Role of Peer Influences on Young Consumers’ Green Apparel Perceptions

Abstract

The study explores the young consumers’ past environmental behaviour and peer influences in shaping green apparel’s perceived benefits in India. Data was corralled using convenience sampling method and partial least square structural equation modelling for the statistical analysis. The results show that past environmental behaviour and green peer influences significantly and positively impact young consumers’ green apparel perceived benefits for pro-environmental behaviour. The specific indirect effect, that is, past environmental behaviour↓green peer influence↓green apparel perceived benefits has a low β-coefficient (0.197) but the cumulative effect was stellar ( β-coefficient = 0.744). Additionally, the prediction power of the proposed conceptual model was 59.2% (adjusted R2 = 0.592). The results were effusive of the fact that past environmental behaviour has the highest influence in shaping young consumers’ green apparel perceived benefits and the cumulative effect with green peer influences, enhances the relationship further. The moderation effect of gender was also explored and confirmed gender neutrality. The study has fructifying implications for green marketers and researchers which would help achieve motives for a sustainable green apparel industry.