The Effects of the Consideration of Future Consequences on Willingness to Pay Decisions for Plant Attributes

We investigate how differences in the consideration of future consequences (CFC; Strathman, Gleicher, Boninger, & Edwards, 1994) influence consumers’ willingness to pay for edible and ornamental plants using data from second‑price auction choice experiments conducted in the U.S. and Canada (N = 159).  Based the recent empirical and theoretical findings about the CFC effects on individual choice decision making, the present study investigates the relationship between CFC scale and willingness to pay for plant attributes related to production methods, container types, and product origin.  Results from conjoint choice analysis showed that participants scoring high in the CFC scale were willing to pay a higher premium for plants grown using sustainable, energy-saving and water‑saving production methods.  In contrast, participants scoring low on the CFC scale were not interested in paying price premiums for production related characteristics that may be associated with distant environmental benefits.  Further, the results showed that higher CFC scores were positively associated with preference and willingness to pay for locally produced plants.  Implications for effective marketing of edible and ornamental plants are provided in addition to the theoretical contributions to the CFC literature.