What drives consumer perceptions and adoption of cannabidiol (CBD) products?

ABSTRACT

Many US consumers wanting a healthy lifestyle are interested in cannabidiol (CBD) products, but these products remain somewhat controversial. This study investigates how product factors, consumer knowledge, and external cues to action influence the perceived benefits of, and barriers to, CBD, driving adoption intention. Study 1 explores important factors influencing CBD adoption. Study 2, which relies on experimental studies, reveals that certification labels, subjective knowledge, usage experience, and external cues to action influence the perceived benefits and barriers, further impacting adoption intention. The impact of the perceived benefits and barriers on adoption intention is stronger in consumers with greater concerns about their overall health. Insights into factors influencing consumer perceptions and adoption of CBD extend our knowledge of consumer responses to CBD and highlight valuable implications for marketers and policymakers.

KEYWORDS:

• Cannabis
• cannabidiol (CBD)
• perceived benefits
• perceived barriers
• perceived threats
• external cues to action

Acknowledgments

We thank three anonymous reviewers for their helpful and constructive comments in strengthening the contribution of our research, and Dr. Sanghyuck Park for providing the valuable scientific advice on cannabis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Respondents were allowed to choose from more than one response to answer the question. The ‘unwinding’ category includes anxiety (56%), relaxation (22%), and stress reduction (21%), while ‘general wellness’ includes overall wellness (32%), sleep disorder/quality (41%), mood and energy (6%), and others (19%).

2. Hemp is the name of a plant, cannabis sativa, which contains less than 0.3% THC. CBD is one of the chemical compounds contained in hemp. Hemp products (e.g. hemp seeds, fibres) include CBD as well as other compounds, but CBD products are specifically formulated to contain concentrated amounts of CBD. It is this latter category that our study focuses on.

3. We acknowledge that some would argue that the two subtypes of product knowledge seem to be strongly correlated, which may affect the relationships we are interested in. However, the correlation is not very strong, as demonstrated in prior research. Carlson et al. (2009), for example, explored 103 studies that include subjective and objective knowledge. Their meta-analysis showed an average correlation value between subjective and objective knowledge, or .37 across 103 studies, ranging from .3 to .6 (e.g. Brucks, 1985; Feick et al., 1992).

Additional information

Funding

This study is supported by research funds from the Institute of Cannabis Research at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Notes on contributors

Laee Choi

Laee Choi is Associate Professor of Marketing in Malik and Seeme Hasan School of Business at Colorado State University-Pueblo. Through a variety of experiences in both academic and practical area, she has been trained in marketing strategy and consumer behaviors. Her current research focuses are on customer engagement, consumer psychology and adaption behaviors. She has published in these areas and her papers have appeared in various academic journals, including Journal of Business Research, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Product & Brand Management, European Journal of Marketing, and Journal of Brand Management.

Jiyoung Hwang

Jiyoung Hwang is Associate Professor of Marketing at Bryan School of Business & Economics, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research interests include the impact of conscious capitalism on traditional business and consumers, sharing economy, and older consumer behaviors. She has published articles in Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, International Marketing Review, Journal of Small Business Management, Journal of Services Marketing among others.