A company-CSR fit as antecedents of organic cosmetic product purchase intention, the buffering effect of CSR belief: a moderating role of health consciousness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Predictors of organic cosmetic product purchase intention have been widely investigated. However, a company-CSR fit triggered from this business area has not been examined in purchase intention. In addition, company-CSR fit-driven positive CSR perception in several business areas such as tourism, banking, and pharmacy has been found to serve a buffer in a service failure. Whether CSR belief derived from a company-CSR fit in the organic cosmetic product business still generates the buffering effect. This study examines the buffering effect of CSR belief driven by the company-CSR fit in the context of service failure on brand attitude and purchase intention for organic cosmetic products. In addition, this study proposes a moderating role of health consciousness that could influence the buffering effect of CSR belief on brand attitude after a service failure. Using data from a sample of 257 respondents on Amazon Mechanical Turk, the study uses SmartPLS 3 to perform the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that a company-CSR fit driven-CSR belief generates a buffering effect on brand attitude, resulting in the maintenance of purchase intention after a service failure. Results further show that health consciousness moderates this buffering effect on brand attitude. Particularly, consumers with high levels of health consciousness strengthen this buffering effect, while the buffer of CSR belief does not have an effect on consumers with low levels of health consciousness. These findings bring theoretical contributions and practical implications for the organic cosmetic product business.