Original-box vs. box-free: display methods in agricultural retailing

Purpose In the retailing of agricultural products, numerous retailers neglect to adopt effective display strategies, resulting in suboptimal sales and high product loss rates. This study endeavours to (1) construct a classification framework for display methods in agricultural retailing and (2) investigate which display method (original-box vs. box-free) can enhance consumers’ purchase intentions, as well as its (3) psychological mechanisms and (4) boundary conditions. Design/methodology/approach This paper employed a multi-method approach comprising one pre-survey, one field experiment and three online experiments. Findings This research indicates that original-box (vs. box-free) display significantly enhances consumers' purchase intentions. This effect is sequentially mediated by selection priority and perceived product quality. However, when the box remains in limited quantities, this effect reverses: the original-box (vs. box-free) display instead weakens consumers' sense of selection priority and purchase intentions. Originality/value This study extends the theoretical research on display strategies and visual marketing for agricultural retailing while providing practical insights for optimizing display strategies of agricultural retailers. Highlights