Gen Z consumers’ fair trade purchase intention in an emerging collectivist market: an empirical investigation

Purpose Despite the many challenges Fair Trade (FT) faces, it has shown steady market growth and consumer attention in developed markets, yet it remains relatively unknown in emerging markets. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Value-Belief-Norm theory (VBN), Information Economics and Cue Utilization theories, this study aims to analyze how the beliefs, knowledge, prioritization of collectivist values and attitudes of Turkish Gen Z consumers influence their intentions to purchase FT products. Design/methodology/approach Data for the study (n = 236) was collected from college students under 25 years old in one of Türkiye’s largest metropolitan cities. Structural equation model was used to test all relationships identified in the conceptual model. Findings A positive attitude towards FT strongly influences consumers’ purchase intentions, mediating the effects of FT beliefs, FT knowledge and collectivist values. Specifically, the authors observed that consumers’ collectivist orientation has the strongest positive influence on their FT attitude, followed by FT beliefs, while FT knowledge demonstrates a weaker but still significant positive influence. Originality/value This study contributes to the emerging research stream analyzing Gen Z consumers’ purchase behavior related to sustainability in emerging markets. It sheds light on how previously understudied consumer collectivist value prioritization affects their FT product purchase behavior.