Prosocial Consumer Research Articles

Who will be prosocial consumers? The relationship between environmental value and sustainable consumption

AbstractThis study explores who will be prosocial consumers based on the effect of consumers' environmental value on their sustainable consumption after the COVID‐19 lockdown. The study aims to examine (1) the relationship between environmental value and sustainable consumption and (2) compare the pathways between environmental value and sustainable consumption depending on delivery service usage frequency. This study unitizes Structural Equation Modeling to analyze (1) mediation and (2) multi‐group analysis by SmartPLS. Six hundred thirty‐seven respondents are collected from Mass Rapid Transit and Bangkok Mass Transit System stations in Bangkok and nearby shopping malls using a systematic random sample method. Affective and cognitive sustainable consumption mediates the relationship between consumers' egoistic and biospheric environmental concerns and their conative sustainable consumption. There is no significant difference between groups that utilize fewer or more delivery services on the path between environmental concerns and sustainable consumption. This study demonstrates that prosocial consumers with biospheric environmental concerns must engage in affective and cognitive sustainable consumption to engage in conative sustainable consumption. Prosocial consumers who emphasize the environment and sustainability tend to use delivery services less frequently.

Encouraging prosocial consumer behaviour: A review of influencer and digital marketing literature

AbstractProsocial consumer behaviours, or actions taken by consumers intended to benefit others, are essential for society's stability. Thus, marketers need to systematically develop strategies that promote such intentions among consumers. Influencer marketing is a particularly effective strategy. We systematically review and propose how to encourage prosocial consumer behaviour, depending on consumers' capability, opportunity, and motivation. In Study 1, a scoping review of 15 articles on influencer marketing encouraging prosocial consumer behaviour yields a research map that confirms the relevance of influencer marketing in encouraging such behaviour. In Study 2, a bibliometric review of 867 articles on prosocial consumer behaviour results in a keyword map that identifies critical factors influencing prosocial consumer behaviour. The findings offer future research directions on influencer marketing to encourage prosocial consumer behaviour. More importantly, we propose practical digital interventions for encouraging prosocial consumer behaviour. This research provides a state‐of‐the‐art overview of prosocial consumer behaviour and illustrates how influencer marketing can promote prosocial consumer behaviour.

Protecting labor rights: Contract design and coordination between brand firms and suppliers

This paper explores the design of a contract aimed at coordinating brand firms and their suppliers to collectively protect the suppliers’ labor rights. It finds that a unilateral cost-sharing contract can incentivize suppliers to protect labor rights, while improving the profits of both brand firms and their suppliers. However, such a contract fails to coordinate the supply chain because of an insufficient incentive for both involved parties. Two improved contracts of this contract can coordinate brands firms and their suppliers to improve their efforts to protect labor rights under certain conditions while failing to achieve coordination. Accordingly, this research proposes a bilateral cost- and revenue-sharing contract. The results indicate that with an appropriate revenue-sharing proportion, this contract effectively encourages brand firms and their suppliers to participate in protecting labor rights and coordinate the supply chain. In addition, an increase in the proportion of prosocial consumers incentivizes brand firms and their suppliers to improve labor rights. Nonetheless, consumers’ excessive reliance on brand goodwill to evaluate the total supply chain efforts to protect labor rights will reduce their efforts. Finally, as the impact of labor rights protection efforts on reference prices increases, it can stimulate brand companies and suppliers to increase investment in improving labor rights. At this high impact level, the reference price in the centralized model may surpass that in the unilateral cost-sharing contract. However, if supply chain members invest little effort to protect labor rights, the increase in this impact could reduce consumers’ reference price.

Unraveling the Dynamics of Social Media Influencers on Sustainable Purchase Intentions and Environmental Awareness Among People with Disabilities: A Focus on the Moderating Role of Disability Types

This research explores how social media influencers (SMIs) impact the intentions of people with disabilities to engage in purchasing behavior and increase their awareness. Using a quantitative approach, the study specifically examines the impact of content quality and information credibility while also considering disability types as a moderating factor. The results from a targeted survey show that influencer content and credibility significantly affect both awareness and sustainable purchase intentions. Additionally, the study reveals how different types of disabilities moderate both relationships. These findings provide insights for marketers targeting vulnerable populations while emphasizing the importance of an inclusive approach in influencer marketing. Although this research focuses on Tunisia, a developing economy, it paves the way for subsequent cross-cultural studies and broader applications in different cultural contexts, thus contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of how influencer marketing can promote sustainable and prosocial consumer behavior in various settings.

