Consumer behavioral outcomes in agrifood traceability: a systematic review and a proposed definition of consumer habit

Abstract

Purpose This systematic literature review maps behavioral outcomes and elicitation methods used in consumer research on traceable agrifood products and examines how consumer habit has been conceptualized and measured. Design/methodology/approach Adapting the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2020 framework, this review identified 149 articles from Web of Science and Scopus databases using machine-learning-assisted screening via ASReview Lab. The search was designed to capture the larger consumer behavior literature on traceable agrifood products instead of pre-selecting habit-focused studies, to assess how habit is or is not examined as a determinant of consumer behavior. Findings The literature predominantly uses economic valuation methods, particularly willingness to pay (WTP), with behavioral theories applied in diverse contexts. Only 43 of the 149 included articles incorporated any measure of consumer habit. Habit remains insufficiently explored in most research on consumer engagement with traceable agrifood. Habit is often conflated with frequency of behavior, which is not aligned with existing definitions of habit. Hence, a theory-driven definition of consumer habit specific to agrifood traceability is proposed. The definition is grounded in cue-action association and automaticity. There are significant regional disparities in research focus, with meat products and East Asian markets overrepresented. Research limitations/implications The geographic concentration of included studies limits direct generalizability to other developing and emerging economies. Originality/value This review provides a mapping of behavioral outcomes and elicitation methods across the traceable agrifood consumer literature, which is distinct from prior WTP-focused reviews. It identifies a gap in habit operationalization and proposes a theoretically founded context-specific definition of consumer habit for agrifood traceability research which aims to provide a conceptual foundation for future related studies.