Consumers’ susceptibility tointerpersonal influence as a

determining factor of ecologicallyconscious behaviour

Arpita KhareIndian Institute of Management Rohtak, Rohtak, India

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine affect of consumer susceptibility to interpersonalinfluence (CSII) and demographics on ecologically conscious consumer behaviour (ECCB).Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through mall intercept technique in six citiesacross India.Findings – ECCB and CSII scales were applicable in Indian context. Factor analysis revealed twofactors for ECCB scale: ecologically conscious purchase behaviour and green product attitudes.Normative, informative influence of CSII and income were predictors to ecologically consciouspurchase behaviour. Normative influence emerged as predictor to green attitudes.Research limitations/implications – The study focuses itself only on CSII factors. It does notexamine influence of variables like personal values, risk perception, and personality on ECCB. It doesnot examine role of consumers’ attitude towards conservation of energy and natural resources.Practical implications – The findings can be of immense use to firms marketing green brandsin India. Social group acceptance and conformance is important for Indian consumers; advertisingand promotional campaigns should use social groups for marketing green products. Consumerinvolvement and engagement can be created through social networking web sites. Ecologicallyconcerns should be rewarded in order to encourage consumers to adopt green attitudes.Originality/value – Green marketing and ecologically conscious behaviour are upcoming researchareas in India. There is limited research to understand Indian consumers’ concerns about environment.ECCB and CSII scales were used as it was assumed that using scales which have been tested andvalidated in other cultures would give reliable results.

Keywords Consumer behaviour, Socialization, India, Ecology

Paper type Research paper

IntroductionEcologically conscious and environment friendly behaviour has been extensivelyresearched in western countries (Chan, 2001; Fraj and Martınez, 2002; Gurau andRanchhod, 2005; Yeung, 2005; Hartmann et al., 2005; Fraj and Martinez, 2006a, b; Rioset al., 2006; Chan et al., 2006; D’Souza et al., 2006; Pickett-Baker and Ozaki, 2008; Parket al., 2010). Increased concern about environment among social groups andgovernment has acted as an impetus to green marketing. Firms are using green brandsto differentiate themselves from competitors and exhibit their commitment towardsprotecting environment. Research on ecologically conscious behaviour amongconsumers in emerging markets is limited. Lai (2000) states that consumers’ concerntowards environment has increased in last decade; however, consumers feel that onus

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available atwww.emeraldinsight.com/0263-4503.htm

Received 10 April 2013Revised 25 June 2013Accepted 25 June 2013

Marketing Intelligence & PlanningVol. 32 No. 1, 2014pp. 2-20r Emerald Group Publishing Limited0263-4503DOI 10.1108/MIP-04-2013-0062

The author wants to extend her gratitude towards the editor and the anonymous reviewers’ fortheir indispensable and valuable suggestions and comments that improved the quality of thepaper significantly.

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lies with government to protect environment. For encouraging people to understandimportance of environment degradation, it is important to first understand factorsinfluencing their environment-related attitudes. Few researches have examinedecological behaviour of Asian consumers (Chan, 2000, 2001; Chan and Lau, 2002;Haron et al., 2005; Kalantari et al., 2007; Lee, 2008, 2009; Chen, 2009). However, there isvery little research on Indian consumers’ ecologically conscious behaviour. Exploringantecedents to Indian consumers’ ecological behaviour can provide valuable insightsboth to marketers and practitioners. Research suggests that consumers’ environmentallyfriendly attitudes are affected by several factors like eco-labels, price, trust, psychologicalfactors and, personal and social values. Drawing from extant literature on greenmarketing and ecological behaviour, current research examines role of consumers’susceptibility to interpersonal influence (CSII) developed by Bearden and Etzel (1982)on ecological conscious behaviour of Indian consumers.

