A Study to Analysis and Identify the Behavioral Relationship between the Attitude and Factor Affecting Consumer towards Green Behavior

Anupam Pareek*, Neha Mathur

Poornima University, Jaipur, Rajasthan 303905, India

*Corresponding Author’s Email: anupam.pareek@poornima.edu.in

Abstract

“We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So, when we say that we have lost our connection to nature we have lost our connection to ourselves”- Andy Goldsworthy. This research paper discusses the growing interest among the consumers regarding safety of environment. Today human being is conscious about the environment and is ready to change their buying habits. Resultantly the concept of green marketing has come out which tells social responsibility and sustainability of products and services. The vital objective of this research is to identify the factors which influence the buying behavior of consumer towards the green products, and to evaluate them. For this a survey was conducted in form of questionnaire among a group of youth consumer to share their thinking about the influencing factors and their thoughts about green products. The opinion was firmly based on awareness and perception of consumers and evaluated by using “Likert Five Point Scale” scaling technique and chi-square test was done. From the result and conclusion, it is identified that purchase behavior, perception measure, and awareness measure are the pinpoint dimensions (factors), which affect the conscious of consumers in adopting green marketing practices.

Keywords: Green Marketing; Perception; Purchase Behavior; Awareness

Introduction

“Environmentalism” the term has rapidly evolved as a global phenomenon. Company too have grown to the cause and have start responding to the Challenges through adopting green marketing Practices. According to the ‘American Marketing Association’, “Green marketing is the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe”. Marketing of green product is defining the idea of forecasting, manufacturing, and promoting of environment pleasant Product and services to fulfill the wants and needs of consumer with fine quantity, highest quality and affordable price and not having an adverse effect towards the environment. The movement from the Marketing strategies to marketing of green products can also appear to be increase priced in the short span of time; still, it will simply show to be necessary and favorable in the end.

Literature Review

Hartman (1997) described a relationship between businesses and environmental, can be effective game plan for corporate environmental responsibilities within business objectives. It explains the conceptual hold up of the marketplace- “primarily based perspective and illustrates how green alliances particularly”, are aid to businesses to ecologically protecting activity that may Reduce cost and gives advantages to the business (Ghosal, Prasad, & Gupta, 2022).

Prakash-Mani, Thorpe, & Zollinger (2003) explained how sustainability on corporate action boost financial performance, the focus of period has been on companies in changed markets. An analysis based on more than 240 cases over 60 countries, this research mainly focuses on addressing the gap. It examines the "business case" for sustainability in today’s emerging markets, and identifying opportunities for organization to cut the costs, boost the sales, reduce the risks, develop more human resource, build goodwill, and enhance capital from CG (corporate governance), improved environmental activities, and investments in socio- economic development.

Grant (2007) discussed about the framework of green marketing which is divided into main three parts – “green, greener and greenest” which shows the contribution added by marketers through developing new standard, hold up innovation and responsibility sharing. The concept of Green Marketing provides marketers to place people in new dimension of marketing by advertising green lifestyle. Grant gives Five I’s which includes integrative, initiative, innovating, inviting, and informed of green marketing which are the red border for company to follow to avoid green washing.

Jain (2007) highlighted the wants to address sustainability is a major issue, however, there have been a point of farce, in terms of early green marketing assert. There has been a sarcastic detail to lots of the dialogue approximately the inexperienced advertising and marketing up to now due to the fact, from a conceptual point of view, green advertising has been seriously restrained by its emphasis on the buying aspect of the intake technique. Environmental enhancement has been largely drawn as a query of clients expressing their worries by means of shopping new greener products (Ghosal, 2015).

Ramakrishna (2012) dealt with marketing based on environmentally safe and satisfied human wants and needs with no harmful effect on the environment. The word “Green Marketing”, “Ecological Advertising and Marketing” and “Environmental Marketing” are becoming more valuable in modern world. Today, consumers are very much aware about the importance of environment and benefits of the protecting the nature. Therefore, survive is cut-throat competition, organization need to adopt new color more over their competitors (Ghosal et al. 2021).

Mohan & Francis (2014) discussed about adopted and developed of green marketing practice as a part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) responsibility, as well consider as environmental safety. Thus, there is a correlation in Corporate Social Responsibility, a development with sustainability and green marketing practices which lead green develop of business as well as economy.

Ottoman (2011) described that the study is about the 20 developed rules of Green Marketing which emphasis the place of green marketing in operations with changed behavior and attitude of present consumers. This book is included ten chapters, which mainly focuses on green mainstreaming, green consumers segmentation, products strategies for greening them and strategies for communications with green consumers.

Saxena & Khandelwal (2010) emphasized on marketing innovations, Eco-marketing, green toolbox assembling for marketing, delivering high customer value, develop a competitive advantage for sustainability and global marketing issues.

Dahlstrom (2011) discussed emerging area of green marketing i.e., environment and macro- economic sectors, relationship among strategy and action. Further this book discusses sustainable marketing, green marketing, environmental effects of consumption, and sustainable monitoring and reporting.

Research Methodology

The research is descriptive in nature, primary data as well the secondary data is used. The research problem framed, and accordingly the hypotheses have been formulated. The secondary data were collected from books, reports, journals, documents, and the internet. Primary data were collected through online Questionnaire. In this research, the researcher prepared a questionnaire based on influencing factors i.e., purchase behavior, perception measure, awareness measure which affects the conscious of consumers in adopting green marketing activities.

Figure 1: Factors Influencing Consumer’s Thoughts on Green Marketing Practices

1. Objectives of study

   • To identify the factors which affect the attitude and of consumer’s purchasing behavior.

