Perceptual Pricing in Organic Agricultural Products in the Turkish Context: A Conceptual Framework

Ahmet Kasap; Bülent Şen; Mustafa Karakuş

doi:10.24925/turjaf.v14i9.2666-2678.8953

Authors

Ahmet Kasap Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Turhal Faculty of Applied Sciences, Department of E-Commerce and Management, 60300, Tokat, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7231-2693
Bülent Şen Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Turhal Faculty of Applied Sciences, Department of E-Commerce and Management, 60300, Tokat, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8561-8173
Mustafa Karakuş Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, Faculty of Financial Sciences, Department of Capital Markets, Ankara, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7207-6686

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v14i9.2666-2678.8953

Keywords:

Organic Agriculture, Perceptual Pricing, Consumer Behavior, Willingness to Pay, Perceived Value

Abstract

This study conceptually examines perceptual pricing in organic agricultural products through the lens of consumer values and motivations, and situates Türkiye-specific structural dynamics within a comparative international framework. The global organic food market has grown by approximately 95% since 2015, surpassing 145 billion euros in 2024 (FiBL & IFOAM, 2026), a trajectory that has fundamentally redefined the role of price: rather than functioning merely as a cost indicator, price now operates as an institutional signal of quality, trust, and ethical production. The study draws on secondary data compiled from publicly available Turkish and international statistical databases, and integrates these with findings synthesized from the peer-reviewed literature. Key variables examined include health consciousness, environmental sensitivity, ethical consumption, branding, and certification. Consumer price perception is analyzed through three complementary theoretical lenses: signaling theory, the credence good framework, and the reference price mechanism. Rather than applying these frameworks independently, the study develops an integrated four-layer model that maps the formation of price perception from the production stage through to willingness to pay, a contribution that addresses a structural gap in how these theories are typically deployed in isolation. The structural contraction observed in Türkiye following the 2018 peak, with the share of organic land in total agriculture falling from 2.7% to 1.5% and recovering only partially to 1.6% by 2023, appears to be associated with a convergence of macroeconomic pressures, among which inflationary dynamics seem to have played a particularly significant role in reshaping both the production and consumption dimensions of the organic market. The study reveals that price assumes a dual function in organic products: it operates simultaneously as a quality signal and as an access barrier. Policy recommendations are grounded in findings drawn from the reviewed literature rather than original data collection.

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