Which are the determinants of green purchase behaviour? A study of Italian consumers

Abstract

Green purchase behaviour is receiving a growing attention in the academic community, as understanding it is crucial for the growing number of companies developing and marketing green products. In order to provide a broader and novel picture of the phenomenon, this study extends the widely used Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) model in several ways, through a large survey of Italian consumers. First, three dimensions of green purchase behaviour are considered, namely, the willingness to pay a premium price, the green purchase frequency and the green purchase satisfaction. Second, several antecedents are considered simultaneously. Third, new (consumer creativity) or so far marginally studied (materialism and green practices) antecedents are included. Fourth, the mediating roles of green purchase satisfaction and willingness to pay a premium price in the link between the considered antecedents and the frequency of green purchase are investigated.Results show that the three dimensions of green purchase behaviour have different antecedents, so highlighting that green purchase behaviour is a multi-faceted phenomenon that should not be studied as a single general concept. Personal norms and value for money emerged to be very relevant predictors. The significant effects of creativity, materialism and green practices provide evidence that extending the TPB model with these three antecedents is useful to more deeply understand green purchase behaviour. Green purchase satisfaction is the strongest predictor of purchase frequency and mediates the effects of personal norms and value for money.

What Determines Consumer Attitude toward Green Credit Card Services? A Moderated Mediation Approach

“…Finally, future research should examine other potential personal or situational factors that can influence consumers' loyalty toward green products/services. [9,43,60] INN2: I am willing to try new things INN3: I am eager to buy new products as soon as they come out INN4: Others often ask me for advice about new products Self-Accountability SA1: I feel accountable if meaningful damage to the environment occurs in the coming year [50] SA2: I am accountable for protecting the environment SA3: I feel accountable to my own self-standards Attitude ATT1: I feel positive toward the green credit card services [61] ATT2: The green credit card services are good ATT3: I like the green credit card services…”

“…Respondents' action-based knowledge was measured by assessing their familiarity with the term "carbon labelling" (one item). Innovativeness was measured using four items adapted from previous studies [9,43,60]. Self-accountability was measured using a three-item scale provided by Peloza et al [50].…”

“…As compared with ordinary products/services, sustainable products/services offer greater economic and environmental benefits and values, thereby leading consumers with higher innovativeness to perceive the benefits of sustainable products/services and thus develop a positive attitude toward sustainable products/services [44,45]. In a similar vein, extant studies have provided evidence on the presence of a significant positive effect of consumer innovativeness on green consumption behavior [9,25,[46][47][48][49]. Accordingly, the following hypothesis is proposed: Hypothesis 2 (H2): Innovativeness has a positive influence on attitude toward green credit card services.…”

“…Many earlier studies have identified numerous factors affecting consumers' green attitude and purchase behavior [1,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. In the financial services sector, however, there has been little research on the factors influencing green consumption behavior, with notable exceptions [8,[17][18][19].…”

Comparing the Recommendations of Buyers of Energy-Efficient and Inefficient Vacuum Cleaners

“…Overall product satisfaction is a prerequisite for recurring behavior and sales, as well as for recommendations to convince others of the quality and value of more sustainable products. Dangelico et al [12] showed the mediating effect of green purchase satisfaction on the links between personal norms and green purchase frequency. They highlighted the relevance of considering purchase satisfaction when studying green purchase behavior, although this has received limited attention in the past.…”