The purpose of this research is to understand one of the several factors influencingecological behaviour. The scope of the research is limited to only normative andinformative influence on ecological consciousness. The reason for taking a very narrowdomain was because green marketing in India is a relatively new concept and there isvery little information available on Indian consumers’ green attitudes. Further, researchsuggests that ecological consumer behaviour is rooted in consumers’ values (Ellen et al.,1991; Chan et al., 2008; Jansson et al., 2010; Smith and Paladino, 2010). In collectivistcultures, influence of social conformance cannot be ignored. Social influences and normshave been suggested to play an important role in molding consumers green attitudes(Kalafatis et al., 1999; Kim and Chung, 2011; Borin et al., 2011; Park and Sohn, 2012).Understanding role of social group values on ecologically conscious behaviour can beuseful to marketers. It can provide insights about Indian CSII related with environmentfriendly products. Urban consumers’ awareness about green products is on rise; however,green initiatives are not popular among masses (Shrikanth and Raju, 2012). People do notunderstand green products and relate them with corporate social responsibility. Indiansare accustomed to using ayurvedic and herbal products. Local firms have marketed theseproducts as natural and having medicinal properties. Given the history of herbalproducts in India, green brands can be successful (Mishra and Sharma, 2010). However,consumers are unable to understand terms like “recyclable”, “earth-friendly”, “organic”.Environmental degradation, pollution, and destruction of natural resources areincreasing due to rapid industrialization. Understanding consumers’ attitudes towardsenvironment can help in devising sustainable marketing strategies. The findings ofthis research can help in examining other factors like perceived trust, risk, and valueassociated with green products in future research projects. There is limited informationavailable to companies regarding Indian consumers’ perceptions and attitudes aboutgreen products. Therefore, it was considered appropriate to start with exploringpossible normative influences to green attitudes.

Literature reviewEcologically conscious behaviourResearch on green purchase behaviour in western countries posits growing concernamong consumers about green marketing (Kotchen and Reiling, 2000; Bang et al., 2000;D’Souza et al., 2006; Borin et al., 2011). Kang and James (2007, p. 310) define environmentalconsciousness as: “the degree to which an organization produced a product which isadvantageous to the natural environment while minimizing negative impacts on theenvironment”. Consumers’ knowledge about environmentally friendly products influences

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their concern about environment by increasing involvement with green products(Fraj and Martinez, 2006a, b; Rios et al., 2006). There has been considerable researchon green marketing in developed countries; however, research in developing countries islimited. Companies trying to promote their products as “green brands” face problemsas consumers’ lack awareness about green initiatives. With green marketing increasing indeveloping countries, consumers in these markets are being targeted by companies sellingeco-products. Krystallis and Chryssohoidis (2005) studied consumers’ willingness to payfor organic products. Consumers’ willingness to pay for organic products was affectedby food quality, security, trust in certification, and brand name. Prices and socio-demographic profiles did not influence consumers’ willingness to pay for organicproducts.

Existing literature recognizes relevance of factors like lifestyle, consumers’ knowledgeabout green products, peer influence, and environmental concerns on purchase ofenvironment friendly products. Consumers purchase decision is influenced by bothinternal and external factors. The consumers’ consciousness towards environment canbe understood in the light of behavioural, attitudinal, and cognitive components(Balderjahn, 1988). Some researchers suggest that environmental concern does notnecessarily translate into green purchase behaviour (Bhaskaran et al., 2006; Phau andOng, 2007; Paco and Raposo, 2009). The different findings suggest that furtherresearch can be undertaken:

. to understand determinants of environment conscious attitude; and

. to understand affect of CSII on environment conscious behaviour.

Research in western countries has discussed importance of environment friendlyattitude in explaining green purchase intentions. Mainieri et al. (1997) posit that greenvalues influence green purchase behaviour of American consumers. Women exhibitedhigher environment conscious behaviour than men. Cheah and Phau (2011) examinedantecedents and moderators that influence consumers’ green purchase decisions.Eco-literacy, interpersonal influence, and value orientation are correlated to consumers’environment friendly attitudes. Consumers’ knowledge about environment and impactof pollution on environment can lead to greater awareness and as a consequence promotefavourable attitude towards green products. D’Souza et al. (2006) have discussed role ofadvertising, communication, symbols, and claims in generating awareness about benefitsof green products. Fraj and Martinez (2006a, b) studied influence of lifestyle and values onSpanish consumers’ ecological behaviour. The findings suggest that environmentalpatterns and self-fulfillment values were important determinants of consumers’ecological behaviour. Spanish consumers had positive attitude towards environment;however, it did not necessarily translate into shopping only environment friendlyproducts. They felt that protecting environment was responsibility of government andpublic institutions. Similar findings were reported by Roozen and De Pelsmacker(2000) about Belgian and Polish consumers. Environmental attitude did not necessarilyreflect in purchasing green products.

