Green consumer segmentation: consumer motivations for purchasing pro-environmental products

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to segment US green consumers based on their personal, social, and environmental motivations for purchasing pro-environmental products. By using two-step cluster analysis, this study revealed six green consumer segments, each with a distinct combination of motivations. The different segments display a wide range of demographic characteristics, knowledge of pro-environmental products, pro-environmental product use behavior, skepticism, and attitudes toward pro-environmental advertising. This study found that green consumers, who have strong environmental motivations, have high knowledge about pro-environmental products, use a higher number and more varied selection of such products, tend to have less skepticism toward pro-environmental advertising, and have more positive attitudes toward such advertising. The study expands the motivations used in green consumer segmentation, delivering a more detailed analysis of the drivers of green consumer behavior. It also helps to explain the contradictions in the literature as to whether or not green consumers are open to or skeptical of green advertising.