The impact of corporate social irresponsibility on prosocial consumer behavior

AbstractCorporate social irresponsibility (CSI) refers to violations of the social contract between corporations and society. Existing literature documents its tendency to evoke negative consumer responses toward the firm involved, including unethical consumer behaviors. However, limited research attention deals with its potential impacts on prosocial consumer behavior. With six studies, the current research reveals that when consumers perceive harm due to CSI, they engage in more prosocial behavior due to the arousal of their anger. This effect is weaker among consumers who find the focal CSI issue more personally relevant but stronger among consumers with strong self-efficacy for promoting justice. Perceptions of CSI harm increase with the degree of control that the focal firm has over the CSI. This research thus establishes an effect of CSI harm on prosocial consumer behaviors, through the emotional mechanism of anger; it further shows that consumers seek to restore justice by engaging in prosocial behaviors.

From discomfort to desirable: The effect of embarrassment on prosocial consumption

AbstractEmbarrassment plays a pivotal role in the consumer landscape by significantly influencing consumers' purchase and consumption experiences. While marketing scholarship has primarily focused on the undesirable facets of embarrassment, the present research examines the positive outcomes of embarrassment for consumers, firms, and the environment. Based on costly signaling theory, this research seeks to determine the effect of embarrassment on consumer preferences toward prosocial products. Using six experimental studies (including one in the Supporting Information: Appendix), we demonstrate that embarrassment positively influences the purchase intention for environment‐friendly and sustainable products. Using lab and consequential studies, we show that the motivation to repair the social image mediates the effect of embarrassment on prosocial product preference. We also identify that public self‐consciousness moderates this effect, such that embarrassed individuals with high (vs. low) public self‐consciousness exhibit higher prosocial product preference. We also show that our core predictions on the effect of embarrassment on prosocial products is contingent upon the social context, such that embarrassment leads to enhanced intentions to repair social image and prosocial product preference in public but not in private purchase context. The results hold for various product categories. The findings contribute to a greater theoretical understanding of embarrassment by revealing a prosocial facet of the phenomenon.

Volcanic eruptions and tourism prosocial consumption

This paper exploits a recent natural experiment to analyze the effect of volcanic eruptions on tourism expenditure. Using a Difference-in-Differences methodology, we find that volcanic eruptions have a positive impact on tourism expenditure, both aggregate expenditure and expenditure by category, and both during the eruption and the post-eruption period. We investigate the mechanisms behind the increase in expenditure and obtain strong support for the empathy mechanism, prevailing over other mechanisms such as changes in prices, the profile of tourists, or simply curiosity. Our results suggest that tourist empathy with the affected community manifests through consumption, finding that prosocial consumption increases in the cultural identification of the tourist with the affected area.

The Role of Social Connectedness and Social Assurance in Prosocial Consumption: The Mediating Importance of Attitudes Toward Charity

This research addresses the underexplored nexus between social connectedness, belongingness, and prosocial consumption, focusing on their collective impact on individuals’ intentions to engage in products that support charitable causes. Recognizing people’s innate preference for interpersonal closeness, we investigate the pivotal roles of social connectedness and social assurance as indicators of belongingness in driving consumer choices that contribute to charitable objectives. A total of 242 participants completed a survey designed to assess their sense of belongingness, purchase intentions, and attitudes toward charitable activities. Our findings underscore the mediating effect of attitudes toward charity in predicting the inclination to participate in prosocial consumption. This mediation elucidates the mechanism through which social connectedness and the assurance of belongingness influence individuals to align their purchasing decisions with products that benefit charities, thereby aiding these organizations in achieving their social support targets. Our study contributes to the understanding of the psychological underpinnings of consumer behavior in the context of philanthropy. By elucidating the intricate interplay between social connectedness, belongingness, and charitable attitudes, we provide valuable insights for both scholars and practitioners seeking to comprehend and leverage the factors that drive consumers to make choices aligned with social responsibility. This research offers a clear and solid foundation for the relevance of our study and constructs, emphasizing their significance in shaping the landscape of consumer purchases involving philanthropy.

