From country to city and global to local: how technology acceptance mediates spatial proximity’s impact on consumer intentions

This paper examines the mediating role of technology acceptance of novel sustainable technology in the relationship between spatial proximity and purchase intentions within local food systems, while also addressing the debate about the boundaries of ‘localness’. Two online experiments (> 3,000 respondents from three EU countries) reveal that spatial proximity enhances novel technology acceptance, thereby strengthening purchase intentions. This effect is moderated by consumer locavorism, natural food motives, and authenticity desire, highlighting the importance of value alignment in messaging strategies. By experimentally comparing city, region, and country levels, we clarify that consumers perceive regional-level proximity as sufficient to trigger localness. This research advances consumer behaviour theory by integrating spatial proximity, technology acceptance, and value-protective consumer motives while offering actionable insights for local food producers and policymakers.