Pujari and Wright (1996) posit that companies are responding to ecological concernsby formulating corporate and product level environment related strategies. Relatinglow involvement products with environment responsiveness may not lead to competitiveadvantage for companies. Berger and Fitzsimons (2008) highlight importance of primingin shaping positive attitude towards environment friendly products. Improving exposureto relevant cues can affect stimulus through conceptual and perceptual connections.

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Young et al. (2010) examined “attitude-behaviour gap” of self-declared green consumersin UK. To encourage consumers to translate their environment related attitudes intobehaviour, incentives, and labels could be provided as supporting “green” was difficultin hectic lifestyle. Haanpaa (2007) suggests that lifestyle or psychological factors wereimportant predictors in explaining Finnish consumers’ green attitudes. Socio-economicbackground did not influence green purchase attitudes. Stets and Biga (2003)found person’s identity, self–concept, and attitudes important in influencing theirgreen commitment. They classified individual’s identity under three dimensions:prominence, salience, and commitment. Prominence reflects individual’s perceptionabout himself, salience focuses on certain behaviour patterns, and commitmentto an identity influences salience. Environmental friendly behaviour was identifiedas personality trait.

Few studies have examined relevance of social norms, peer influence, and groupson green purchase behaviour. Harland et al. (2007) applied norm activation theory tostudy pro-environment purchase behaviour of Danish consumers. Personal norms werestrongly related to pro-environment behaviour; and partly mediated influences ofefficacy, ability on behaviour and awareness of need. Awareness of need suggestsfeeling among consumers that environment is being affected and it is their moralduty to protect environment. Similar results were reported by Jansson et al. (2010).They examined green curtailment behaviour and willingness to buy green productsamong Swedish consumers. Consumers’ values, beliefs, personal norms, and habitsaffect consumers’ green curtailment behaviour and willingness to adopt innovationsmarketed as environment friendly. Personal norms have a strong influence on willingnessto buy green products. Kalafatis et al. (1999) used theory of planned behaviour (TPB)to examine its influence on UK and Greek consumers’ intention to buy green products.They suggest a strong fit between TPB model and purchase of environmental friendlyproducts. Social norms and societal acceptance had direct influence on British consumers’intention to purchase green products. Perceived control was associated with Greekconsumers’ intention to purchase green products. Social influence was not important incase of Greek consumers. Park and Sohn (2012) state that social norms, personalenvironment related norms and self-monitoring behaviour affect environment friendlybehaviour. People high on self-monitoring behaviour are influenced by injunctivesocial norms, whereas low self monitors are affected by descriptive social norms.

Some researchers discuss role of green branding and positioning. Emotional andfunctional attributes could be combined in branding of green products (Hartmannet al., 2005). An integrated green brand positioning strategy can create favourableperception about company’s products. Positioning green products purely on emotionalattributes may lead to weak attitudes. Pickett-Baker and Ozaki (2008) suggest thatthere is relationship between consumers’ confidence in performance of green productsand their pro-environmental beliefs. Consumers were willing to purchase green products;however, they lacked awareness about green products. Companies did not use effectivepositioning and advertising strategies to inform consumers about green products.Involvement with green brands would promote awareness. It should help consumersrelate green brands with their lifestyle. Borin et al. (2011) found that there was nodifference in consumer perceptions of green products and non-green products.Consumers’ perception about product quality, value, and purchase intentions does notdiffer significantly between products with environmental messages and those withoutsuch message. The green products should highlight benefits of green products in termsof impact on environment. Paco and Raposo (2009) report similar findings. Portuguese

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consumers’ concern for environmental issues did not translate into green purchasebehaviour. Green concerns were related to economic issues like saving electricityand water. They were aware of environmental issues and willing to purchaseenvironmentally friendly products for saving environment. Similarly, Phau and Ong(2007) suggest that Australian consumers were likely to respond positively towardscause related promotions and green brands rather than to neutral brands.

Green marketing in AsiaGreen marketing in Asian countries is growing. Consumers are becoming consciousabout environment and willing to purchase green brands. Chan (2000) categorizedconsumers into heavy and light green consumers. Heavy green consumers weremore educated and belonged to high-income groups than light green consumers. Theyperceived green products as being good for environment. They considered themselvesknowledgeable about green products, had strong self-identity, and were influenced bypeers, government and green groups. Chan and Lau (2002) used TPB to compareenvironment consciousness of American and Chinese consumers. Subjective normand perceived behavioural control exerts strong influence on Chinese consumers’behaviour. Group conformity was important in case of Chinese consumers than theirenvironmental attitudes. However, attitudes were important in case of Americanconsumers. Their attitudes were affected by salient attitudinal beliefs like “savingresources” and “high prices”. In another research, Chan (2001) examined influence ofcultural and psychological factors on Chinese consumers’ green purchase behaviour.Green purchase behaviour was influenced cultural value of collectivism, ecologicalaffect, and ecological knowledge. Similarly in another research, Haron et al. (2005)found that ecological knowledge of Malaysian consumers was high and their participationin environment related activities strengthened their awareness. Mostafa (2007) states thatlink between ecological concern and purchase of ecological products was weak amongEgyptian consumers. They were not willing to purchase green products purely onenvironmental concerns.

