Does External Attribution Motivate Pessimistic Consumers to Purchase Organic Cosmetics?

Abstract

With the increased focus on environmental preservation and consumer well-being, the sale of organic cosmetics across the globe is gradually increasing. However, consumer hesitancy exists due to the nascent stage of the organic cosmetic market. The current study investigates the role of external attribution in increasing pessimistic consumers’ organic purchase behaviour and subjective well-being. It also examines how consumers’ purchase behaviour of organic cosmetics mediates the hypothesised relationships. The proposed conceptual model is grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and tested through data from 613 consumers from Amazon MTurk. We found that pessimistic consumers do not purchase organic cosmetics, which, in turn, reduces their subjective well-being. However, external attribution significantly and positively moderates the negative influence of consumers’ pessimism on their purchase behaviour of organic cosmetics and their subjective well-being. In addition, we discovered that pessimistic consumers could conserve their psychological resources through external attribution, helping them reduce their scepticism towards organic cosmetics and adopt such products. Furthermore, the study’s findings highlight the need for managers to develop effective marketing strategies that increase pessimistic consumers’ well-being. Particularly, marketing strategies that emphasise the environmental and health benefits of using organic cosmetics over conventional cosmetics should be devised.