From Perception to Purchase Intention: Understanding Kombucha Consumption Through a Mediated–Moderated Behavioral Framework with Consumer and Entrepreneurial Insights

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing kombucha purchase intention among online consumers in Northern Thailand by addressing the “perception–execution gap” between consumer preferences and entrepreneurial logistics and green supply chain practices in the rapidly growing functional beverage market in Southeast Asia. This study integrates an adapted Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) perspective with the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework. A quantitative research design was employed, collecting primary data from 400 online consumers from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Lamphun provinces in Northern Thailand, complemented by qualitative insights from five local kombucha entrepreneurs. The study conceptualizes consumer belief, subjective norm, lifestyle, and last-mile delivery as external stimuli influencing consumer attitude, which is subsequently associated with purchase intention. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that consumer attitude serves as a significant mediating mechanism linking external stimuli to purchase intention. Among the antecedents, lifestyle and last-mile delivery emerged as important factors associated with positive consumer attitudes. Additionally, health consciousness significantly moderates the relationship between consumer belief and purchase intention, with the negative interaction indicating that this relationship becomes weaker as health consciousness increases. From an entrepreneurial perspective, the findings highlight the importance of last-mile accessibility, while the qualitative interviews additionally identify cold-chain management as a relevant operational consideration for maintaining product quality. This study contributes to the literature by offering an integrated theoretical framework that combines an adapted TPB perspective with the S-O-R framework to explain psychological and logistical determinants of consumer behavior in the functional beverage context. It provides a dual-perspective roadmap that bridges consumer psychology and entrepreneurial practice, delivering actionable insights for kombucha businesses to align distribution strategies with the needs of health-conscious consumers in Northern Thailand.