Lee (2008) studied green purchase behaviour of adolescents in Hong Kong. Factorslike social influence, environmental concern, self-image, and perceived environmentalresponsibility were predictors to green purchase behaviour. Social influence was mostimportant factor influencing green purchase behaviour. Kim and Chung (2011) appliedTPB to understand influence of consumers’ past values on their organic productpurchase intentions. Environmental consciousness and appearance consciousnessinfluenced purchase decision of organic products. Past experience with organic productshad an impact on consumers’ green product attitudes and future purchase intentions.Chen (2009) posits that health consciousness and environmental concerns are majormotives for purchasing organic foods among Taiwanese consumers. Consumers’ valuestowards green products and environment would affect their attitudes. Green perceivedvalue would affect green perceived trust and green purchase intentions (Chen, 2010; Chenand Chang, 2012). Green perceived value affects loyalty towards green products but alsohas an impact on consumers’ green trust and satisfaction. In order to improve consumers’perception towards green products, firms’ should improve green value, green satisfaction,and green trust.

Research on Indian consumers’ green purchase behaviour has gained momentum inrecent years. Mishra and Sharma (2010) opine that green marketing initiatives arelikely to become popular as firms and government are focusing on green initiatives.Domestic firms like Tata Motors, Tripura Natural Gas Company Limited, and Wipro

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Infotech are increasingly investing in green initiatives. Ishawini and Datta (2011) positthat Indian consumers’ pro-environment concerns affect their green purchase behaviours.They are willing to purchase green products only if they are reasonably priced. Peopleare becoming conscious about environment and ecological products. Similarly, Singh andPandey (2012) suggest that there is an increased interest among Indian consumerstowards green products. Information about quality, features, performance, and price ofgreen products can lead to increase in use of green products. In similar vein,understanding Indian consumers’ ecological concerns would provide useful insights formarketing green products. Siringi (2012) examined green consumer behaviour amonghighly educated consumers in India. The results suggest that environmental concernswere not reflected in consumers’ purchase decisions. People gave importance to productquality rather than environmental attributes. Manaktola and Jauhari (2007) found thatIndian consumers had positive attitude towards hotels that had adapted green practices.They were willing to use services of hotels using green practices but were not willing topay higher price. Indian consumers’ lack awareness about green practices.

CSIICSII was an independent variable for the study. Research posits that consumers areaffected by social norms, groups, and family (Burnkrant and Cousineau, 1975; Beardenand Etzel, 1982; Batra et al., 2001; Mourali et al., 2005). Self-identity is conceptualized ina hierarchical structure and different layers give different meanings (Turner et al.,1987). Individuals’ personal identity at interpersonal level conceptualizes how theyperceive themselves as being different from others. Self-identity at group level isderived from individual’s affiliation to groups. Person’s identity contains both groupand self-conceptualizations. Social identities give “stereotypical similarities” withgroup members (Nario-Redmond et al., 2004). Individuals’ think and act according togroup norms. They seek self-distinctiveness in order to achieve high respect in groups.This leads to differentiation for in-group with respect to other groups (Phua, 2010).

