Connecting the agri-food system to consumer preferences: a new scale for agricultural product live E-commerce groundedness (APLEGS)

Purpose As digital transformation reshapes consumption patterns, consumers’ preference for groundedness is gaining prominence. Grounded in the agri-food system, agricultural product live e-commerce exhibits an innately groundedness. Addressing both theoretical and practical gaps, the study develops the Agricultural Product Live E-Commerce Groundedness Scale (APLEGS). By extending the concept of groundedness into the emerging field of digital marketing, it provides a valuable tool for understanding consumer preferences in agricultural product live e-commerce. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Study 1 employs grounded theory to conceptualize the dimensions of Agricultural Product Live E-Commerce Groundedness. Study 2 develops and refines the scale through exploratory factor analysis with 305 participants. Study 3 validates the scale’s structure and construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis with a separate sample of 321 participants. Findings Agricultural product live e-commerce is innately grounded in place, people, and the past, and this embeddedness critically shapes consumer decision-making. (2) The results show that agricultural product live e-commerce groundedness is a multidimensional construct, comprising three dimensions: connection to place, connection to people and connection to the past. The APLEGS, consisting of 11 items across these dimensions, demonstrates robust reliability and validity. Originality/value (1) Groundedness, traditionally examined in offline contexts, is introduced into online live e-commerce. (2) The validated APLEGS provides an effective tool for groundedness academic research and offers practical managerial and marketing insights for agricultural product live e-commerce.