Consumer awareness and willingness to pay for blockchain-based traceability systems in the forest nursery sector: lessons learnt in the Italian context

Blockchain technologies due to their inherent characteristics of immutability, transparency, distribution, and programmability can aid in the traceability of forest nursery chains. In this context, the present research investigates consumers' awareness and willingness to pay (WTP) a premium price (PP) for forest materials tracked with a blockchain-based traceability system. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered across selected forest nurseries nationwide between August 2021 and May 2023, collecting 259 valid responses. Three econometric ordered logit models were developed to assess three product attributes: sustainability, origin, and quality. The main findings reveal that most consumers are not aware of blockchain (62.6%), but those who are aware generally perceive them useful for traceability (71.4%). The attribute “origin” emerged as the most significant factor influencing WTP, while it is “quality” for which consumers are willing to pay more PP (28.9%). At the socio-demographic level, education was the most influential factor, followed by gender, age, and household size. The research indicates an embryonic demand for these technologies in the forest nursery sector, further analysis is required to determine whether this level of development is attributable to natural life cycle of an innovation or other constraining factors. Finally, this study highlights key elements for developing communication and marketing campaigns to foster the adoption of these new traceability systems.