Should “Green” Be Precise? The Effect of Information Presentation on Purchasing Intention of Green Products

Abstract

Green product companies usually convey product performance in either ambiguous or precise ways. Many studies have been conducted on the ambiguous and precise information presentation of traditional products, but few have examined which kind of information presentation (ambiguous vs. precise) is better for presenting green products. This article conducted three experiments with 484 participants to examine the influence of information presentation (ambiguous vs. precise) of green products on consumers’ purchase intention. Results show that ambiguous information presentation can increase more consumers’ purchase intention of green products than precise information, and green trust plays a mediating effect. Furthermore, product type (durable goods vs. fast-moving consumer goods [FMCG]) moderates the influence of information presentation on consumers’ purchase intention. Specifically, for green durable goods, ambiguous information is more likely to arouse consumers’ purchase intention than precise information presentation. For green FMCG, precise information is more likely to promote consumers’ purchase intention than ambiguous information presentation.