The generous consumer: Interpersonal generosity and pro-social dispositions as antecedents to cause-related purchase intentions

Abstract

Cause-related marketing is prevalent in today’s marketing environment. The purpose of this research is to build and test a conceptual model surrounding the idea of a generous consumer – and what may lead a consumer to buy products affiliated with cause-related marketing. To do this, we examine the impact of pro-social consumer behaviors (i.e., social responsibility, empathy, moral reasoning, and self-report altruism (SRA) past helpfulness) on interpersonal generosity. Further, we explore the role of both pro-social consumer behaviors and interpersonal generosity on cause-related purchase intentions. Findings indicate that several pro-social consumer behaviors are predictors of cause-related purchasing intentions. Additionally, it is found that interpersonal generosity mediates other pro-social behaviors in determining consumer receptiveness to cause-related market exchanges.