Influence of Perceived Quality, Reference Groups and Price Fairness on Purchase Decision of Smooly Juice

Abstract

The increasing consumption of healthy beverages has intensified competition among local beverage SMEs, requiring business owners to better understand the factors influencing consumer purchase decisions. However, studies examining the integrated effects of perceived quality, reference groups, and price fairness on purchase decisions in local healthy beverage SMEs, particularly among digitally active young consumers, remain limited. This study adopts a hybrid theoretical framework integrating the Perceived Value Framework, Social Influence Theory, and Equity Theory to explain consumer purchase decisions. The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of perceived quality, reference groups, and price fairness on the purchase decisions of consumers at Smooly Juice Banjarsari Selatan Branch. A quantitative approach was employed using purposive sampling, involving 112 respondents who had previously purchased Smooly Juice products. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression with IBM SPSS 27. The results indicate that perceived quality, reference groups, and price fairness have positive and significant effects on purchase decisions. Reference groups emerged as the most influential variable, highlighting the importance of social influence, digital recommendations, social media, and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) in shaping consumer behavior. The model explained 28.7% of the variance in purchase decisions (Adjusted R² = 0.287). Theoretically, this study reinforces the Perceived Value Framework, Social Influence Theory, and Equity Theory within the context of local healthy beverage SMEs. Practically, the findings suggest that business owners should improve product quality, maintain price fairness, and optimize digital creative marketing through Instagram, TikTok, online reviews, influencer content, and e-WOM to enhance consumer purchase decisions.