As mentioned in the earlier section, consumers’ attitudes towards green products isinfluenced by social norms and groups (Kalafatis et al., 1999; Chan, 2000; Chan andLau, 2002; Harland et al., 2007; Lee, 2008, 2009; Jansson et al., 2010; Cheah and Phau,2011; Kim and Chung, 2011; Park and Sohn, 2012). Consumers adopt green productsnot only because of their concern for environment, but also due to social pressure.Individual’s susceptibility to interpersonal influence in one situation would define his/her ability to get influenced in a range of different situations (Bearden et al., 1989;Batra et al., 2001). Individuals seek group conformity in order to gain acceptance andrecognition in groups (Bearden and Etzel, 1982). Bearden and Etzel (1982) categorizedinterpersonal influence under two forms of social influence: normative andinformational. Normative influence refers to person’s compliance to social norms inorder to avoid negative consequences of non-conformity in group settings. Conformanceto prescribed social norms is done in order to avoid punishments or disassociation withimportant group (Price et al., 1987; Kropp et al., 2005). It helps in ensuring groupmembership and acceptance. Normative influence is value-expressive and utilitarian as itenables individual to gain acceptance among peers (Bearden and Rose, 1990). Degree ofinterpersonal influence varies across individuals. People having low self-esteem are likelyto place high relevance on group norms. Informational influence relates to groupinfluence with respect to product/service choices. People adhere to group norms andvalues if it is beneficial and improves their position (Rimal et al., 2005). Some researcherssuggest that degree of person’s susceptibility to interpersonal influence depends on

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his/her status in society (Lammers et al., 2009; Schmid Mast, 2010). People high on socialstatus are likely to be less influenced by group norms and conformity.

Bearden et al. (1989) developed CSII scale to measure both normative and informationalinfluence. The scale has been adapted in different cultures in order to understand itsinfluence on consumers’ decision making with respect to different products. Ebren (2009)used CSII scale to understand its applicability on Turkish consumers. Clark andGoldsmith (2006) examined influence of interpersonal influence on consumers’ trait of globalinnovativeness. Innovativeness as a trait was associated with “informational influence”despite resistance from normative influence. People high on innovativeness are likely toplace high value on information from others in order to make informed and correct decisions.They would be risk takers and prefer to try new products. Khare et al. (2012) applied CSII toexamine its influence on fashion clothing involvement among Indian women. They posit thatIndian women’s fashion clothing involvement was affected by normative influence.Hoffmann and Broekhuizen (2009) applied CSII to understand its influence on consumers’investment-related decisions. Consumers’ susceptibility to normative influence increasestransaction frequency whereas informational influence decreases transaction frequency.Association with groups strengthens one’s identity and acceptance in groups.

Researchers have examined role of demographic factors like income, age, andgender on ecologically conscious behaviour. Yam-Tang and Chan (1998) found that womenand high-income groups were more consistent in their environment conscious attitudes.However, a study on Egyptian consumers by Mostafa (2007) found that women were lessaware about environmental issues. Men showed greater concern towards environment andwere likely to have a positive attitude towards green products. In a recent research, Mouradand Ahmed (2012) examined influence of green brand preference among Egyptianconsumers. Consumers reported having poor awareness about environment-relatedpromotions and eco-labels. There was no difference among genders related to green brandpreference; however, difference was reported among different age, income, and educationallevels. In other research, Lee (2009) examined gender differences related to environmentalattitude, environmental concern, perceived seriousness of environmental problems,perceived environmental responsibility, peer influence, self-identity in environmentalprotection, and green purchasing behaviour among young consumers in Hong Kong.Females had high concern for environment, were serious about environmental problems,and perceived greater environmental responsibility than men. Peer influence and greenpurchasing behaviour was significantly higher for females. Men scored higher on self-identity and environmental protection. Kalantari et al. (2007) states that pro-environmentattitudes of Iranian consumers was influenced by age, gender, income, education, problem-based knowledge, environmental legislation, and environmental attitude.

Conceptualizing and examining factors influencing consumers’ attitude towardsenvironment provides valuable insights about their behaviour. From the literaturereview, following hypotheses were identified:

H1. There is a positive relationship between consumers’ environmental attitudesand interpersonal influence.

H2. There is a relationship between consumer demographics like age, income,education, gender, and marital status and their green purchasing behaviour.

H3. Interpersonal influence and demographics (age, income, education, gender, andmarital status) affect consumers’ green product attitudes.

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Research methodologyInstrument designThe questionnaire contained measures for age, income levels, marital status, andeducation. It contained two scales: CSII and environment friendly purchase behaviourscales adapted from earlier researches. The scales selected have been adapted to studyconsumer behaviour across different countries. CSII scale developed by Bearden et al.(1989) was adapted to examine its influence on Indian consumers’ ecologicallyconscious behaviour. CSII scale has twelve items (four utilitarian, four value-expressive,and four informational). The utilitarian and value-expressive items comprise normativesub-dimension and remaining four comprises informational sub-dimension. The secondsection comprises of ecological conscious consumer behaviour (ECCB) scale adaptedfrom Roberts and Bacon (1997). Only ten items from original ECCB scale were adapted asthey were relevant in Indian conditions. The ECCB items reflect use of recycled material,saving energy, and reducing amount of electricity consumed. The scale includes items toexplain environmental concerns and its impact on consumer decision making. The scaleshave been extensively used by researchers and their applicability is well established.It was assumed using these scales would ensure reliable results. The responses ofconsumers were taken on a five-point Likert scale with responses varying on the scaleof 5 for strongly agree and 1 for strongly disagree.

