Green Emotion: Incorporating Emotional Perception in Green Marketing to Increase Green Furniture Purchase Intentions

Abstract

The industrialization process has led to environmental deterioration, which has created challenges for sustainable development. However, there is an increasing inclination to purchase green furniture as a sustainable form of furniture. Hence, investigating the determinants of consumers’ intention to purchase green furniture is beneficial for promoting the adoption of sustainable furniture. Previous research has examined the functional aspects of purchasing behavior using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), while giving less consideration to affective elements. This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence the intention of future users to purchase green furniture, explicitly focusing on emotional perception. This study utilized the PAD three-dimensional emotion model. A novel conceptual model was developed, drawing upon the findings of the literature review. This study employed the questionnaire method to collect data, resulting in 412 valid samples. The collected data were then analyzed and processed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 3.0 software. Additionally, the mediating influence of the variables was examined using the bootstrap method. The results suggested that the perceived pleasure, arousal, and dominance all had a substantial influence on the beneficial effect of green furniture elements on purchase intention. Among these factors, pleasure (PP) had the strongest mediating effect on the relationship between green brand image (GBI) and purchase intention (PI). Arousal (PA) had the strongest mediating effect on the relationship between eco-innovation (EI) and purchase intention (PI). Dominance (PD) had the strongest mediating effect on the relationship between purchase customization (PC) and purchase intention (PI). Furthermore, this paper examined the disparities between the characteristics of green furniture and conventional furniture in terms of their ability to stimulate emotional responses and influence consumers’ intention to purchase. This study revealed that green features (GF) have a greater capacity to evoke emotional responses in consumers, consequently impacting their intention to purchase green furniture. The study’s findings have both theoretical implications and practical relevance. In theory, these findings enhance the theoretical framework of purchase intention for green furniture. In practice, they provide specific ideas and recommendations for green furniture companies to develop emotional marketing strategies.