valuePrimitive Boolean(default: false)

Specifies the value binding behavior for the widget when the initial model value is null. If set to true, the View-Model field will be updated with the selected item text field. If set to false, the View-Model field will be updated with the selected item.

Example - specify that the View-Model field should be updated with the selected item text

<input id="autocomplete" data-bind="value: productName, source: products" />

<script>
$("#autocomplete").kendoAutoComplete({
  valuePrimitive: true,
  dataTextField: "name"
});
var viewModel = kendo.observable({
  productName: null,
  products: [
    { id: 1, name: "Coffee" },
    { id: 2, name: "Tea" },
    { id: 3, name: "Juice" }
  ]
});

kendo.bind($("#autocomplete"), viewModel);
</script>