SampleA self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data in six cities across India(New Delhi, Bangalore, Udaipur, Chennai, Chandigarh, and Kolkata). Mall interceptmethod was used by contacting consumers on different periods of time and days in aweek. Cities across India were selected randomly in order to gain insight aboutecologically conscious behaviour of Indian consumers’ and to get cross sectionalsample. Both metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities were targeted for survey.Research suggests that mall intercept method provides in-depth response to researchobjective (Bush and Hair, 1985). It is considered random and unbiased method for datacollection wherein respondents experience sense of anonymity (Griffin et al., 2000;Keng et al., 2007). Respondents were requested to participate in the survey. They wereinformed about the purpose of the survey and many declined to participate. Datacollection was done over a period of three months.

Out of 600 filled questionnaires only a total of 501 completed questionnaireswere used for final analysis. Remaining questionnaires were illegible and removed.The sample consisted of 25 percent females and 75 percent males. Mall interceptmethod has several shortcomings. It restricts researchers to only specific types ofshoppers and individuals who frequent malls (Murry et al., 1989). It is therefore,difficult to develop a probability sampling as people spending more time in malls arelikely to be interviewed for the survey (Gates and Solomon, 1982). Potentialrespondents representing other sections of society get eliminated as they are notfrequent visitors to malls. Given the inherent weakness associated with mall interceptmethod, the sample comprised large group of male population (see Table I for details).

Findings and discussionTo understand applicability of two scales on Indian sample (namely, CSII scale andECCB), exploratory factor analysis was run on the two scales. Factor analysisidentifies relevant factors (Churchill et al., 2010). The results of factor analysis for CSII(by Bearden et al., 1989) revealed two factors. The factors were similar to the original

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scale and labelled as normative and informative influence as the original factorsof Bearden et al. (1989). However, two items were removed as they had factor loadingso0.5 and failed to meet Nunnally’s (1967) desired score for scale development(Table II).

ECCB scale contained ten items. Factor analysis revealed two factors. The factorswere identified as “ecologically conscious purchase behaviour” and “green attitude”(Table III). Ecological conscious purchase behaviour factor contained seven itemsrelated to buying products that are environment friendly, not purchasing products areharmful to environment, and concern for environment. Green product attitude factorincluded three items related to purchasing light bulbs that save energy, not usingplastic bags, and “it is of no use worrying about environmental issues: I can’t doanything about them” (this item was reverse coded). ECCB scale was found applicablein Indian context.

Two set of regression analysis were run to understand role of demographic factorsand normative and informative influence on two factors of ECCB scale (Table IV).In the first regression, ecologically conscious purchase behaviour was dependentvariable and relationship of CSII and demographic factors was tested.

The results of first regression analysis suggest that both normative and informativeinfluences are important predictors to ecologically conscious purchase behaviour andsignificant at 0.000 levels. Indian consumers’ ecological concerns are influenced bysocial norms. Since green attitudes and purchase behaviour are new in Indian context,consumers seek information from family and friends in order to support their views on

Variable Frequency %

GenderMale 376 75.0Female 125 25.0Age (years)18-21 74 14.822-25 124 24.826-30 130 25.931-40 128 25.541-50 40 8.050 and above 5 1.0Marital statusMarried 251 50.1Single 250 49.9EducationHigher Secondary 103 20.6Graduation 290 57.9Post Graduation 98 19.6PhD 10 2.0Household income (monthly)Below INR 10,000 (below $218) 45 9.0INR 10,000-20,000 ($218-445) 104 20.8INR 21,000-30,000 ($446-667) 160 31.9INR 31,000-40,000 ($668-889) 86 17.2INR 41,000-50,000 ($890-1,112) 43 8.6Above INR 50,000 ($1,112) 63 12.6Total 501

Table I.Demographic descriptionof respondents

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CSII itemsFactor 1 normativeinfluence (a¼ 0.788)

Factor 2 informativeinfluence (a¼ 0.686)

