The role of natural scarcity in creating impressions of authenticity at the Farmers’ market

Farmers’ markets have risen in popularity in part due to perceptions that they are more authentic than traditional food retailers. However, little work has unpacked how this impression of authenticity emerges. Using an ethnographic analysis and in-depth interviews at a farmers’ market, we examine one important attribute to perceived authenticity: natural scarcity. The authors posit that natural scarcity is best understood by studying the continuous interplay of natural scarcity cues at the market, and together those cues create impressions of authenticity. Our findings revealed that the awareness of natural scarcity emerged from direct and indirect cues. Direct cues are related to place-based constraints such as local weather, local seasonal foods, and local labor. In contrast, indirect cues involved producers actively creating the impression to consumers (however true or false) that a product is limited due to natural causes. We theorize that the sum of several interrelated natural scarcity cues creates a “naturalness halo” and heightens perceptions of authenticity. This work systematically unpacks the relationship between natural scarcity and authenticity and offers practical implications for marketing managers.