Explaining consumer attitudes and purchase intentions toward organic food: Contributions from regulatory fit and consumer characteristics

•Evoke more positive attitudes toward organic food occurs on regulatory fit.•Show the ‘value from fit’ in the purchase intentions toward organic food.•Identify the moderating role of consumer characteristics.•Helping marketers design an effective communication messages about organic food.

This study examines the influence of regulatory fit on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions toward organic food and describes the moderating role of consumer characteristics. To this end, hypotheses have been developed and subjected to empirical verification using a survey. The survey results, obtained in Taiwan, provide reasonable support for the hypotheses. Specifically, the findings from the analysis of variance confirm that the occurrence of a regulatory fit leads to a more positive attitude and a greater intention to purchase organic food than when no regulatory fit occurs. Furthermore, the findings from both moderated regression analysis and simple slope analysis show that the relationships between regulatory fit and both attitude and purchase intention are moderated by consumer characteristics (i.e., trust propensity and self-confidence). Based on the findings, academic and practical implications are discussed.