Predicting green product consumption using theory of planned behavior and reasoned action

Green products are among the widely used products worldwide due to their environmental benefits. However, information on the consumers’ purchase intention towards green products in developing countries, such as Thailand, is lacking. This study aims to investigate Thai consumers who are aged over 18 years, and whose base education is high school, on purchase intention for green products by using an extended framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). We derived and examined the model through structural equation modeling in a sample of 483 respondents in Thailand. The findings of this model indicated that consumer attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control have significant positive influences on the purchase intention for green products. Furthermore, our results indicated that environmental concerns have a significant effect on attitude, perceived behavioral control and purchase intention for green products, but subjective norm. Moreover, environmental knowledge had no significant effect on the purchase intention for green products. Instead, it had a distinct indirect effect through attitude towards purchasing green products, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. The findings from this study contribute to improving the understanding of intention to purchase green products, which could play a major role towards sustainable consumption.

Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Model to Investigate Purchase Intention of Green Products among Thai Consumers

Intention to buy eco-friendly packaged products among young consumers of India: A study on developing nation

textEstablishing predictive validity of measures is a major concern in marketing research. This paper investigates the conditions favoring the use of single items versus multi-item scales in terms of predictive validity. A series of complementary studies reveals that the predictive validity of single items varies considerably across different (concrete) constructs and stimuli objects. In an attempt to explain the observed instability, a comprehensive simulation study is conducted aimed at identifying the influence of different factors on the predictive validity of single versus multi-item measures. These include the average inter-item correlations in the predictor and criterion constructs, the number of items measuring these constructs, as well as the correlation patterns of multiple and single items between the predictor and criterion constructs. The simulation results show that, under most conditions typically encountered in practical applications, multi-item scales clearly outperform single items in terms of predictive validity. Only under very specific conditions do single items perform equally well as multi-item scales. Therefore, the use of single-item measures in empirical research should be approached with caution, and the use of such measures should be limited to special circumstances.

Guidelines for choosing between multi-item and single-item scales for construct measurement: A predictive validity perspective

Exploring purchase intention of green skincare products using the theory of planned behavior: Testing the moderating effects of country of origin and price sensitivity

Purpose – The theory of planned behavior (TPB) served as a framework for identifying major antecedents of everyday green purchasing behavior and for determining their relative importance. Design/methodology/approach – The German market research institute GfK provided data (n = 12,113) from their 2012 household panel survey. A two-step structural equation modeling approach was applied to test both the measurement and the structural model. Findings – Willingness to pay (WTP) was the strongest predictor of green purchasing behavior, followed by personal norms. The impact of attitude is insignificant. This implies an attitude – behavior gap. Research limitations/implications – Individuals overestimate their self-reported WTP and behavior, which suggests that the share of explained variance is in reality lower. It has to be doubted whether consumers are objectively able to judge products by their environmental impact. Even if consumers are willing to buy a “greener” product, their subjective evaluation might b...

Thinking green, buying green? Drivers of pro-environmental purchasing behavior

Consumers' purchasing decisions regarding environmentally friendly products: An empirical analysis of German consumers

Purpose




Identifying the drivers that positively influence consumption of organic products is of utmost importance to reach consumers beyond the niche. Therefore, this study aims to propose an innovative framework which conceptualizes motivating beliefs and a simple decision-making heuristic as predictors of buying organic.




Design/methodology/approach




A structural equation approach is applied. Data were obtained from a nationwide panel (n = 1,760) and included survey data and scanner data for five different food categories.




Findings




The model is supported by actual purchasing data in all categories. While beliefs explained about 75 per cent of the variance in the decision-making heuristic for organic products, the heuristic in turn predicted up to 20 per cent of the variance in buying behavior.




Research limitations/implications




Further research should aim to validate the proposed constructs and relationships and refine the factors.




Practical implications




Consumers have to understand and value the benefits of organic products. Self-interested and environmental beliefs are equally strong motivations which can be seen as an opportunity for marketing.




Originality/value




The results contribute to understanding the structure and the impact of heuristics and quantify the competing beliefs by which heuristics are driven.

Buying organic – decision-making heuristics and empirical evidence from Germany

Die Lücke schließen: Konsumenten zwischen ökologischer Einstellung und nicht-ökologischem Verhalten

The dissertation project focuses on empirically investigating consumers’ attitudes, motivations and purchasing decisions regarding sustainable products. The focus on this micro perspective, however, does not reflect consumers’ roles within the transformation towards sustainable consumption. Therefore, the present framework paper puts the included papers into a greater context and evaluates the findings on a meta-level by applying an enhanced transition management theory. The analysis underlines that consumers’ limited personal capabilities are an underlying reason for unsustainable practices. Therefore, the active engagement not only of consumers, but also of companies is required if the transformation is to be successful. If companies actively support consumers in making sustainable choices, consumers can engage in sustainable consumption with only low cognitive efforts. On this basis, genuine sustainable choices are enabled. The dissertation provides practical implications by highlighting potential measures which will help to promote sustainable products from niches to mainstream. In sum, the dissertation project enhances academic understanding of consumers’ sustainable purchasing behavior and reveals the potential of integrating such insights into the management of transformations towards sustainable consumption.

Andrea K. Moser

Papers

Thinking green, buying green? Drivers of pro-environmental purchasing behavior

Consumers' purchasing decisions regarding environmentally friendly products: An empirical analysis of German consumers

Buying organic – decision-making heuristics and empirical evidence from Germany

Die Lücke schließen: Konsumenten zwischen ökologischer Einstellung und nicht-ökologischem Verhalten

The role of consumers in transformations towards sustainable consumption