Spanning the gap: an examination of the factors leading to the green gap

Abstract

Spanning the gap: an examination of the factors leading to the green gap Mark Gleim Stephanie J. Lawson Article information:To cite this document: Mark Gleim Stephanie J. Lawson , (2014),"Spanning the gap: an examination of the factors leading to the green gap", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 31 Iss 6/7 pp. 503 -514 Permanent link to this document: http://dx. Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:198285 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This research aims to explore the factors that lead to the prevalence of the green gap. Currently, an overwhelming majority of consumers voice concern about the state of the environment; however, only a select few mirror their intentions with actual green behaviors. Design/methodology/approach -A critical incident technique is utilized in the first study, followed by a quantitative study analyzed via cluster analysis for the second study. Findings -Results suggest the green gap exists for several reasons, of which price is most commonly noted. However, factors such as poor perceptions of quality, lack of green product availability and brand loyalty to conventional products appear to be important issues leading to the gap as well. Additionally, the type of product sought for purchase appears to impact the prevalence of the green gap. Research limitations/implications -Future research should seek to extend the present study by monitoring actual usage rather than intentions, as well as an examination of strategies that may help to minimize the green gap. Practical implications -Consumers need to understand why green products are priced higher, the benefits they offer and the impact they can make as an individual. Additionally, firms competing in specific product categories can alter their strategies to better capitalize on the motivations of their target markets. Originality/value -Past research has focused on why consumers buy green, but there is a lack of research on why consumers fall into the green gap -that is they have the intention of going green, but don't. This research examines factors surrounding the green gap and the role of product type in the prevalence of the green gap.

The effect of price discounts on green consumerism behavioral intentions

“…A literature review on green purchase intention indicated that many studies have examined the antecedents of green purchase intentions, including environmental perceptions (Dagher and Itani, 2014), self-serving motives (Schuitema and de Groot, 2015), types of green claims (Chen and Lee, 2015), and perceived value and risk of green products (Koller et al, 2011;Chen and Chang, 2012;Wu et al, 2015). However, despite the green concern expressed in many studies, only 16% of people were estimated to act on green purchase behavior (Mahoney, 2011), and a green gap, the distance between the stated importance of protecting the environment and the actual behavior to help the environment, existed (Mahoney, 2011;Gleim and Lawson, 2014). Gleim and Lawson (2014) suggested that the green gap exists because of several reasons, of which price is the most common.…”

“…However, despite the green concern expressed in many studies, only 16% of people were estimated to act on green purchase behavior (Mahoney, 2011), and a green gap, the distance between the stated importance of protecting the environment and the actual behavior to help the environment, existed (Mahoney, 2011;Gleim and Lawson, 2014). Gleim and Lawson (2014) suggested that the green gap exists because of several reasons, of which price is the most common. This finding may correspond to the phenomenon that firms selling take-out beverages offer price discounts to encourage customers to bring their own cups.…”

Integrated Model for Green Purchasing Intention and Green Adoption: Future Research Direction

“…In the present study, the researches described personal moral norm as "a norm in which a customer determines to adopt or not based on their own personal responsibility instead of social pressure or social norm. Gleim & Lawson (2014) is of the view that the actions of consumers also depend on their Journal of Sociological Research ISSN 1948-5468 2019 personal norms. According to Schwartz (1977) personal norms are at the individual level and it is about how a particular person feels as to what to do in a particular situation.…”

“…Knowledge was found to be the one of the most studied variable; sixteen studies which taken for the present study examined consumers' knowledge and awareness of green products. Out of these fifteen studies, fourteen studies recognized that knowledge and awareness of green products positively influenced on consumer intention and adoption to green products (e.g., Gleim, 2014;Karunnayake & Wanninayake, 2015;Soon et al, 2013). Only one study reported that lack of knowledge on green products negatively influence on purchase intention.…”

“…Samuelson & Zeckhauser (1988) argue that consumers are more comfortable with their usual previous behavior due to financial, emotions and time risk connected with novel products and behavior. For instance consumers are not foreseen the future benefits associated with the installation of Solar power system to their home, but they only concern the current cost and the difficulties of installation associated with it (Gleim & Lawson, 2014). Further according to Kilbourne (1998) individuals are always try to maintain their status and really not bother about the cost associate with it in the long run and the negative influence of such act on the environment.…”