The Importance of Personality Psychology in the Study of Prosocial Consumer Attitudes – Implications for Research in the Field of Socially Responsible Marketing

Theoretical background: This article is based, regarding the theoretical foundations, on selected issues of behavioral economy and economic psychology, which question the classical assumptions of the homo oeconomicus concept and the standard approach to studying the consumers’ attitudes and behaviors. Purpose of the article: The system of individual and socially shared consumer values undergoes evolutionary changes in the modern, turbulent socio-economic reality. The thesis has been put forward that in the post-pandemic realities, because of the re-evaluation of given values, psychological factors play an increasingly important role in shaping pro-social consumer attitudes, and the consumer’s personality largely determines favorable attitudes towards socially responsible marketing initiatives. The article is conceptual in nature. It provides a theoretical background for the authors’ planned empirical research. The main objective of this paper is to define the new research areas for socially responsible marketing, in which personality psychology could play a significant role in identifying consumers’ pro-social attitudes. Research methods: Given the need for an interdisciplinary approach to studying consumers’ pro-social attitudes, a review was conducted of the literature on the subject concerning the behavioral economy and economic psychology, with a special emphasis on the issue of personality. Main findings: The literature studies and observation of the socio-economic reality aimed at identifying new direction of empirical research in socially responsible marketing. Four main research areas were proposed to which the appropriate marketing types were assigned: post-COVID reality (social marketing and cause-related marketing); healthcare (social marketing); the reality of war (social marketing and cause-related marketing; ecology – green marketing). The empirical studies based on personality psychology in the areas indicated above could refer to the concept of goal-oriented behavior psychology and the Five Factor Model.

Environmental Concerns, Sustainable Consumption, and COVID-19 Fear in Online Consumers: A Research Exploration

As a conceptual paper, this study examines the nuanced relationships between consumers’ environmental orientations (egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric) and their sustainable consumption patterns, particularly emphasizing the prevailing influence of COVID-19 fear. Utilizing a targeted survey approach, responses from online Taiwanese and Thai consumers are gathered and analyzed through a Structural Equation Model, incorporating diverse analytical avenues such as path, mediation, moderation, and multi-group analyses. The study aims to describe prosocial consumers by their distinct environmental concerns and subsequent sustainable consumption behaviors. Furthermore, the study sheds light on how the COVID-19 pandemic has modulated the dynamic between environmental considerations and tangible sustainable consumption actions. In a post-pandemic setting, the study contributes to academic discourse by highlighting the confluence of environmental consciousness and sustainable consumption. It also provides pragmatic implications for businesses, directing them towards eco-centric product offerings and cultivating a deeper ecological awareness among consumers, fostering sustainable purchase intention and behaviors.

Creating social value through operational supply chain transparency

AbstractWhether inclusive business (IB) supply chain transparency (SCT) can add value to a firm as an essential strategic resource is controversial. This study investigates how IB SCT affects willingness to pay a premium (WPP). Conditional process analysis was used to analyze survey data collected from 633 Chinese subjects in a scenario‐based role‐playing experiment. Analysis of the responses demonstrates that IB SCT indirectly enhances WPP through indirect reciprocity. In addition, the stronger the costly prosocial attributes of customers, the greater the indirect effect of IB SCT on WPP. The results indicate that IB SCT can add value to firms through consumer rewards, especially for costly prosocial consumers. These research constructs provide valuable insights for operators adopting IB to help them communicate and coordinate IB resources with consumers for IB sustainability.

Do eco-labels trigger green product purchase intention among emerging market consumers?

