Significance of environmental sustainability issues in consumers' choice of major household appliances in South Africa

Abstract

Although not regarded as the major culprits in terms of the degradation of the world's resources, consumers in developing countries such as South Africa should be encouraged to realize their potential contribution to save our planet. This research investigated consumers' prioritization of product choice criteria in a prominent product category, i.e. major household appliances, to determine and describe how consumers could be encouraged to accept the principles of pro‐environmental product choice and consumption behaviour. The survey that was conducted in Tshwane, a major urban area in South Africa, in 2010 involved a structured questionnaire that was distributed by means of a convenient snowball method. Findings (n = 446) indicated that the majority of respondents always/mostly considered desirable functions rather than aesthetic attributes or price as important choice criteria, and that consumers would like to obtain information about the ‘greenness’ as well as the ‘functionality’ of appliances before purchasing. Consumers strongly agreed that the durability of appliances (service life) as well as running costs, i.e. electricity and water consumption, should be considered. Consumers seemed undecided about issues concerning recycling and recycling centres, the benefits of modern appliances and whether locally manufactured appliances are better than imported brands. Although different sources of information could be influential during consumers' pre‐purchase evaluation of major household appliances, consumers' reliance on personal acquaintances (friends and family) surpassed their trust in salespeople as information source by far. The majority of respondents indicated that they used printed information sources such as promotional material and brochures as information sources. Retail and industry should supply comprehensive information about pro‐environmental properties of their products. The results of this special investigation may be transferred to similar target groups in developing countries but are not typical for consumer behaviour elsewhere, whereas the methods are generally applicable.

The interrelationship between temporal and environmental orientation and pro‐environmental consumer behaviour

“…Televisions (Olson, 2013), and other household appliances (Sonnenberg et al, 2011), have been previously researched as products with significant environmental impact, as well as having characteristics associated with their production and use. To overcome any priming effect associated with asking consumers to complete a survey related to environmental attitudes, issues or specific environmental goods, we sought to target consumers who had recently purchased or were considering purchasing a plasma, LED or LCD television.…”

“…Kotler, 2011;Momberg et al, 2012;Rettie et al, 2012;do Paço et al, 2013;Culiberg, 2014). Economics suggests that individuals seek to maximize their own well-being (Steg and Vlek, 2009), such that only environmental attributes that enhance consumer value will impact the immediate purchase decision (Sonnenberg et al, 2011;Cleveland et al, 2012;Bartels and Onwezen, 2014). Economics suggests that individuals seek to maximize their own well-being (Steg and Vlek, 2009), such that only environmental attributes that enhance consumer value will impact the immediate purchase decision (Sonnenberg et al, 2011;Cleveland et al, 2012;Bartels and Onwezen, 2014).…”

Consumers׳ perception of the complexity of selected household purchase decisions

“…The majority of the respondents (N = 461) were females (n = 327/ 70.9%; males: n = 134/ 29.1%). A previous study that was done in the same geographic area (Sonnenberg et al, 2011) concluded that purchase decisions in this product category are mostly female driven although more than 40% of households engaged in joint decision-making.…”

“…The aim was to infer, on a horizontal continuum, products/services that consumers generally perceive as more complex and less complex than the anchoring product. A washing machine as an example of a major household appliance (MHA) that most households own, was specified as the anchoring product for the investigation based on evidence that is fairly challenging to purchase MHA (Donoghue et al, 2008;Sonnenberg et al, 2011) due to the multiple forms of risk that is associated with such purchase decision across most consumer segments (Nieftagodien and Van der Berg, 2007). It was presumed that the procedure would allow for a distribution of purchase decisions on either side of MHA on an envisaged complexity continuum.…”

Investigating consumer knowledge of global warming based on Rogers' knowledge stage of the innovation decision process

“…Consumers can play a significant role in the mitigation of greenhouse gases due to their significant numbers (6.7 billion people) (Robinson, 2010), and their aggregate contribution to the increasing concentrations of these gases in the earth's atmosphere. A study of major household appliances purchases in South Africa supports this view point by stating that the environmental impact of an individual household's behaviour in terms of environment‐friendly appliance choices may be small but when many households implement such choices in the long term, their contribution to the environment becomes significant (Sonnenberg et al ., 2011). Consumers can also contribute to the mitigation of greenhouses via their purchasing vote by supporting ecologically sustainable businesses (Shaw et al ., 2006).…”