EXPLAINING CONSUMER ATTITUDE TOWARDS
PURCHASING GREEN PRODUCTS: THE ROLE OF
KNOWLEDGE, SELF-IDENTITY, AND UTILITY
Palesa T. Gule and Daniel K. Maduku
University of Johannesburg, South Africa
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of product knowledge, self-identity and product utility on the attitude of South African consumers towards buying ‘green’ products. A conceptual model that posited a direct relationship between product knowledge, self-identity, product utility and the attitude, was empirically tested using data that were conveniently sourced from consumers in Johannesburg, South Africa. A structural equation modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS, a partial least squares structural equation modelling (SEM) software package, was used to analyse the research framework proposed for this study. The results reveal that product knowledge, consumer self-identity and product utility were significant and positively related to consumers’ attitudes towards green product purchases. The implications of the findings for the managerial development of appropriate marketing strategies aimed at improving consumers’ attitudes towards green product purchases are outlined.
KEYWORDS
Product Knowledge, Self-Identity, Product Utility, Attitude, Green Products, Johannesburg, South Africa
INTRODUCTION
The global consumer is increasingly aware of and showing concern about the level of environmental degradation, as a result of the impact of globalisation and industrial development (Scott & Vigar-Ellis, 2014; Stolz, Molina, Ramírez & Mohr, 2013). Consumers are taking steps to educate themselves on what they believe are the benefits of being environmentally responsible citizens (Stolz et al., 2013; Bisschoff, 2016). Pro-environmental initiatives such as switching off lights whenever possible, recycling materials such as plastics and paper, using hot water boilers with thermostats, using borehole water and separating forms of waste into dedicated bins, are some of the steps consumers take in order to be environmentally friendly (Mbasera, Du Plessis, Saayman & Kruger, 2016). Some consumers also use reusable shopping bags whenever they go shopping as a way of showing concern for the environment (Karmarkar, & Bollinger, 2015). Other measures implemented by consumers to demonstrate their pro-environmental behaviour include buying organic products, products with less packaging and re-using or repairing items instead of throwing them away (Whitmarsh and O’Neill, 2010). Of all these measures, ‘green consumption’ is widely identified as most effective because, besides its pro-environmental benefits (such as water conservation and energy saving), consumers also derive good health benefits by consuming green products (Gilg, Barr & Ford, 2005; Ottman, Stafford & Hartman, 2006).
Green consumption is therefore defined as any action aimed at preserving the environment. These include, but are not limited to, recycling, buying organic food, using environmentally friendly forms of transport purchasing products with green labelling and consuming fish and other species that have been produced by eco-friendly methods and that do not harm human health or prevent satisfaction of a genuine need (Stoimenova, 2016; Ritter, Borchardt, Vaccaro, Pereira & Almeida, 2015).
Joshi and Rahmanb (2015) state that households can prevent environmental damage by buying green products. So it is vital to develop strategies that promote the consumption of green products among consumers. Consumers’ attitudes to green product consumption is cited as a relevant factor in promoting their purchasing of green products (Sheth, 2011). It is important, therefore, to understand the notion of ‘attitude’ and the elements that have an impact on consumer attitudes towards the consumption of green products. Such understanding would help marketers and producers to promote consumer habits, such as consuming green products that are less harmful to the environment (Ritter et al., 2015). Moreover, for countries such as South Africa, that are heavily reliant on natural resources in supporting the economy, the issue of environmental preservation is key to its sustainability and consumers have a key role to play in driving the economy by consuming green products (Haywood, Brent, Trotter & Wise, 2010). Haywood, Brent, Trotter and Wise (2010) allude to the fact that it is important for producers, policy-makers and others interested in promoting a consumer culture of green consumption, to encourage a positive attitude towards it.
In spite of this there are limited studies, particularly in developing countries such as South Africa, that deconstruct ‘attitude’ in an attempt to understand the various factors that influence consumers’ attitudes towards buying and consuming green products. The aim of this study is to understand the factors that influence consumers’ attitudes towards green product purchasing among South African consumers. The findings of this study will not only contribute to the literature on the topic, but also provide important pointers for manufacturers, marketers, policy-makers and other responsible parties for creating positive consumer attitudes towards green product purchases.
