The Consumer-Centered Management (CCM) certification system was introduced to address information asymmetry among consumers and establish a trustworthy consumer market. This system aims to encourage companies to adopt consumer-centered management prac...
The Consumer-Centered Management (CCM) certification system was introduced to address information asymmetry among consumers and establish a trustworthy consumer market. This system aims to encourage companies to adopt consumer-centered management practices and provide information on which companies are implementing these practices. However, only three out of ten consumers are aware of the CCM certification, indicating its low recognition and utilization. This highlights that the CCM certification has not been functioning effectively in influencing consumers' decision-making processes. Therefore, for the CCM certification to serve as a practical consumer information tool that aids purchasing decisions, the operational approach of the certification system must be adjusted to have a tangible impact on consumers' product choices. This study aims to explore the influence of key attributes of CCM certification on consumer choice using a choice experiment. An online panel survey was conducted with 500 consumers aged 19 to 69 who had purchased bottled water within the last month. The study sought to identify the product attributes and CCM institutional attributes that affect consumer choices. Data were analyzed using R 4.4.2 software with the dplyr and survival packages. Conditional logit analysis was employed to estimate the regression coefficients of product and institutional attributes, calculate their relative importance, and determine their part-worth utilities. The analysis revealed that among product attributes, certification was the most influential factor, with an importance of 35.7%. Among CCM institutional attributes, institutional trust and the completeness of evaluation standards were identified as critical attributes, with importance levels of 33.2% and 27.2%, respectively. Consumers assigned high utility to CCM-certified products when they perceived the certifying institution as trustworthy and the evaluation standards as rigorous, with 25 specific criteria acknowledged by experts. Based on these findings, this study proposes six key implications to enhance the effectiveness of the CCM certification system. First, the certifying institution must build consumer trust. Second, the number and rigor of certification criteria should be reinforced. The number of criteria reflects the diversity of conditions a company must meet, while stringency indicates the difficulty of meeting those criteria. An increase in the number of criteria can contribute to enhancing the overall rigor of the certification process. Third, safety-focused management systems should be reinforced, with the introduction of detailed evaluation metrics and a "CCM Consumer Safety Certification Mark". Fourth, the proportion of evaluators with research and academic expertise should be increased, and their professional qualifications systematically verified to enhance the reliability of certification assessments. Fifth, digital media-based promotional strategies should be employed to improve consumer familiarity with CCM certification and certified products. Sixth, the certification validity period should remain at three years, which aligns with consumer preferences; however, if an extension is deemed necessary, periodic interim evaluations and monitoring systems should be implemented. This study provides empirical insights into the impact of CCM institutional attributes on consumer choice, offering a foundation for enhancing the effectiveness of the certification system.