A Study on Green Purchasing Intention and Green Purchasing Behaviour Gap towards Organic Products (with Special Reference to the Millennials with an Income, in the Colombo District)

Abstract

Most people have paid a high intention to buy green products since it provides a significant contribution to the environment. Despite that, even though people have the intention to purchase green products, that intention does not translate into actual behaviour. It is mentioned that consumers’ green purchasing intention will not meet green products' buying behavior. So, that is a violation of the prominent theory “The Theory of Planned Behaviour” (TPB). Researches called it as green intention behavior gap. The researchers try to uncover "Why do consumers not buy green products even though they have an intention to buy green products? with the examination of moderating effect of trust on the green purchasing intention and behavior gap. To achieve the purpose, the primary data were collected from 215 respondents through a structured questionnaire, and data were analyzed by using SPSS and AMOS software. The simple moderator regression analysis was tested by using the Hayes SPSS Macro process Model to attain the results. According to the findings, when trust is increased, it will reduce the gap of green purchasing intention behaviour. Moreover, it proved the significant positive impact of green purchasing intention on green purchasing behaviour and the significant moderation effect of trust on the relationship between green purchasing intention and green purchasing behaviour. Accordingly, this investigation helps marketing strategists understand those factors hindering or facilitating the relationship of green purchasing intention and green purchasing behavior and develop necessary strategies to cope with the problem of "why do consumers green purchasing intention not lead to actual buying”.