sürdürülebilir tarım uygulamaları ve çevresel duyarlılık, son yıllarda gıda tüketim tercihlerinde belirleyici hale gelmiştir. Bu bağlamda, eko-etiketli ürünlerin tüketici nezdinde algılanışı, özellikle yaş meyve ve sebze sektöründe giderek önem kazanmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye bağlamında, eko-etiketli yaş meyve ve sebze ürünlerine yönelik tüketici tercih niyetini etkileyen psikolojik, bilişsel ve bağlamsal değişkenleri çok boyutlu olarak incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmanın temel kuramsal katkısı, yalnızca içeriksel değil, aynı zamanda bağlamsal algıya dayalı bir model olan “Zincir Aşaması–Etiket Uyumu (ZAÖU)” değişkenini yapısal modele entegre etmesidir. Çalışmada kullanılan yapısal eşitlik modeli (PLS-SEM), dokuz hipotez üzerinden kurulmuş ve 384 tüketici anketinden elde edilen verilerle test edilmiştir. Modelde “etiket güveni”, “bilgi ilgisi”, “bilgi çatışması”, “karar zorluğu” ve “tercih niyeti” gibi temel yapılar yer almakta; ayrıca “cinsiyet”, “gelir düzeyi” ve “etiket okuryazarlığı” moderatör değişkenler olarak dahil edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, etiket güveninin tercih niyeti üzerinde en güçlü pozitif etkiye sahip olduğunu, bilgi çatışmasının ise hem doğrudan hem de karar zorluğu aracılığıyla tercih niyetini olumsuz etkilediğini göstermektedir. Bilgi ilgisi ve ZAÖU gibi yapılar, etiket güvenini güçlendiren pozitif faktörler olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Tercih niyeti, tüketicinin ödeme istekliliği üzerinde de anlamlı ve pozitif bir etki yaratmaktadır. Model, tercih niyetinin %52’sini, etiket güveninin %48’ini, karar zorluğunun ise %49’unu açıklamakta; bu sonuçlar modelin hem teorik hem de ampirik açıdan güçlü olduğunu göstermektedir. Moderatör analizleri, cinsiyetin etik güvenin tercih niyeti üzerindeki etkisini artırdığını, düşük gelirli bireylerde karar zorluğunun etkisinin daha belirgin olduğunu ve yüksek etiket okuryazarlığının bilgi çatışması kaynaklı güven kaybını azalttığını göstermiştir. Bu çalışma hem politika yapıcılar hem de sürdürülebilir tarım ürünleri pazarlayan işletmeler için önemli öneriler sunmakta; özellikle etiket sistemlerinin sadeleştirilmesi, bağlamla tutarlılığının artırılması ve tüketici eğitimine dayalı stratejilerin güçlendirilmesi gerektiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, sembollerin bağlamla ilişkilendirilmesi yoluyla tüketici güveninin güçlendirilebileceği yönünde yeni bir kuramsal çerçeve sunarak literatüre özgün bir katkı yapmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Eko-etiketleme
• Tüketici satın alma niyeti
• Etiket güveni
• Karar zorluğu
• Zincirleme aşama-etiket uyumu

The Role of Ethical Trust in Consumer Preference Intention: Information Perception, Decision Difficulty and Chain Compliance in Eco-Labeled Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in Türkiye

Öz

In recent years, consumer preferences have increasingly shifted towards sustainable agricultural practices and environmental awareness in food consumption. Within this framework, the perceptions of eco-labels, particularly in the fresh fruit and vegetable sector, have gained importance. This study examines the psychological, cognitive, and contextual variables affecting consumer preference intention towards eco-labelled fresh fruit and vegetable products in Türkiye. Its principal theoretical contribution is the integration of the variable “Chain Stage-Label Fit (SCLF)” into a contextual perception-based structural model. Using PLS-SEM, nine hypotheses were tested using data from 384 consumer survey responses. Key constructs include “label trust,” “information relevance,” “information conflict,” “decision difficulty,” and “preference intention,” alongside moderator variables “gender,” “income level,” and “label literacy.” The results indicate that label trust has the strongest positive effect on purchase intention, whereas information conflict negatively affects it, both directly and indirectly through decision difficulty. Information relevance and OCB positively reinforced label trust. Preference intention significantly and positively influenced the willingness to pay. The model explains 52% of preference intention, 48% of label trust, and 49% of decision difficulty, demonstrating its strong theoretical validity and empirical validity. Moderator analyses reveal that gender significantly impacts the relationship between ethical trust and preference intention; the negative effect of decision difficulty is stronger among low-income consumers; and higher label literacy mitigates the loss of trust caused by information conflict. This study offers actionable recommendations for policymakers and sustainable product marketers: simplifying labelling systems, ensuring contextual consistency, and enhancing consumer education strategies. By introducing the SCLF and demonstrating how contextual alignment strengthens trust, this study makes an original contribution to the literature on consumer behavior in sustainable food market.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Eco-labeling
• Consumer purchase intention
• Label trust
• Decision difficulty
• Chain stage-label congruence

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