Due to changes in consumer perception of green agricultural products over time, consumers may raise skepticism about the greenness of agricultural products, and consumers' skepticism will affect their willingness to purchase green agricultural products. In this paper, we incorporated the greenness reference effect, consumer skepticism, and the type of agricultural products into a two-echelon supply chain consisting of one cooperative and one retailer. We used the differential game theory to analyze the improvement effects of cost sharing contract led by the retailer and members' altruistic behaviors on the supply chain. The results were as follows: First, when the reference effect was highly correlated with the retailer's advertising and protection, restrained the retailer's efforts in advertising and protecting green agricultural products. Second, the retailer was more effective in advertising and protecting credence type green agricultural products than experience type green agricultural products. Third, when the types of agricultural products were different, the optimal decisions of supply chain members affected by the greenness reference effect were also different. The greenness of cooperative's products and the retailer's advertising and protection had an opposite correlation with the impact coefficient of reference greenness on consumer skepticism. Fourth, when the retailer's marginal profit was high, the cost sharing contract could improve the total profits of the supply chain. Fifth, the supply chain members' altruistic behaviors could effectively reduce consumers' skepticism on the greenness of agricultural products and improve the total profits of the supply chain.
Citation: Weifan Jiang, Siyu Wu, Chengxiang Wu, Jinli Zhang, Qin Li. Green agricultural product operations strategies considering consumer skepticism under different supply chain modes[J]. Journal of Industrial and Management Optimization, 2026, 22(5): 2272-2300. doi: 10.3934/jimo.2026083
Due to changes in consumer perception of green agricultural products over time, consumers may raise skepticism about the greenness of agricultural products, and consumers' skepticism will affect their willingness to purchase green agricultural products. In this paper, we incorporated the greenness reference effect, consumer skepticism, and the type of agricultural products into a two-echelon supply chain consisting of one cooperative and one retailer. We used the differential game theory to analyze the improvement effects of cost sharing contract led by the retailer and members' altruistic behaviors on the supply chain. The results were as follows: First, when the reference effect was highly correlated with the retailer's advertising and protection, restrained the retailer's efforts in advertising and protecting green agricultural products. Second, the retailer was more effective in advertising and protecting credence type green agricultural products than experience type green agricultural products. Third, when the types of agricultural products were different, the optimal decisions of supply chain members affected by the greenness reference effect were also different. The greenness of cooperative's products and the retailer's advertising and protection had an opposite correlation with the impact coefficient of reference greenness on consumer skepticism. Fourth, when the retailer's marginal profit was high, the cost sharing contract could improve the total profits of the supply chain. Fifth, the supply chain members' altruistic behaviors could effectively reduce consumers' skepticism on the greenness of agricultural products and improve the total profits of the supply chain.
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Weifan Jiang, Siyu Wu, Chengxiang Wu, Jinli Zhang, Qin Li. Green agricultural product operations strategies considering consumer skepticism under different supply chain modes[J]. Journal of Industrial and Management Optimization, 2026, 22(5): 2272-2300. doi: 10.3934/jimo.2026083
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