Sustainable Purchasing Research Articles

Green products wrapped and delivered: consumer’s preference for sustainable e-commerce practices

ABSTRACT With the rapidly growing online sales, e-commerce firms in emerging economies like India risk unsustainable practices such as the relentless consumption of goods, increased plastic and paper packaging, or inefficient delivery options that increase fuel consumption. To maintain a favorable corporate image amongst consumers, online firms possibly adopt various mechanisms to signal consumers’ adoption of sustainable practices. Such practices by firms may involve implementing sustainability practices in doorstep delivery, packaging, and product selection to influence consumers’ buying preferences. This research uses a structured survey approach to explore the impact of three sustainable practices implemented by an e-commerce firm on the consumer’s intention to purchase from such a firm. Using a dual theory perspective of the theory of consumption value (TCV) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the study demonstrates the impact of the belief of environmental risks on consumers’ intentions to purchase from such e-commerce firms with sustainable practices. The data findings from 301 Indian e-commerce consumers suggest that consumers with a higher belief of environmental risks display a higher degree of tolerance for the inconvenience of order delivery and sustainable product purchase intentions, further influencing their intentions to purchase from e-commerce firms with sustainable practices. However, the preference for sustainable packaging does not impact intentions to purchase from e-commerce firms with sustainable practices. The study discusses the implications for online e-commerce retailers and policymakers and informs online e-commerce consumers’ choices.

Determinants of Tunisian Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Organic Cereal Products

Investigating Tunisian consumer attitudes about organic cereal products and the factors influencing their willingness to pay a premium price for them are the goals of this paper. Based on a face-to-face exploratory survey of Tunisian household heads, a descriptive analysis and a binomial logistic regression model were used to investigate the factors that would influence Tunisian consumers' willingness to pay more for sustainable organic cereal purchases. According to the study, 20% and 31% of the consumers surveyed indicated that they would be willing to pay an extra 10% or 5% on top of the initial purchase price to buy an organic product, respectively. The outcomes of the binary logistic regression model demonstrate that several factors are influencing. Factors such as consumer sustainability value, desire to pay more for quality, quality/price relationship, health value, and economic value determine customers' willingness to pay a premium price for organic cereal products. These elements must be taken into consideration by producers and processors of organic cereals while making managerial choices.

Social and Environmental Responsibility Manager on the Example of Companies from Poland and Germany

Here, the role of business managers in Poland and Germany in creating responsible business was analyzed. The authors examined CSR strategies, challenges in balancing interests and integrating CSR principles with business practices. They emphasize the importance of education and the active involvement of managers in CSR strategies for the company’s long-term benefits. The article uses three key research methods. The first is a review of the Polish and foreign literature, allowing for an understanding of the global context of CSR. The second method is the analysis of CSR reports from Poland and Germany, giving insight into practices and standards in these countries. The third method is research based on a questionnaire survey conducted in Poland and Germany, enabling a direct understanding of the attitudes and practices of managers. Polish companies lean towards sustainable purchasing and training more than their German counterparts, pointing to a nuanced approach to CSR in Poland. Meanwhile, German firms appear more invested in community and environmental programs, highlighting their particular emphasis on certain social and environmental dimensions of business. There is a clear commitment to CSR in both countries, but the varied nature of the initiatives suggests differing cultural or regulatory influences. Enhancing CSR awareness, particularly around sustainability education and emission reductions, emerges as a priority for both nations. The data indicate that managers are crucial in steering CSR practices, with their active involvement often leading to positive outcomes. The study provides an analysis of current CSR landscapes in Poland and Germany.

Green purchasing: a sustainable opportunity in supermarkets in the metropolitan region of Belém

Currently, there is a great concern with environmental issues in all spheres of society, including the business sector. In this context, the management of ecological purchases, known as green purchases or sustainable purchases, becomes one of the correct practices that companies must carry out so that their actions do not cause damage to the environment. Green purchases are a component of the global management of organizations and their role is to help companies become more sustainable. With the objective of evaluating whether green purchases are part of the reality of companies in the supermarket sector that operate in Belém, this study sought to identify, through the analysis of the results of the application of a structured questionnaire, the attitude of managers and suppliers of the network supermarket operator in relation to sustainability practices. The results point to managers' lack of knowledge of environmental obligations, but also indicate a great interest in developing and applying new practices that make companies more competitive and sustainable. It should be noted the difficulty in obtaining information from companies, trying to preserve their strategies and practices from competitors. It is also suggested that the sample be expanded to include other supermarket chains that did not participate in this research.