PurposeThis study aims to explore the effect of eco-labels on green product purchase intention among consumers of electrical/electronic products in an emerging market context.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted an extended theory of planned behaviour to assess the effects of eco-labels. To measure the key constructs, scales pertaining to the relevant literature were used to design a structured questionnaire for empirical examination. A final data set of 680 consumers was analysed using structured equation modelling.FindingsThe results indicate that eco-labels significantly impact perceived behavioural control, attitude, subjective norms and consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices for environmentally friendly green products.Practical implicationsThe findings not only complement research on green consumerism but also serve as an important direction for socially responsible marketers who aim to play an important role in propagating pro-social consumption among emerging cohorts of consumers. The importance of eco-labelling as an effective marketing tool is highlighted, with valuable insights for future research and practices pertaining to emerging consumer markets.Originality/valueThis study fills a void in contemporary research by examining consumers of electrical/electronic products that typically involve long-term usage, with potentially greater environmental footprints.

Perceived Income Inequality, Trust, and Consumers’ Ethical Judgments

Research related to consumers’ ethical judgments has generally neglected the effects of psycho-social variables (variables with both social and personal psychological components), e.g., perceived income inequality and subjective socio-economic status. In order to address this gap, an online survey of 373 US consumers was conducted to examine relationships between perceived income inequality and judgments regarding unethical and prosocial consumer actions. The mediating role of trust (general distrust of others and distrust of corporations) and moderating role of subjective socio-economic status were examined. Moderated mediation analyses demonstrated that the effects of perceived income inequality on consumers’ ethical judgments were mediated by distrust of corporations (but not by general distrust of others), for consumers who had higher subjective socio-economic status. These novel findings related to the effects of distrust of corporations highlight that, in order to explain consumers’ ethical judgments, it is essential to focus on trust relationships between consumers and other participants in the marketing system. Perceived income inequality erodes trust within marketing systems leading to negative effects on consumers’ ethical judgments. These effects are paradoxically only evident among consumers with higher subjective socio-economic status. Findings contribute to the macromarketing literature on marketing systems, marketing ethics, sustainable consumption, and distributive justice.

Mind the Age Gap! How Problematic Internet Use Affects Adults’ and Emerging Adults’ Well-Being and Prosocial Consumer Behavior

While much has been reported about the negative consequences of the pervasive presence of information and communications technologies in consumers’ everyday lives, the present research enriches the literature on problematic internet use by applying the cognitive-behavioral model in a consumer context, creating a bridge between marketing and psychology research, with novel insights and directions for future research. By means of a moderated mediation model tested on hundreds of consumers, the authors explore whether problematic internet use influences well-being through the mediation of prosocial consumer behavior and the moderation of online-social support. The results show that problematic internet use can indirectly affect individual well-being by affecting consumer choice. Managerial and theoretical implications are addressed.

Prosocial customer in the public sector: A PLS-SEM analysis applied to blood donation (active donors)

The act of donating blood creates social and public value (as a transformative service), but donors do not always repeat, so this study analyses the antecedents of attitudinal loyalty in donors. In addition, this research identifies active donor profiles to design personalised strategies to increase customers’ attitudinal loyalty. An online survey was conducted with 30,619 active donors who have donated blood at least once over the past two years. The study applies a quantitative modelling model called Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Analyses confirmed that motivations, obstacles and service quality influence satisfaction and donor attitudinal loyalty. Also, three active donor clusters were identified, as donation centres must adjust to each cluster to create value for society. This research contributes to understanding the factors that increase donor loyalty and closing a gap in the literature on prosocial consumer behaviour, and thereby other public services that depend upon the willingness of the individual. Furthermore, this approach enables the design of a more effective policy agenda and helps to focus public investment on developing strategies to engage willing and experienced donors.

Balancing Consumer Self-Benefits and Altruism in Online Shopping: Examining Consumer Preferences for Customized and Personalized Cause-Related Marketing Campaigns Versus Price Discounts

Recently, the well-established marketing concepts of personalization and customization have also been applied to cause-related marketing (CRM) to empower consumers and overcome issues of such campaigns with a specific, pre-determined cause. This study examines the effectiveness of customized and personalized CRM for apparel products compared to price discounts. The results of a representative choice based conjoint experiment among German consumers (n = 388) show that consumers prefer customized CRM to other types of CRM campaigns and price discounts. While personalized CRM is also perceived as more effective than price discounts, CRM campaigns with a baseline cause are outperformed by price discounts. The study also found that psychographic consumer characteristics, i.e., consumers’ personality structures and cultural orientations can be used to explain consumers’ heterogeneous preferences for different marketing appeals. Finally, three consumer segments were identified – pro-social consumers, pricesensitive consumers, and Amazon Captives – that retailers can target with tailored marketing strategies.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and its Implications for Food Consumer Behavior: A Bibliometric Analysis of Institutionally Affiliated Research in Brazil

