An experimental study on raising fair trade awareness in Turkey

When a general evaluation of the fair-trade literature is made, it is seen that many studies focus on a certain product within the scope of fair trade, the willingness to pay extra, and consumers' purchasing intentions and behaviors, and most of the studies are conducted in similar regions. This issue becomes important because trade is global and the lack of awareness and knowledge about fair trade is especially prevalent in some countries/regions. This study was carried out to raise awareness about fair trade, to use gamification instead of relatively classical methods (brochures, flyers, TV/radio advertisements, etc.) and to evaluate the impact of games. In this context, three different experiments with a control group pretest-posttest design were applied. As a result of Experiment 1, conducted with the help of data obtained from university students, it was concluded that individual and collaborative gamification had a greater effect on fair trade awareness (compared to the control group). In experiment 2, where the same experimental content was applied, it was determined that basic psychological needs (self-determination theory) played a mediating role in the effect of gamification on fair trade awareness. According to the results of Experiment 3, it was found that the perceived enjoyment of the game played a regulatory role. The research results were discussed in theoretical and practical terms.