PENGARUH SOCIAL NETWORK MARKETING DIMODERASI ROLE OF ECO-FRIENDLY ATTITUDE: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DALAM PEMBELIAN KEBERLANJUTAN

<div class="WordSection1"><p>There has been a change in people's behavior in shopping for daily needs from offline to online. Along with package delivery services, there has been an increase in plastic waste from package delivery services up to 62% during the pandemic which can threaten environmental health. This shows a significantly increased consumer awareness of the consumption of environmentally friendly products and indicates the willingness of the domestic market to introduce products that are used sustainably. Get the results that the content hypothesis that comes from social media marketing to sustainable purchases, Customization to sustainable purchases, interactions originating from social media marketing to sustainable purchases and customer experience to sustainable purchases is proven to be significant from the results of data processing and hypotheses. Environmentally friendly consumer attitudes moderate the influence of custumization, environmentally friendly consumer attitudes moderate the influence of word of mouth and environmentally friendly consumer attitudes moderate the influence of trends proven to significantly affect sustainable purchases.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Social Network Marketing; Role of Eco-Friendly Attitude; Customer Experience; SustainablePurchase.</p></div>

Digital Nudge Stacking and Backfiring: Understanding Sustainable E-Commerce Purchase Decisions

Abstract Background: The consumption of ‘fast fashion’, which is expedited by cost-effective e-commerce systems, represents one of the major factors contributing to the acceleration of climate change. An emerging approach to steer consumers in the direction of more sustainable purchase decisions is digital nudging. This paper explores digital nudging in the context of green fashion e-commerce by testing the effectiveness of two nudging strategies on the decision to choose green fashion products (GFP) over regular fashion items. Method: This study was conducted as a between-subject online experiment (n=320) with four conditions simulating an e-commerce scenario. The participants were presented with different products: one was ecologically friendly, and another was the regular option. Depending on their randomized group allocation, the participants experienced a default nudge, a social norm nudge, a combination of both strategies, or no nudge. In addition, we conducted 10 qualitative interviews to gain a deeper understanding of consumers’ decision process. Results: Our experiment failed to demonstrate statistically significant relationships between the various nudging strategies and GFP purchase decisions. However, additional explorative analyzes confirmed a backfire effect for the combination of nudging strategies. This reveals the previously overlooked influence of participants’ identification on the effectiveness of digital nudging strategies. In addition, qualitative interviews revealed individual factors that influence sustainable e-commerce purchase decisions. Conclusion: This study contributes to information systems research by explaining the differences in the effectiveness of different nudging strategies regarding high-involvement compared to low-involvement products. Moreover, it provides empirical evidence of a backfire effect resulting from a combination of digital nudging strategies (i.e., digital nudge stacking). Finally, the study underscores the leverage that individual factors have on both GFP purchase decision and the effectiveness of nudges.

TikTok Videos and Sustainable Apparel Behavior: Social Consciousness, Prior Consumption and Theory of Planned Behavior

Extant research addressing the relations between TikTok videos and sustainable apparel consumption behavior is limited. This study explores these relations by testing the following theories and constructs: social consciousness, prior sustainable apparel purchasing, attitude toward TikTok videos (featuring sustainable apparel content), and theory of planned behavior. Results from an online survey supported the proposed conceptual framework, suggesting that cognitive, affective, and behavioral factors relevant to sustainable apparel consumption had a positive influence on sustainable apparel purchase intention.

Customer Satisfaction and Sustainable Purchasing Behaviour via QR Code with the Mediating Role of Perceived Flow Among Malaysian Shoppers

Mobile advertising on smartphones shows potential as a marketing and advertising strategy, particularly for influencing consumer purchasing behaviour. Mobile technologies, including QR codes, have been recognized as an effective and strategic tool for bridging the knowledge gap between companies and customers regarding purchasing behaviour. The literature, however, provides scarce insights into the QR code factors that affect consumer satisfaction and purchase intention via perceived flow. This study aims to empirically examine the mediating effect of perceived flow on the relationship between QR code (usefulness, acceptability and feasibility) and customer satisfaction and purchase intention based on the stimulus–organism–response model. The study adopted the cross-sectional design from 386 online shoppers. The PLS-SEM second-generation statistical method was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that QR code usefulness, acceptability and feasibility have a positive significant effect on perceived flow, which positively influences customer satisfaction and purchase intention. Therefore, perceived flow positively mediated the relationship between QR code factors and customer satisfaction and purchase intention. Based on the SOR paradigm, the study extends the application of QR code services to the online shopping context in Malaysia and validates the positive relationship of QR code factors, perceived flow, customer satisfaction and purchase intention.

