Tea culture and industry: Customer tea buying decision‐making power shaped by social capital in the presence of mutual trust

• Published date: 01 February 2021
• Author: Tariq H. Khan,Duan Yuzhen,Sumran Ali,Fitri R. Ariyesti
• Date: 01 February 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2127

ACADEMIC PAPER

Tea culture and industry: Customer tea buying decision-making

power shaped by social capital in the presence of mutual trust

Tariq H. Khan

1

| Duan Yuzhen

2

| Sumran Ali

1

| Fitri R. Ariyesti

1

1

School of Public Affairs, University of Science

and Technology of China, Hefei, China

2

Doctor Research Area: Innovation Policy,

Social Entrepreneurship, Anhui Open

University, Hefei, China

Correspondence

Duan Yuzhen, Doctor Research Area:

Innovation Policy, Social Entrepreneurship,

Anhui Open University, Hefei 230022, Anhui

Province.

Email: dyzp88@mail.ustc.edu.cn

This study contributes to the literature on tea culture and industry by examining the

impact of social capital on customer perception which controls the decision to buy

the tea products. Prior research suggests that individual cognition is the most essen-

tial element to target to achieve the required tea purchasing decision power. Individ-

uals who socially connect and share views via social media are more likely to share a

buy recommendation that psychologically inspires the buying decisions of customers.

For present study data were collected through a structured questionnaire from

300 universities students usually use social media to get required information, knowl-

edge and ask from other friends regarding product recommendation which is more

trustworthy and easily accessible. The findings of the present study provide new

insights into the development of the tea industry and encourage the use of tea

products.

1|INTRODUCTION

Tea is a sign of respect, intimacy, and enjoyment, not just a growing

drink (Williams, 2016). Tea is an addiction in many countries. The

widespread passion for tea and a fierce devotion to specific methods

and brands of preparation in many countries make tea a national bev-

erage (Wilson, 2018). Their planning methods are very much respect-

able. In addition, tea is also an essential component of everyday life in

many Asian countries although one-third of the total expenditure is

spent on tea for many families. Many Muslim countries are addicted

to tea and this dependence does not so negatively appear in contrast

in the absence of legally available alcohol. Meanwhile, the purchasing

behavior of individuals is the way they choose to spend their goods

and services on their resources. Those behaviors, as very versatile and

quickly changing in a short time, are usually uncontrollable for mar-

keters. The purchaser's characteristics include four main factors: eco-

nomic, social, personal and emotional, historical and subcultural

conditions from which the customer is derived. It includes fundamen-

tal values, perceptions, preferences, and conduct. The service and

company preferences were strongly affected by the communities of

individuals compare, family friends, associations, and social organiza-

tions. On other hand, the intention of a customer to purchase organic

tea relies heavily on customer trust. In the majority of cases, trust

improves consumer confidence and is an effective tool to minimize

uncertainty regarding a brand check. Nowadays, customers care about

product nutrition values and reputation of the tea brand which

enhance the customer trust to making the decision to buy the tea

products (Gomez, Werle, & Corneille, 2017). Consumer trust is a very

complicated issue in organic tea markets because even after intake,

buyers cannot check their authenticity. Moreover, there are so many

other psychological factors such as inspiration, understanding, train-

ing, and confidence affect the consumer perception to setup mind to

buy the tea products. Finally, the age of the purchaser, lifestyle, occu-

pation, education, and economic circumstances also have an impact

on his purchasing decision power (Sen, Antara, & Sen, 2019). Psychical

evaluation may strengthen the power of decision-making in the pur-

chase of tea through social influence and shared the vision, while

mutual trust moderates the relationship between social influence,

shared visions and psychological evaluation (Ali, Ghufran, Nawaz, &

Hussain, 2019; J. Y. Liu, Shiue, Chen, & Huang, 2019).

The exchange of information is a very critical source for an indi-

vidual to take the collaborative decision to buy the product (Gunjal,

2019). Social capital allows individuals to determine the product speci-

fications which also include brand recommendations; it helps con-

sumers to understand the purpose and relevance of the product and

thus allows customers to make informed purchasing decisions

(Bowden, Conduit, Hollebeek, Luoma-aho, & Solem, 2018). It is critical

that a person consulted on the social capital they trust to make a

Received: 26 November 2019 Revised: 30 December 2019 Accepted: 9 March 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2127

J Public Affairs. 2021;21:e2127. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 1of12

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2127