Social embeddedness and consumer preferences for farmers’ markets: Evidence from three European countries

The study aims to explore the role of social embeddedness in consumer shopping behaviour across different retail environments, with a particular focus on farmers’ markets. Drawing on a sample of 1,800 European consumers from Hungary, Italy, and the United Kingdom, the study examines apple purchase preferences regarding different product attributes (e.g., price, origin, quality certification) using a discrete choice experiment. A hybrid logit model is estimated to capture the impact of social embeddedness on purchase decisions. The results show that, across the three countries, farmers’ markets are the preferred outlet, more so than supermarkets or greengrocers, especially by those consumers who are most embedded in community relations. For Italian consumers, community and cultural aspects are key drivers of purchasing behaviour, while health and quality attributes are the most significant for their British counterparts. Hungarian respondents’ decisions are mostly influenced by price factors, although community-driven considerations also matter. The research confirms that farmers’ markets are not just places to buy food, but also community spaces where trust, personal connections, and local identity play a significant role. The findings have important theoretical, managerial, and policy implications, particularly for promoting more sustainable, community-based food systems, including short food supply chains.