I rarely purchase the latest fashions until I’m sure myfriends approve of them 0.659It is important that others like the products and brandsthat I buy 0.798When buying products, I generally purchase thosebrands that I think others will approve of 0.808If other people can see me using a product, I oftenpurchase the brand they expect me to buy 0.726I like to know what brands and products make goodimpression on others 0.500I often identify with other people by purchasing thesame products and brands they purchase 0.562To make sure I buy the right product or brand, I oftenobserve what others are buying and using 0.736If I have little experience with a product, I often ask myfriends about the product 0.592I often consult other people to help choose the bestalternative available from a product class 0.703I frequently gather information from friends and familyabout a product before I buy 0.557

Notes: Extraction method: principal component analysis. Rotation method: varimax with Kaisernormalization

Table II.Factor loadings for CSII

scale KMO and Bartlett’stest¼ 0.869

Environmental attitude scale

Factor 1 ecological consciouspurchase behaviour

(a¼ 0.834)

Factor 2 greenproduct attitude

(a¼ 0.646)

I would describe myself as environmentallyresponsible 0.534I care about buying environmentally friendlyproducts 0.723When I purchase products, I try to make efforts tobuy products that are low in pollutants 0.794If I understand the potential damage to theenvironment that some products can cause, I donot purchase those products 0.761I have convinced members of my family or friendsnot to buy some products which are harmful to theenvironment 0.727I am concerned about the current environmentalstate the world is in 0.715I will not buy a product if the company which sellsit is environmentally irresponsible 0.595I have purchased light bulbs that were moreexpensive but saved energy 0.744I make every effort to reduce the use of plasticbags 0.752It is of no use worrying about environmentalissues: I can’t do anything about them 0.761

Table III.Rotated factor analysis

matrix for environmentalattitude factors KMO and

Bartlett’s test¼ 0.886

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green purchase. Informative and normative influences help consumers to seekconformance. The findings support earlier researches that posit importance of socialnorms in green purchase behaviour (Kalafatis et al., 1999; Chan, 2000; Chan and Lau,2002; Harland et al., 2007; Lee, 2008, 2009; Jansson et al., 2010; Cheah and Phau, 2011;Kim and Chung, 2011; Park and Sohn, 2012) (Table V).

There have been studies on social influence and personal values; however, there islimited research on role of informative and normative influence on green purchasebehaviour. People are likely to seek advice from friends and acquaintances if the productis innovative or they are not sure about its performance. Conformance with social groupshelps individuals in minimizing risk associated with purchasing new products. Greenmarketing and environmental friendly strategies of companies are new to Indianconsumers. Discussing green product attributes with friends and family can reduce riskof taking a wrong decision. It also helps consumers to seek conformance about theirfeelings and attitudes towards environment.

Kalafatis et al. (1999) have discussed importance of social norms and societalacceptance in predicting green purchase behaviour. Earlier researches on Indianconsumers suggest positive relationship of social norms and normative and informativeinfluences on purchase decisions (Ishawini and Datta, 2011; Khare et al., 2012).Similar insights can be drawn in terms of ecological behaviour among Indian consumers.

Standardized coefficientsb t p

(Constant) 4.949 0.000Normative 0.203 4.556 0.000**Informative 0.415 9.822 0.000**Gender 0.030 0.797 0.426Age 0.063 1.226 0.221Marital status 0.015 0.321 0.748Education �0.024 �0.584 0.560Income 0.192 4.523 0.000**R2¼ 0.322 **po0.01Adjusted R2¼ 0.313F¼ 33.496; df¼ 7; p¼ 0.000

Table IV.Regression analysis –predictors to ecologicallyconscious purchasebehaviour

Standardized coefficientsb t p

(Constant) 8.026 0.000Normative 0.218 8.136 0.000**Informative 0.072 2.385 0.017Gender �0.143 �0.698 0.486Age �0.070 �0.710 0.478Marital status �0.267 �1.209 0.227Education �0.216 �1.534 0.126Income �0.030 �0.437 0.663R2¼ 0.216 **po0.01Adjusted R2¼ 0.205F¼ 19.416; df¼ 7; p¼ 0.000

