Consumer Perceptions of Green Marketing Practices

Abstract

In the current research, the invigilance of consumer attitudes toward green marketing practices is addressed with a mix-method design, which combines quantitative surveys, experimental vignettes, and qualitative interviews. The sample size used (n=600 respondents, n=30 in-depth interviews) was used to evaluate the effects of green trust, eco-label credibility and green skepticism on purchase intentions. The findings of the descriptive statistics, structural equation modeling and experimental analysis indicate that trust and credibility of eco-label positively influence purchase intentions and skepticism acts as a negative mediator between the two. Moreover, the analysis of the clusters provided specific consumer segments between eco-enthusiasts and eco-skeptics with the emphasis on the heterogeneity of sustainable consumption patterns. Experiment findings indicated that advertisements whose eco-labels were credible and whose messages were emotionally framed had a greater impact on intention as compared to ambiguous or unspecified statements. The significance of authenticity, transparency, and correspondence with consumer identity in forming perceptions of green marketing campaigns, was supported by qualitative results. The findings taken together support the presence of attitude-behavior gap, in which positive attitudes towards sustainability do not always translate into purchasing behavior. This study adds to the theory as it has incorporated the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Value-Belief- Norm (VBN) models to explain green consumerism. In practical matters, the results indicate the need to implement transparent, verifiable, and consumer-focused communication methods by firms. Standardization of eco-labeling structures and consumer education are some of the policies which are being encouraged to enhance trust and reduce skepticism towards greenwashing. In general, the research contributes to the scholarship of consumer psychology in sustainability marketing and offers practical information to scholars, professionals and authorities that are striving to achieve the shift to sustainable consumption.