RESEARCH MODEL AND HYPOTHESES
Attitude towards green products plays a key role in influencing or predicting a person’s motivation for buying green products (Mohd Suki & Mohd Suki, 2016). A positive attitude is also regarded as the main predictor of intention to purchases green products (Han & Yoon, 2015; Chen & Tung, 2014; Dean, Raats & Shepherd, 2012; Ha & Janda, 2012). When consumers hold a positive attitude towards the environment, they are more likely to buy environmentally-friendly products, thus positively impacting the environment (Singh & Gupta, 2013).
This study examines the impact of selected variables such as, product knowledge, self-identity and product utility on the attitudes of South African consumers towards green product purchases. It proposes a conceptual model (Figure 1) that posits product knowledge, self-identity and product utility as direct antecedents of consumers’ attitudes towards green product purchases.
Product Knowledge
Product knowledge can be described as the amount of information a consumer has about the benefits, dangers, features, functions, support and risks of using a product (Maniatis, 2015; Tseng, & Hung, 2013). The more knowledge people have about a product/service, the more likely they are to develop a positive attitude towards its purchase and the consumers’ intention to purchase will be further enhanced through knowledge (Pagiaslis, 2014). Previous studies on green product consumption have emphasised that promoting consumers’ knowledge about green products plays a key role in influencing their behaviour towards green consumption (Tseng and Hung, 2013). It is expected, that by providing ample information to consumers, so that they become knowledgeable about the benefits of the products and where to obtain them, it will have a positive influence on their attitudes towards green product consumption. Hence this study proposes that:
H1: Product knowledge will have a significant positive effect on consumers’ attitudes towards green products use.
Self-Identity
Self-identity is the extent to which people perceive themselves as fulfilling a particular role in society (Dobson, 2017). This concept is widely considered to be an important factor influencing consumer attitudes towards a behaviour (Hustvedt & Dickson; 2009; Wang & Wang, 2016). Within the green marketing literature, self-identity has been identified as an important factor influencing green product consumption behaviour (Khare, 2014; Stryker & Burke, 2000). Khare (2014) identified consumers’ self-identification as a significant predictor of green purchasing behaviour. Therefore the following hypothesis was proposed for this study:
H2: Self-identity will have a significant positive effect on consumers’ attitudes towards using green products.
Product Utility
Product utility underscores the key benefits that consumers derive from consuming a product. These benefits range from cost-saving, nutritional benefits health benefits and enhanced sensory experience to increased perceptions of product utility (Mayhoub & Papamichael, 2016; Dewailly, Ayotte, Lucas & Blanchet, 2007; Apaolaza, Hartmann, Echebarria & Barrutia, 2017; Beneke, Frey, Deuchar, Jacobs & Macready, 2010). Moreover, product utility answers whether or not a customer can easily consume a certain product and whether or not is it easily available at a good price (Wheeler, Sharp, & Nenycz-Thiel, 2013, Lin & Huang, 2012; Joshi & Rahmanb, 2015; Young, Hwang, McDonald, & Oates, 2010). The perceived utility of a product enhances or improves consumers’ attitude towards green product consumption. For this reason, this study proposes the following hypothesis:
H3: Product utility will have a significant positive effect on consumers’ attitudes towards using green products.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Measures
A self-administered survey questionnaire was used to obtain the data required to test the hypotheses. The questionnaire had two main parts. The first part of the questionnaire posed questions on the demographic characteristics of the sample and the second contained items measuring the main constructs of the study. These items were selected from previous literature and adapted to suit the current study. The five items used for measuring consumers’ knowledge of green products were adopted from the study of Luo and Toubia (2015) and Pagiaslis and Krontalis (2014). The five items used to measure the utility of green products were adapted from the studies of Moser (2016) and Iyer, Davari and Paswan (2016). Lastly, the four items used to measure self-identity were selected and adapted from the studies of Moser (2016) and Yazdanpanah and Forouzani (2015). All of the items were measured on a five-point Likert type scale, with anchors ranging from 1 ‘strongly disagree’ to 5 ‘strongly agree‘.
Survey Design and Data Collection
The population of this study was consumers residing in Johannesburg, South Africa. This research made use of a non-probability sampling technique in the form of convenience sampling to obtain the respondents. The researcher visited work places, homes, restaurants, churches, schools, and shopping malls to solicit respondents. After explaining the purpose of the study to them and seeking their consent, they were given a paper-based questionnaire to complete. Respondents also had the choice of having the researcher read the questionnaire aloud to them and record their responses on the questionnaire. Of the 300 sample respondents contacted to participate in the study, 200 took part, representing an effective response rate of 67%.
