Motives of Green Consumption: The Moderating Roles of Perceived Consumer Effectiveness and Price Sensitivity

Abstract

This paper aims to study a set of motives favoring purchase behavior while testing the mediating role of purchase intention within the context of green consumption. The literature review enabled us to distinguish mostly the following motives: health consciousness, environmental concern and the consumer’s social influence. The moderating roles of perceived consumer effectiveness and price sensitivity are also examined. The findings of a quantitative study involving 480 Tunisian consumers of green products indicate that protecting their health, supporting their environment and expressing their social affiliation are important motives of the consumers’ intention to buy green products. The intensity of these relationships is significantly moderated by the ‘consumer perceived effectiveness’. Thus, for the Tunisian consumer, a purchase intention is not consistent with a purchase behavior. It is indeed affected, in particular, by price sensitivity. The present study provides managerial insights for green marketers to operate in fast growing emerging markets.