Sustainability-related product satisfaction – Development and application of a multi-dimensional measurement instrument

Abstract

Given the increased pressure of customers on companies to engage in sustainability efforts, satisfying their sustainability expectations for their products is crucial. However, research on customer satisfaction so far has widely neglected sustainability concerns. Based on the sustainability literature we conceptualize a multi-dimensional measurement instrument for sustainability-related product satisfaction (SPS). Scale purification and validation using three independent samples support six subdimensions: sustainable product value, sustainable product manufacturing, sustainable product use, sustainable product life-cycle, product accessibility, and sustainable product end-of-life. The employed MIMIC approach lends support to the conceptualization of SPS as a Type II second-order factor model. Measurement invariance tests support the scale's cross-regional equivalence. When assessing criterion-related validity, we find that compared with other facets of product satisfaction, SPS is strongly related to increasing word-of-mouth but less so to customer loyalty. The availability of sustainability-related information is positively associated with SPS, which in turn contributes to overall product satisfaction.