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 24 and Smart PLS 3.2.6 software packages were the main statistical programmes used to analyse the survey data.
Descriptive Statistics
SPSS version 24 was used to analyse the descriptive statistics of the sample, the results of which are presented in Table 1. As stated in the table, 63 (31.5%) of the participants were males and 137 (68.5%) of the participants were females. This means that more than two-thirds of the participants were females. With regard to the age of the participants, the majority (34%) were between the ages of 25 and 32, followed by those over the age of 47 (21%). It is important to note that about two-thirds of those who participated in the study were below the age of 40. On the respondents’ level of education, 49 (24.5%) were educated up to the high school level, 112 (56%) had undergraduate degrees and 39 (19.5%) had postgraduate degrees. This means that the respondents’ level of education was reasonably high. The study also sought to obtain information on the monthly income of the participants. According to the information presented, the majority of the participants, 60 (24.5%), indicated that they had a monthly income of less than R10 000. This was followed by those who reported earning between 15 000 ZAR and 19 999 ZAR (25%). From the results it is evident that 73.5% of the participants earn less than 20 000 ZAR. Respondents were also asked to indicate whether they had used, or were currently using, green products. According to the results in Table1, 109 (54.5%) of the participants reported using green products, while 91 (45.5%) had not used green products. This means that the number of participants who have had experience using green products is higher than those who have not.
Table 1: Descriptive statistics of the sample
Frequency
Percentage
Gender:
Male
Female
63
137
31.5
68.5
Age
18 – 24
25 – 32
33 – 39
40 – 46
47+
28
68
36
27
41
14.0
34.0
18.0
13.5
20.5
Academic level of study
Up to high school
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
49
112
39
24.5
56.0
19.5
Monthly income (ZAR):
0 ‐ 9999
10 000 – 14 999
15 000 – 19 999
20 000 – 24 999
25 000 – 29 999
30 000 – 34 999
35 000 – 39 999
40 000 and above
60
37
50
17
8
9
4
15
30.0
18.5
25.0
8.5
4.0
4.5
2.0
7.5
Bought or used any green product in the past?
Yes
No
109
91
54.5
45.5
Structural equation modelling
Structural equation modelling (SEM), using SmartPLS 3.2.6, a partial least squares structural equation modelling (SEM) software package (Ringle, Wende & Becker, 2015), was used to analyse the research framework proposed for this study. Following the two-step approach recommended by Anderson and Gerbing (1988), the measurement model was assessed to confirm its convergent and discriminant validities.
In determining the convergent validity of the measurement model, the standardised factor loadings, Conbach’s alpha, composite reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE) were examined. For convergent validity to be achieved, Hair, Black, Babin and Anderson (2010) recommend that the standardised factor loadings and AVE should be above 0.5 and that Cronbach’s alpha and CR should be above 0.7. According to the results presented in Table 2 and Figure 1, the factors loadings of the various items range between 0.636 and 0.944, and the computed AVE values are between 0.577 and 0.807. The Cronbach’s alpha values range between 0.762 and 0.941. Lastly, the computed CR values are between 0.844 and 0.954. All of these estimates are above their respective thresholds, thus confirming the convergent validity of the measurement model.
To test discriminant validity, the Fornell & Larcker (1981) procedure was implemented. According to this procedure, discriminant validity is said to be achieved when the square root of the AVE is greater than the inter-factor correlations. According to the results presented in Table 2, the square roots of the AVEs are higher than the inter-factor correlations. Thus, it is safe to conclude that the measurement model exhibited good discriminant validity.
Table 2: Convergent and discriminant validities
Alpha
CR
(AVE)
1
2
3
4
1
Attitude towards use
0.918
0.942
0.803
0.896
2
Consumer knowledge
0.940
0.954
0.807
0.428
0.898
3
Product utility
0.841
0.886
0.612
0.578
0.474
0.782
4
Self‐identity
0.762
0.844
0.577
0.490
0.352
0.527
0.760
Note: Diagonal values are the square root of the AVE of each construct; values below the diagonal are the inter-factor correlations coefficientsAfter confirming the validity of the measurement model, the structural model was examined to determine the significance of the structural paths, the path estimates and the R2 of the structural model. To ascertain the significance of the structural paths, a bootstrapping with 500 re-samples was conducted using SmartPLS. The t static of the paths was then examined to determine its significance. The results of these analyses are presented in Figure 1 and Table 3.