Marketing is the social and managerial process through which individuals obtain what they need and want in creating and exchanging products. The literature on food consumer behavior has been receiving significant interest during the covid-19 pandemic, and studies highlight diverse research on business. This article seeks to examine the covid-19 pandemic and its implications for the food consumer behavior in Brazil. To that end, the Methodi Ordinatio was applied to identify the most relevant studies in the area, which supported the research, analysis, selection and systematic reading of 25 articles identified in Web of Science and Scopus databases. vosviewer and EndNote software were used in this study for the reference management process and clustering themes and researchers. Our findings show the importance of advances in vaccination, an increase in home office work, home food safety practices, and an increase in food purchases in supermarkets. We conclude that the main financial problems faced during this period are unemployment and debt, while the increased use of food delivery apps emerges as an opportunity. Recent studies mention environmental awareness, sustainable consumption, and social responsibility as key topics. As a suggestion for future research, the authors recommend marketing research involving the regulatory role of pro-social consumption and family farming in times of covid-19.

The role emotions play in consumer intentions to make pro-social purchases in Germany – An augmented theory of planned behavior model

Although, sustainable consumption is gaining in relevance for consumers and retailers in Germany, pro-social consumption is still often neglected. Therefore, this study investigates factors influencing the purchase intention of German flower buyers in relation to Fairtrade-cut roses based on an online survey of 1,201 flower buyers in retail shops in 2017. As a basic theoretical framework, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was utilized and extended with two additional constructs. The addition of emotions and perceived consumer effectiveness reveals a strong explanatory power of the model proposed. Data analysis via partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) suggests that emotions and subjective norm are the two most influential determinants of intention to purchase Fairtrade roses. However, emotions also significantly influence all determinants of behavioral intention introduced to the extended model. The findings of this study can be used to fine-tune marketing and communication activities related to pro-social and Fairtrade products.

Natural Disasters and Tourism Prosocial Consumption

Natural Disasters and Tourism Prosocial Consumption

As cheap as humanly possible: why consumers care less about worker welfare

PurposeWorker welfare and modern slavery within the fashion industry remain a key supply chain challenge for many retailers, consumers, governments and advocacy groups. Yet, despite publicised worker-welfare violations, many fashion retailers continue to post record sales and profits, indicating that consumer concern does not always translate at the cash register. Research has shown that worker welfare is a less salient area of concern for fashion consumers, and the aim of this research is to investigate the reasons why this may be the case.Design/methodology/approachDue to the exploratory nature of the research, a qualitative methodology was deemed the most appropriate. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian fast-fashion consumers to investigate the underlying reasons worker-welfare violations are less likely to elicit pro-social consumer behavioural change and are a less salient area of concern.FindingsThis study found that consumers perceive worker-welfare concerns at both a proximal and cultural distance to themselves, and therefore struggle to connect with the issues associated with modern slavery. Additionally, there was an underlying social consensus that exploitative practices are an accepted part of the fast-fashion supply chain to ensure the continuation of low-cost clothing. Despite an underlying awareness of exploitative practices and acknowledgement that modern slavery is ethically wrong, other consumer values often influenced purchase behaviour and the level of concern expressed towards garment workers.Originality/valueThis is the first study to apply psychological distance in a fast-fashion context to better understand consumer perceptions towards modern slavery. Responding to calls for further research into ethical consumption of apparel, this study develops an in-depth understanding of the reasons why worker welfare is a less salient area of concern for fast-fashion consumers. Extending on current literature, this study qualitatively investigates consumer sentiment towards worker welfare, identifying the greatest barriers to consumers' levels of concern. In addition to a theoretical contribution to the fashion, ethics and business literature, this article provides key insight to guide practice.