Impact of a corporate social responsibility message on consumers' sustainable behaviours and purchase intentions

AbstractThis study investigates the impact of a water brand's CSR message highlighting the brand's environmental concerns on brand‐related variables (attitude towards the brand and CSR) and consumer‐related variables (consumer efforts to adopt sustainable behaviours and well‐being). A research model is proposed, and the relationships postulated are tested on 414 French consumers. The study establishes the effectiveness of this kind of CSR messaging in influencing French consumers to purchase and recommend a particular brand. It then shows the direct and indirect ways in which a brand's CSR messaging can improve consumers' behavioural intentions (i.e., intentions to purchase the brand's products and to recommend the brand and/or its products). It also underscores that brand‐related variables contribute to increasing brands', and thus companies', business performance, whereas consumer‐related variables contribute to increasing their social performance. Finally, the REBUS‐PLS method emphasises the existence of several consumer groups and identifies the core target customer groups on which companies should focus their communication efforts.

Sustainable purchase intentions towards organic food during Covid-19 pandemic: an exploratory study on Indian consumers

PurposeThis study aims to determine the factors influencing consumers’ organic food purchase intention during Covid-19 and how Covid-19 impacted these factors. Understanding these factors will assist marketers in making strategic decisions on how to market their products during a crisis.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a quantitative approach. Data were collected online from 278 organic food consumers based in India. The partial least squares-path modelling method was used for data analysis.FindingsThe results revealed that Covid-19 has substantially impacted consumers' health consciousness, environmental concern, availability, price and intention to buy organic food. This study also revealed that health consciousness, environmental concerns and availability of organic food affect consumers’ purchase intention even during the Covid-19. However, it has been found that price consciousness does not influence consumers’ purchase intention during Covid-19.Practical implicationsMarketers should come up with innovative promotional strategies. Providing information related to quality checks on packages, expanding online sales channels, boosting promotional activities and emphasising the long-term benefits of organic food items should be the go-to marketing strategy of organic food.Originality/valueThe study adds value to the extant literature by examining consumers' purchase intention towards organic food using more customised and thorough constructs that appear to be more practical during the challenging times of Covid-19 and whose findings are not restricted by some pre-established theoretical assumptions.

Unveiling Sustainability in Ecommerce: GPT-Powered Software for Identifying Sustainable Product Features

In recent years, the concept of sustainability has gained significant attention across various industries. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of the products they purchase, leading to a growing demand for sustainable options. However, identifying sustainable product features can be a complex and time-consuming task. This paper presents a novel approach to address this challenge by utilizing GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) powered software for automatically identifying sustainable product features from product descriptions, titles, and product specifications. The software leverages the power of natural language processing and machine learning to classify products into different sustainability categories. By analyzing the textual information provided, the software can extract key sustainability indicators, such as eco-friendly materials, energy efficiency, recyclability, and ethical sourcing. This automated process eliminates the need for manual assessment and streamlines the evaluation of product sustainability. The proposed software not only empowers consumers to make informed and sustainable purchasing decisions but also facilitates businesses in showcasing their environmentally friendly offerings. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the software in identifying sustainable product features. The primary objective of this article is to assess the suitability of the GPT model for the domain of sustainability assessment. By collecting a real-life dataset and employing a specific methodology, four hypotheses are formulated, which will be substantiated through the experimental outcomes. This research contributes to the field of sustainability assessment by combining advanced language models with product classification, paving the way for a more sustainable and eco-conscious future.

Sustainable Product Purchase: Role of Eco-labeling, Environment Concern, Consumer Demographics

Sustainable Product Purchase: Role of Eco-labeling, Environment Concern, Consumer Demographics

Investigating the effects of corporate social responsibility on sustainable consumer purchase behavior

PurposeSustainable manufacturing practices are excessively being practised in the industry today. The impact on sustainability is ever more visible to the stakeholders because of faster and more efficient communication due to social media and the internet. This paper aims to study the impact of greenwashing by corporations and the stakeholders’ environmental concerns on consumers’ sustainable purchase behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe relationships between the impression of “greenwash”, sustainable purchasing behaviour, green word-of-mouth and green brand loyalty were investigated in this quantitative study. Participants who made up a representative sample filled out written surveys. The variables of interest were evaluated using scales that have undergone validation. Structural equation modelling was used in mediation analysis to investigate the mediating impacts of green word-of-mouth and green brand loyalty. The goal of the study was to offer empirical proof of how these factors affected consumers’ choices for sustainable products.FindingsAnalysis of the mediating relationship of perceived customer effectiveness in the relationship between environmental concern and sustainable purchase behaviour has been studied.Research limitations/implicationsThis study implicates that a company that primarily markets basic green and sustainable products or services must invest in informing people about environmental concerns and that by proper practices, a lot of the harm to the environment can be reduced.Originality/valueCorporate greenwashing, also called false greening, has received much public attention recently. The unethical practices by the corporations, which previously majorly went unnoticed, have also recently gained a lot of visibility. This paper is one of the early attempts towards establishing the effect of corporate greenwashing on sustainable consumer behaviour.

