Packaging appeal, perceived value and cultural meanings: Drivers of Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions for packaged imported cherries

China’s rapidly expanding premium fruit market has reshaped how consumers evaluate imported fresh produce, particularly in retail environments where packaging is an increasingly salient product factor. This study examined how packaging appearance, perceived value, packaging sustainability concern, price acceptance and cultural value influence Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions for packaged imported cherries. Drawing on an integrated Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) framework, the study distinguished between product-related factors that shape consumer attitudes and contextual factors that directly influence purchase intentions. Survey data were collected from 620 consumers across 12 cities in China, and the proposed relationships were tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Packaging appearance and perceived value significantly enhanced consumer attitudes, price acceptance and cultural value directly influenced purchase intention, while packaging sustainability concern was not significant. The study has discovered how visual, economic and cultural factors jointly influence decisions on the purchase of imported cherries and provides implications for packaging design and product positioning.