Decoding the Drivers of Consumer Choice for Near-Expired Meat in Digital Retailing: Economic Incentives, Food Safety, and Technology Acceptance.

This study investigates consumers' intentions to purchase high-risk, near-expired fresh meat via a supermarket mobile app, addressing food waste in a digital retail context. An integrated framework combining the technology acceptance model and the theory of planned behavior was employed, incorporating price discounts and food and environmental safety concerns. Data from 418 users of Taiwan's leading supermarket chain were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that perceived usefulness strongly drives app usage attitude while environmental concern shows no significant effect, highlighting the decoupling between environmental awareness and actual digital adoption behavior. Furthermore, although price discounts emerged as the strongest driver of purchase intention, heightened food safety concerns paradoxically stimulated purchases. This counterintuitive result demonstrates how a reputable retailer's established credibility effectively mitigates consumer fears. Practically, this study provides actionable guidelines for retailers to optimize digital clearance strategies: retailers should prioritize real-time inventory transparency and economic incentives, while strategically leveraging their institutional credibility within the app to overcome consumer safety concerns regarding high-risk foods.