   • To evaluate relationship between factors of consumer.

   
   

2. Hypothesis

H0 – “Perception of Green Products and Practices” does not significantly affect the “Purchase Intention” of consumer

H0: pA = pB

Ha – Perception of Green Product and practices” does significantly affect the “Purchase intention” of consumer

Ha: pA ≠ 0.50, pB ≠ 0.50

Or Ha: pA ≠ pB

To solve the hypothesis, we use chi-square test with 0.5 expectancy. Formula of X2 is -

Where,

O = Observed Value E = Expected Value K = No of categories

Table 1: Calculation of Chi-Square

χ2 (4, N=103) =5.30; p ≥0.05

Hence, null hypothesis is rejected, and alternative hypothesis is accepted. There is significant impact on the perception of green products and practices on purchase intention of consumer.

Result and Discussion

In the survey, people were asked about green marketing practices which influence their thoughts and opinion. The perception is asked for three main measures which are based on factors influencing the thoughts of consumer on green behavior by using Chi-square and scaling technique (Likert Five Point Scale), Graphs etc.

# Education

According to the Questionniare, the study involve about 75.7% of the Respondentes who are completed their Post Graduation whereas 18.4% of respondents who are Graduate and only 8.7% of the total sample area is undergreduate. The above figure showss theat the study involve most of the respondents who are well knowledged.

# Product which you feel is green.

According to the survey out of 103 respondents almost 76 people believe that organic food, ayurvedic medicine and soap belongs to green product whereas a small not i.e., 27 people think other product like battery operated cars, salt, jeans etc. are green product.

Table 2: Demographic Profile of Respondents

Table 3: Geographic Profile of Respondents

Above table 2 discusses the gender ratio comes in the study. More than half i.e., 67 respondents are female, and 36 respondents belongs to male category. Whereas table 3 discusses geographical division of sample, 92 respondents out of 103 belong to urban area and only 11 respondents belong to rural location (refer to table 2 &3).

Table 4: Factor Identifying Perception of Consumer in Likert Scale

Factor 1. Perception Measure

During the survey, the respondents were asked to give their views about the factors which influence their thoughts on green practices. The opinion is taken for seventeen statements which are influencing the consumer’s opinion or purchase behaviour on green marketing practices by adopting scaling technique, namely Likert Five Point Scale shows the details of consumer’s opinion on green practices. Factors like; Eco-friendly Products; Are good for environment; Are healthy; Have good quality/ performance conventional product; Have good taste and smell; Are well promoted; Are accessible and available in the market; It makes me feel different from everyone else. Table 4 discusses that most of the consumers agree with the factors in connection with their opinion about green practices, the percentage is high for ‘Agree’, and ‘Strongly Agree’ scales. Where 5 rating for strongly agree, 4 rating for agree, and 1 is for strongly disagree.

Table 5: Factors Influencing Consumer’s Purchase Behavior on Green Marketing Practices

Factor 2. Purchase Behavior

The behavior of respondents has been evaluated by adopting Likert’s Scaling Technique. The attitude has been categorized into three levels namely- Never, Sometime and Frequently. Out of 103 respondents 98 respondents sometime read label before buying to see if contents are environmentally safe, 84 respondents never use biodegradable soaps and detergents, 73 respondents never feel that price of green product affects purchase behavior, 82 respondents sometime look for green product in the given product category, 98 respondents sometime buy products whose package can be reuse, 96 respondents carry own bag to supermarkets, 64 respondents sometime make personal sacrifices towards encouraging green product purchases, 87 respondents don’t mind in paying extra price for bulbs which consumes less energy. Table 4 identify that majority of respondents are ready to buy green products but are not aware about the Products available in market or which behaviour called as green.

Table 6: Factor Identifying Awareness of Respondents towards Green Product

#Factor 3 Awareness Measure

In which of the following situations are you likely to adapt more towards green product?

Third factor of the study analysis awareness of consumer or we can say at what point or stage respondents are ready to buy or move towards green behavior. Table 6 shows that out of 103 respondents 90 respondents like eco-friendly products, feel trendy while purchase eco- friendly product and want to preserve the Earth. Only 13 respondents move towards green when government puts subsidy or when they start earning six figure salaries.

Suggestion

The attitude and behavior of respondents between the age group of 25 to 50 has been measured by using Likert’s Scale Technique. To analysis and identify the behavioral relationship between the attitude and factor of the respondents towards green Behavior A chi- square test was conducted for difference in perception of green product and practices does significant affect the purchase behavior of consumer χ2 (4, N=103) =5.30; p ≥0.05. Here there is statistically perception of green product and practices does significant affect the purchase behavior of consumer. Hence rejected the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis for further study.

Table 7: Chi-square Analysis

The results shows that the factors like location, gender, age, and income have not change the behavior of the respondent. In factor analysis, following factors are identified that influence the behavior of respondents towards the green practices:

1. Efforts for Developing Environment.

2. Awareness about eco-friendly product.

3. Premium Cost.

4. Controlling pollution.

5. Proper Usage and Maintenance.

6. Feel about green product.

7. Lifestyle aspect.

8. Barriers in green Behaviour Adoption.

Conclusion

The vital purpose of research was to analysis the factors which influence consumer’s thoughts on green practices. The perception is asked for three main measures which are based on influencing factors based on thoughts of consumer on green marketing practices by using scaling technique (Likert Five Point Scale). Chi-square test is used to check the validity of hypothesis. As a result, purchase behavior, perception measure; awareness measure is the factors affect the conscious of consumers in adopting green marketing practices.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

Acknowledgement

The authors are thankful to the institutional authority for completion of the work.

References

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