Sustainable and Profitable Growth in Publishing

Abstract The challenge of generating new growth while remaining sustainable and profitable was the central theme of the 2022 Future Book Forum held by Canon Europe. The event gathered leading publishers, book producers, distributors, and industry influencers from across Europe to discuss ways to make the publishing industry fit for the future in terms of its environmental and financial health. Key themes that emerged included the concept of how to design for purpose, thinking through how the sector uses raw materials. There is also the need to tell the story of publishing to connect emotionally to customers and satisfy the growing demand for sustainable purchasing. Finally, through interactive workshops many ideas were raised that required a sector-wide approach to challenge the established thinking and put sustainability at the heart of the sector. This article will outline the outcomes of the Future Book Forum and outline the next steps to bring action to the many ideas raised during the event.

Transforming consumption: The role of values, beliefs, and norms in promoting four types of sustainable behavior

AbstractThis study examines the value based predicting factors of sustainable consumption (SC) behaviors of individuals by examining four types of environmentally significant consumer behavior, that is, purchase, household energy and water usage, mobility, and recycling. A structured questionnaire‐based survey was used to collect data and verify the research framework guiding the hypotheses for all four types of consumer behavior. Four separate Structural Equation Models (SEM) were utilized to test the formulated hypotheses and model using the data from 1025 respondents (281 for purchase, 265 for household energy and water use, 273 for mobility, and 206 for recycling) ages 18–74. The results indicate that the extended version of value‐belief‐norm (VBN) theory could provide a good explanation of the sustainable purchase behaviors of consumers, compared to household energy and water usage, mobility, and recycling. The results of the study suggest that having high levels of biospheric values, ecological worldview, personal norms, behavioral intention, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and low egoistic values have influence on consumers when they make eco‐friendly product purchases. Although similar results are found for other examined behaviors, the model fits are not as strong and explanatory powers are lower. This research reveals that marketing managers need to adopt differential marketing strategies to influence consumer sustainable decision‐making in the four environmentally significant behaviors of purchase, energy and water usage, mobility, and recycling. This paper concludes with policy implications of the findings for marketers and policymakers, as well as potential directions for further research.

Exploring the Role of Consumers in Promoting a Circular Economy: Increasing Awareness and Engagement

Abstract The term “circular economy” is currently gaining a lot of attention and refers to a sustainable economic model that aims to conserve resources for a longer period by reducing waste and pollution, recycling and reusing existing products and materials, and regenerating the natural environment. Therefore, consumers are those who have an important role to play in driving the transition to such an economy by making purchasing decisions that prioritize durable, repairable, and recyclable products. Those who make these choices are more likely to contribute to the success of a circular economy. Many consumers may not be aware of the benefits a circular economy could have on the environment and economy or may not understand how their purchasing decisions can impact the environment. By increasing consumer awareness and education, we can empower consumers to make more sustainable purchasing decisions. The article will explore ways to increase consumer engagement in the circular economy. Therefore, it will present an overview of the role of consumers in promoting a circular economy and ways to increase awareness and engagement. It will demonstrate that by empowering consumers to make more sustainable purchasing decisions, we can create a more sustainable future and preserve resources for future generations.

Research on the Mechanism of Heterogeneous Corporate Environmental Responsibility in Z-Generation Consumers’ Sustainable Purchase Intention

As the public’s awareness of environmental protection and their concern for environmental issues increase, more and more companies are focusing on fulfilling their environmental responsibilities and meeting the green needs of consumers through diverse environmental behaviors. Based on the stimulus-organic-response model, this study adopts the scenario experiment method to explore the psychological response mechanism of consumers to heterogeneous corporate environmental responsibility behavior and their response to consumer behavior intentions using the two approaches of deep (psychological contract) and shallow (product sustainability perception) from the mechanisms of consumer psychological responses. Additionally, the research was conducted using the experimental scenario method and analyzed using an ANOVA and linear regression model. The results show that: consumers of Generation Z have stronger sustainable purchase intentions in the face of substantive environmental behaviors rather than symbolic environmental behaviors; consumers’ environmental self-efficacy plays a moderating role in the influence of corporate environmental responsibility behaviors on sustainable purchase intentions; and product sustainability perceptions and consumer psychological contracts have a dual mediating effect between corporate environmental responsibility behaviors and consumers’ sustainable purchase intentions. The conclusions enrich the diversity of the paths of influence of corporate environmental responsibility on consumer behavior and provide a theoretical basis for companies to effectively fulfill their environmental responsibility and choose environmentally friendly behaviors.

