Globalisation issues and consumers' purchase decisions for food products: evidence from a laboratory experiment

Abstract : A laboratory experiment is conducted to evaluate the impact of globalisation on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for food products. Successive messages on the products' origin and the multinational firm's strategy are delivered to participants. Interestingly, the significant decrease in WTP resulting from negative messages about foreign sourcing and the closure of processing facilities is reversed after the revelation of positive information linked to the multinational firm's new products/services and investments made in the domestic country. The experiment also studies the effects of two labels (geographic indication and fair trade). The introduction of labels increases the consumer surplus.