Crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products in China—exploring the factors influencing individual participation

As a new delivery model in China, crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products presents a promising approach to reducing both costs and losses linked to last-mile delivery. To attract more individuals to participate in crowdsourced delivery, we developed a model to examine the effects of e...

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Main Authors: Yanan Li, Yifei Gong, Wenbing Shui
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1486669/full
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author Yanan Li
Yifei Gong
Wenbing Shui
author_facet Yanan Li
Yifei Gong
Wenbing Shui
author_sort Yanan Li
collection DOAJ
description As a new delivery model in China, crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products presents a promising approach to reducing both costs and losses linked to last-mile delivery. To attract more individuals to participate in crowdsourced delivery, we developed a model to examine the effects of expected reward (ER), expected cost (EC), trust (TR), risk (RI), social influence (SI), travel characteristics (TC), promotion conditions (PCs), and constraints (COs) on individuals’ participation willingness (PW) in crowdsourced delivery of fresh agricultural products. Based on the questionnaire data from 332 potential participants in China, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the influence paths. As hypothesized, expected reward, trust, and social influence positively affect individuals’ PW in crowdsourcing delivery, while expected cost (EC) has a negative effect. Additionally, we found that social influence exerts a significant indirect effect on participation by mediating trust. Based on these findings, we propose several practical recommendations to enhance participation in crowdsourcing delivery of fresh agricultural products. These include increasing the variety of rewards, establishing an interactive community within the crowdsourcing delivery app, and establishing a trust mechanism.
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publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
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spelling doaj-art-8e16c8a732a24a19871fa5986702f47a2025-08-20T02:10:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2025-06-01910.3389/fsufs.2025.14866691486669Crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products in China—exploring the factors influencing individual participationYanan Li0Yifei Gong1Wenbing Shui2College of Metropolitan Transportation, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, ChinaFaculty of Transportation Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, ChinaAs a new delivery model in China, crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products presents a promising approach to reducing both costs and losses linked to last-mile delivery. To attract more individuals to participate in crowdsourced delivery, we developed a model to examine the effects of expected reward (ER), expected cost (EC), trust (TR), risk (RI), social influence (SI), travel characteristics (TC), promotion conditions (PCs), and constraints (COs) on individuals’ participation willingness (PW) in crowdsourced delivery of fresh agricultural products. Based on the questionnaire data from 332 potential participants in China, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the influence paths. As hypothesized, expected reward, trust, and social influence positively affect individuals’ PW in crowdsourcing delivery, while expected cost (EC) has a negative effect. Additionally, we found that social influence exerts a significant indirect effect on participation by mediating trust. Based on these findings, we propose several practical recommendations to enhance participation in crowdsourcing delivery of fresh agricultural products. These include increasing the variety of rewards, establishing an interactive community within the crowdsourcing delivery app, and establishing a trust mechanism.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1486669/fullfresh agricultural productscrowdsourcing deliveryparticipation willingnessstructural equation modelindividual participation
spellingShingle Yanan Li
Yifei Gong
Wenbing Shui
Crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products in China—exploring the factors influencing individual participation
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
fresh agricultural products
crowdsourcing delivery
participation willingness
structural equation model
individual participation
title Crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products in China—exploring the factors influencing individual participation
title_full Crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products in China—exploring the factors influencing individual participation
title_fullStr Crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products in China—exploring the factors influencing individual participation
title_full_unstemmed Crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products in China—exploring the factors influencing individual participation
title_short Crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products in China—exploring the factors influencing individual participation
title_sort crowdsourcing delivery for fresh agricultural products in china exploring the factors influencing individual participation
topic fresh agricultural products
crowdsourcing delivery
participation willingness
structural equation model
individual participation
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1486669/full
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AT wenbingshui crowdsourcingdeliveryforfreshagriculturalproductsinchinaexploringthefactorsinfluencingindividualparticipation