Not All Imagery Evoking Nature is Perceived Equally: The Effect of Semiotic Packaging Design on Green Purchase Intention

Abstract

With green, natural, and sustainable values becoming a core focus in marketing, natural packaging imagery has emerged as a key strategy for conveying authenticity, purity, and environmental responsibilities. Through four independent online experiments (N1 = 149, N2 = 234, N3 = 110, N4 = 240), this study examines how two types of natural packaging imagery (iconic vs. symbolic) influence consumers' green purchase intentions. Drawing on semiotic theory, we investigate the mediating roles of schema congruity, processing fluency, and perceived product naturalness, as well as the moderating effect of verbal message type (explicit vs. implicit). The findings show that iconic natural imagery enhances schema congruity and processing fluency, thereby increasing perceived product naturalness and green purchase intention. Symbolic imagery, which requires greater cognitive effort, reduces fluency and purchase intention; however, pairing symbolic imagery with explicit verbal messages improves fluency and evaluation. By integrating semiotic theory with consumer information processing, this study's results clarify how natural packaging imagery and verbal message types jointly shape green purchase intentions. It broadens the interdisciplinary literature connecting semiotics and marketing and provides practical insights into eco-friendly packaging design.