ABSTRACT Consumer uptake of organic food is shaped by both personal values and the way choices are structured in the retail environment. Unlike prior research, we here investigate how elements of supermarket choice architecture influence organic choices. Using an incentive‐compatible online supermarket experiment across four countries, we examine the impacts on consumer choices of organic product availability and assortment as well as competing quality and sustainability cues. We find that greater availability and a broader assortment of organic options boost organic purchases. Competing quality cues, like branding, social norm nudges and other sustainability labels on conventional products divert attention away from organic alternatives and ultimately reduce organic purchases. These results highlight the need for careful alignment of sustainability messaging and other choice architecture elements in retail strategy. To strengthen organic markets, retailers and policymakers should prioritise a broad, consistent, well‐curated organic assortment and harmonise competing labels that vie for limited consumer attention.
Thøgersen et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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