Innovating Agricultural Marketing: Credit Codes as a New Tool to Boost Sales of Place-of-Origin Products

Hengshu Wei¹Guilong Li¹Xv Liang^2*Yuwei Li²Qiuli Huang²

• ¹Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics, Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China
• ²Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China

In the marketing of regionally distinctive agricultural products, merchants frequently highlight the place-of-origin as a pivotal promotional message, aiming to bolster consumers' recognition of the products and, consequently, increase their purchase intentions. However, individual consumers often find it challenging to authenticate the origin information of agricultural products. Previous research has primarily focused on developing detection and identification technologies for the quality of agricultural products to enhance consumers' trust in the origin information presented in product promotions. Yet, these studies have overlooked the potential role of merchant credibility in the circulation of agricultural products. Credit codes, a product of China's Credit Information Network (CIN), have been implemented in the credit supervision of Congzhou's traditional Chinese medicinal materials and Rongcheng's Shidao seafood products, but their role in promoting consumer purchases has not been academically validated. Based on signaling theory, this study proposes that credit codes serve as a credibility cue, implicitly endorsing the authenticity of product quality and place-of-origin information by all participants in the agricultural product supply chain, thereby effectively triggering consumers' trust mechanisms. Therefore, through three experiments, this study explores the impact of presenting credit codes on consumers' (students and general consumers') purchase intentions for place-of-origin agricultural products, with a focus on the role of perceived brand authenticity as a mediator and the moderating effect of regulatory focus. Presenting credit codes on product packaging can enhance consumers' perceived brand authenticity, which in turn increases their willingness to purchase distinctive place-of-origin agricultural products. Compared to promotion-focused consumers, the presentation of credit codes has a more significant effect on stimulating the purchase intentions of prevention-focused consumers. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the promotion of credit codes in agricultural product marketing and offer insights for related enterprises in selling agricultural products.