Perceived Product Quality, Price, and Accessibility in Relation to Purchase Trust and Purchase Decision of Cayenne Pepper Collectors in Kediri Regency

Cayenne pepper is a perishable horticultural commodity with fluctuating prices, so collectors must weigh several factors when buying from farmers. This cross-sectional study examines how perceived product quality (X1), price (X2), and accessibility (X3) relate to purchase trust (Y1) and purchase decision (Y2) among cayenne pepper collectors in Kediri Regency. Questionnaire data (Likert scale 1–5) from 200 collectors selected by purposive sampling were analyzed with covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in AMOS 24. The initial structural model, which fixed the covariances among the exogenous constructs to zero, did not fit (?² = 221.611, df = 83; RMSEA = 0.092). The modified model, which freed these covariances and added four error covariances, met all fit criteria (?² = 95.814, df = 76, p = 0.062; RMSEA = 0.036; CFI = 0.986). In this model, X1, X2, and X3 were positively associated with Y1 (standardized coefficients 0.554, 0.276, and 0.234), and Y1, X1, and X2 were positively associated with Y2 (0.459, 0.255, and 0.246). The association of X3 with Y2 was weakest (0.149; C.R. = 1.915, only slightly above the critical t-value of 1.753). The coefficients were not formally compared with one another, and the cross-sectional design does not establish causality. The findings are conditional on the modified model and on a purposive sample from a single regency.