How Growers’ Values Affect Decisions in Choosing Strawberry Cultivars in the USA: A Higher-Order Construct PLS-SEM Approach

The United States of America (US) is the world’s second-leading producer of strawberries. In the US, several cultivars of strawberries exist, and, among other factors, breeders consider their growers’ environmental conditions and market targets when breeding. Growers often have the possibility of choosing a cultivar in which they obtain the most value. Growers’ decisions regarding cultivars are influenced by perceived value. This study is the first to treat the concept of domain-specific innovativeness (DSI) as a higher-order construct and combine it with consumer perceived value (PV) to analyze which of the selected PVs – functional (PFV), social (PSV), conditional (PCV), and aesthetic (PAV) – directly affect or mediate growers’ decision to choose a variety to grow (DCVG). The proposed research model was evaluated using the disjoint two-stage approach of the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The data analysis of 216 growers from the measurement model revealed that the model had good reliability and validity. In the analysis of the structural model, the total effect, seven direct and two indirect effects supported the hypotheses. Two direct effects and two indirect effects did not support the hypotheses. PFV and PSV mediate the effect of DSI and DCGV. The outcomes of this study significantly enhance our understanding of how diverse perceived values influence the decision-making behavior of strawberry growers in the US concerning the selection of cultivars. Furthermore, this study provides insights for strawberry breeders and nurseries by encouraging innovative approaches in the development of cultivars and the formulation of effective marketing strategies.