Abstract
Nowadays, consumer-to-consumer communication and its impact on purchase decisions have gained substantial consideration owing to digitalization and the emergence of internet-based social media platforms. Social media allows consumers to communicate with thousands of people well beyond their network. Consequently, the demand for transparency from industrial corporations has increased. It even becomes more important to understand how sustainability-related information on social media holds organizations accountable for their wrongdoings and reward them for taking sustainability-related initiatives. In this research work, the authors investigate how information that is available on social media influences consumers’ purchase behavior with regard to sustainable products in the context of developing countries. Therefore, the authors surveyed social media users residing in Pakistan and used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the collected data. The results established that positive and negative sustainability-related information on social media significantly influences consumers’ intention to purchase sustainable products. Furthermore, this study explains that consumers’ willingness to seek sustainability-related information makes them dependent on social media and this dependency on social media affects their intention to purchase.
Highlights
Digitalization and the transparency that new forms of media, such as the internet and social media, offer, revolutionize how consumers communicate with each other (Buzzetto-More 2013; Men and Tsai 2013)
The authors surveyed social media users residing in Pakistan and used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the collected data
In light of media system dependency theory (MSD), this study investigates sustainability-related information seeking on social media and its effect on consumers’ intention to purchase, while considering the impact of perceived risk and trust on social media
Summary
Digitalization and the transparency that new forms of media, such as the internet and social media, offer, revolutionize how consumers communicate with each other (Buzzetto-More 2013; Men and Tsai 2013) This increased transparency grants consumers more access to information associated with product usage and spreads awareness relating to the conditions under which industrial corporations produce the products. This has resulted in an increase in the sales of sustainable products (Nielsen 2015), and pressurizes organizations to address environmental, as well as social sustainability-related issues that their operations cause, and to adopt sustainability practices across their whole supply chain network. The ultimate aim is to satisfy customers and gain a competitive advantage in the market.” to achieve improved environmental and social quality, organizations need to introduce sustainability during the product development stage in which all the product’s substantial features and properties are defined (Petersen 2017)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