The effect of social media influencer marketing on sustainable food purchase: Perspectives from multi-group SEM and ANN analysis

This study examines the impact of social media influencers' (SMIs) intimate self-disclosure, environmental concern, and spending self-control on consumers' sustainable food purchase intention and explores the mediating effect of consumption value. It ranks the relative importance of these factors and measures generational differences on the impact of SMIs. Data from 628 respondents obtained via an online survey was analyzed using a dual-stage multi-group structural equation model (SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) techniques. The SEM revealed that SMIs' intimate self-disclosure, environmental concern, and spending self-control positively affected sustainable food purchase intention by mediating social and epistemic values. A multi-group analysis of the SEM found no significant generational differences. The ANN indicated that consumer purchases of sustainable food were primarily associated with SMIs’ spending self-control followed by their environmental concern. The ANN predicted consumer sustainable food purchase intention with 99.4% accuracy. Theoretically, this study enhances the knowledge of how consumers internalize social media influencer marketing (SMIM) and encourages their endorsement of sustainable foods by introducing TCV into the SOR framework. It also refutes the view that SMIs are significant only for younger generations and reveals the relative importance of SMIs impact factors from a non-linear perspective. From a practical perspective, we offer a specific SMIM investment strategy to maximize consumers' sustainable food purchases and several persuasive strategies for SMIs as opinion leaders. From a societal perspective, this research promotes sustainable development, human health, and a sustainable food economy.

A Fuzzy-Based Analysis of the Mediating Factors Affecting Sustainable Purchase Intentions of Smartphones: The Case of Two Brands in Two Asian Countries

Given their functionality, all smartphone brands are the same. Their similarities notwithstanding, they supply the same product at different prices in the same market. Strangely enough, the consumers do comply and willingly pay such price premiums. This study examines the mediation effect of price premium and brand preference on the causal impact of brand equity on sustainable purchase intention. The novelty of this study is in transforming the initial measures in a 5-point Likert scale into continuous values through a fuzzification and defuzzification process. Brand equity comprises three factors: brand awareness, perceived quality, and prestige value. Standardized questionnaire collected data in two countries (Taiwan and Indonesia) on two brands of smartphones (iPhone and HTC). Overall, 404 questionnaires were distributed in Taiwan, and 434 questionnaires were distributed in Indonesia. The data were analyzed by applying a structural equation model after conducting an exploratory and confirmatory factors analysis. In order to improve the estimations’ accuracy, the initial measures in a 5-point Likert scale were transformed into continuous values through a fuzzification and defuzzification process. The former consisted of assigning triangular fuzzy numbers, and the latter entailed assigning a center of gravity to each triangular fuzzy number and then extracting a random number from a normal distribution function based on the center of gravity. According to the results, price premium and brand preference exhibited significant mediation effects, with price premium having stronger effects than brand preference. Furthermore, the mediation effect was strongest for perceived quality and weakest for perceived prestige value.

The Antecedent of the Sustainable Purchasing Attitudes among Generation Z: A Terror Management Theory Perspective

Sustainable purchasing attitudes have been a topic of increasing research interest; however, to date, limited studies have investigated its antecedents, particularly within Generation Z in developing countries. In this paper, we empirically explore the factors that affect young consumers’ attitudes to purchasing sustainably within the holistic approach of terror management theory (TMT) by qualitatively exploring how the TMT constructs of death salience and self-esteem influence sustainability attitudes within Gen Z in Saudi Arabia, while considering the role of religion in the proposed TMT framework. Using purposive sampling, qualitative rich data were collected from 18 interviews with young consumers (Gen Z). Our findings revealed insights that help to understand the attitudes that influence sustainable purchasing judgments among young consumers in Saudi Arabia. This contributes to a better understanding of the holistic literature on sustainable purchasing attitudes and may have several implications for sustainable brand management in addition to opening up new research avenues for further investigation.