Injecting trust in consumer purchase intention through blockchain: evidences from the food supply chain

Blockchain technology has been increasingly utilized in multiple businesses to validate the reliability of information related to ingredients and components, and to support the full traceability of end-products. Although, it has not yet been widely used in the context of food. As consumers of food products are becoming more and more interested in provenance, processes and ethical practices associated with what they are eating, blockchain might be the vehicle to provide reliable information. The paper seeks to determine whether technology can affect consumer perception, and specifically whether it can be considered to have an impact on the decision making process that leads to product selection. A structural model, based on extant literature, has thus been developed to analyse the impact on consumers of information provided by blockchain in terms of the perception of firm Transparency and Social Responsibility, Trust in Information provided, Attitude, Word-of-Mouth Intention and Purchase Intention. Findings, obtained from a dairy supply chain, show that (1) trust and transparency are prominent in the development of the intentions of individuals, and (2) the presence of blockchain-backed information regarding product quality increases Purchase and WOM Intention