According to the results, the association between consumers’ knowledge and their attitudes towards green products purchase is significant and positively related (β = 0.167, t = 2.440). These results provide support for H1. Furthermore, the results also suggest that consumers’ self-identity has a significant positive effect on their attitude towards green products purchase, thus confirming H2. Concerning the relationship between green product utility and consumers’ attitudes towards its use, the results of the analysis confirm a significant positive relationship between product utility and consumers’ attitude towards green products purchase, thus confirming H3. Moreover, green product utility has the highest β value among the three factors, implying that it is the strongest determinant of consumers’ attitudes towards green product purchase. The three significant factors together explain 40.3% of the variance in consumers’ attitude towards green product purchase.
Table 3: Path analysis for structural model
Path
Path
co‐
efficient
T‐Statistic
H1 Consumer knowledge attitude toward purchase
0.167
2.440
**H2 Self‐identity attitude toward purchase
0.233
3.926
*H3 Product utility attitude toward purchase
0.376
2.673
Attitude towards adoption R
2= 40.3%
* Significant at p< 0.01; ** Significant at p < 0.05; *** Significant at p < 0.10
The main aim of the study was to ascertain the effect of consumer knowledge, self-identity, and product utility on consumers’ attitude towards buying green products. Data was obtained predominantly from a convenience sample of consumers residing in Johannesburg, South Africa. The findings suggest that the variables investigated have a significant and positive influence on consumers’ attitude towards buying green products.
This study’s finding – that consumer knowledge has a significant and a positive effect on their attitude toward buying green products – is consistent with the findings from previous studies that have consistently linked consumers’ product knowledge with their positive attitude towards buying the product (Pagiaslis, 2014; Tseng & Hung, 2013). The findings of this study emphasise the need for managers to devote enough time and resources to creating awareness of the benefits of green product consumption if they are to succeed in creating a positive consumer attitude towards buying them. Specific information on product attributes – such as the health benefits, the health effects, the environmental benefits, and the potential economic benefits that can be generated as a result of this new economy – should be built into promotion strategies that are aimed at creating awareness that will lead to consumers’ knowledge about green products, and should be emphasised (Wang & Wang, 2016; Maniatis, 2015).
The results of the study also suggest that self-identity has a significant positive effect on consumers’ attitude towards green product purchases. This result validates the findings of previous studies that have found that self-identity and attitude towards product purchases are significant and directly related (Khare, 2014; Stryker & Burke, 2000). A strong self-identity is related to a strong environmental, organic, and socially responsible attitude. Thus marketing strategies should underscore the promotion of a strong self-identity in relation to green consciousness. If consumers were led to regard themselves as ‘green’, this would impact on their attitude towards green purchases, strengthening their beliefs about environmental protection and undergirding their sense of a moral obligation to buy green products (Hustvedt & Dickson, 2009).
Finally, the study’s findings on the significant direct association between product utility and attitude towards green product purchase is consistent with prior findings in the literature that have similarly identified a significant direct relationship between product utility and consumers’ attitude towards their purchase (Lin & Huang, 2012; Joshi & Rahmanb, 2015; Young et al., 2010). Managers hoping to generate a more positive attitude towards green products in their target market must first seek to increase the utility that consumers expect from consuming green products. In increasing the utility of green products, manufacturers must make sure that their products not only provide the health benefits sought by consumers, but that they also protect the natural environment, conserve energy, reduce pollution, and eliminate waste (Ottman et al., 2006).
The findings of the study contribute to increasing our understanding of the factors that influence consumers’ attitude towards green product purchases, and offer pointers to strategies that could be implemented to promote a positive consumers’ attitude towards buying green products.
In spite of this, the study has limitations that impact on the generalisability of its findings. First, the study’s design was cross-sectional in nature, and the sample was obtained using a non-probability procedure. For this reason, inferences cannot be made about causal relationships between the constructs in this study. Future studies could consider implementing longitudinal designs with data obtained through the probability sampling technique from a larger sample. Second, the data for the study were obtained from customers in Gauteng. Although this is the most populous province in South Africa, it is largely urban. Therefore the findings of this might not apply to consumers who live in the rural areas of the country. To improve upon the generalisability of this study, it would be important to consider improving the sample by including consumers living in rural areas.
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