Information Acquisition Capability and Risk Perception as Dual Mediators in the Relationship between E-commerce Participation and Grape Growers' Behavioral Upgrading

Abstract

Using survey data from 386 grape growers in Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, this article examines the dual mechanisms through which e-commerce participation affects farmers' behavioral upgrading. The analysis focuses on three outcome dimensions - standardized production behavior, diversified marketing behavior, and green technology adoption - and treats information acquisition capability and risk perception as two mediating channels. The empirical strategy combines reliability and validity testing, multiple regression, and bootstrap mediation analysis. The results show that e-commerce participation is positively associated with all three behavioral outcomes, but the mechanism is not unidirectional. Information acquisition capability serves as a strong positive mediator, with indirect effects of 0.215, 0.232, and 0.208 for standardized production, diversified marketing, and green technology adoption, respectively, accounting for about one-third of the total effect. By contrast, risk perception constitutes a significant negative mediating pathway, with indirect effects of -0.138, -0.150, and -0.136. These findings indicate that the behavioral value of rural e-commerce lies not only in expanding sales channels, but also in reshaping the information environment and lowering perceived uncertainty in farmers' operational decisions. The article argues that digital-rural policy should move beyond simple platform access and instead emphasize information services, trust-building mechanisms, and differentiated support for behavioral transformation.