Table V.Regression analysis-predictors to greenattitude

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Among demographic factors, income emerged as a predictor variable. People in high-income brackets are likely to be more receptive to green marketing initiatives. Fewresearchers have identified income as important in predicting environmental consciousbehaviour (Yam-Tang and Chan, 1998; Kalantari et al., 2007). The finding adds to extantliterature on green marketing as income has not been found important in predictinggreen purchase intentions. Age and gender have been identified as important variables inpredicting green attitudes (Mostafa, 2007; Lee, 2008, 2009; Finisterra do Paco and Raposo,2010). In current research, age, gender, education, and marital status had no impact onecologically conscious behaviour. This adds a new dimension for future research. Whiletargeting consumers with ecological claims firms should focus on higher income groups.Income connotes social status and individuals’ exhibiting ecologically conscious behaviourmay use it to express their concern for environment or communicate their social status andlifestyle. This enables them to gain acceptance among similar social class and incomegroups. CSII is social class and group dependent. It helps them in defining their self-identity and social status among peer groups (Bearden et al., 1989; Bearden and Rose, 1990;Batra et al., 2001; Ebren, 2009). Social approval becomes important as it helps in buildingin-group associations. Individuals’ identity is derived from their group identity; it helps indifferentiating oneself from other groups. Group conformance enables individuals’ toreduce risk associated in purchase of products or services. Ecologically consciousbehaviour reflects a lifestyle which may not be understood by general masses. Lack ofawareness about ecological issues, pollutions, and waste makes people unconcerned aboutthe environment around them (Manaktola and Jauhari, 2007). In developing countries firmspecific efforts are few and companies proclaiming green practices are not trusted.Consumers do not understand implications of pursuing ecologically conscious behaviouras they are apprehensive about quality and price of green products (Prakash, 2002).Apprehension about pursuing ecological behaviour can be reduced if it has acceptanceamong peer group members. Influence of CSII suggests that consumers would seek advicefrom friends and family about ecological concerns. They pursue ecological attitudesbecause group members have similar attitudes. Social acceptance of ecological concernswould assure them that their beliefs are correct. CSII and income as predictors can help inmanaging social group attachments and stating one’s commitment towards group goals.The findings support research of Cheah and Phau (2011) wherein they posit importance ofinterpersonal influence as one of the factors influencing green purchase intention. H1 getsaccepted, while H2 gets partially accepted.

In the second regression model, green product attitude was dependent variable.Normative influence emerged as a predictor and was significant at 0.000 levels.Demographic factors and informative influence were not significant. The findingssuggest that norms help individuals in managing their behaviour in accordance tosociety’s set practices and values. It helps them in aligning their behaviour accordingwhat would be considered as appropriate and acceptable in social context. Limitedknowledge about green products and initiatives can create a sense on risk that othersmay not accept ecological attitudes. Lack of awareness among peer groups can leadto losing face where others misunderstand green concerns. It is insightful thatdemographic factors were not relevant. Indians across different age, education, income,and gender categories do not have attitudinal differences on green marketing.This may be because green marketing does not figure out as important in consumer’sdecision making. Lack of awareness about green practices and products affectsconsumers’ attitudes. Consumers may not be aware about environmentally friendlybrands and it restricts their product choices. H3 gets rejected.

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Managerial implicationsThe objectives were to understand role of CSII and demographic factors on ECCB.Findings suggest that ECCB of Indian consumers can be classified under two factors:ecologically conscious purchase behaviour and green product attitudes. ECCB scaledeveloped by Roberts and Bacon (1997) was applicable on Indian consumers. Scalesdeveloped for western cultures may fail to define attitudes of consumers in easterncultures. However, in current research, both scales were found applicable with somemodifications. The second relevant finding was relationship of CSII with consumers’predisposition towards ecological purchase behaviour. Income was only demographicfactor that influenced consumers’ ecologically conscious purchase behaviour.The findings present interesting insights about Indian consumers’ attitudes towardsecologically conscious behaviours. There is limited research on understanding role ofCSII on ecological behaviour. It supports researches in other cultures that social normsare important predictors of green attitudes (Roberts and Bacon, 1997; Kalafatiset al., 1999; Cheah and Phau, 2011; Kim and Chung, 2011; Park and Sohn, 2012).Consumers’ ecological concerns are driven by social values and group norms. Gainingapproval from groups about ecological concerns and commitments is importantfor Indians.

The implications of the study are important for both practitioners and policymakers. Firms differentiating their products as green or ecologically friendly shouldunderstand importance of interpersonal influence. This presents a challenge forcompanies. It would entail developing promotional campaigns and advertisementswhich are able to change groups’ approach towards green products and environment.Since group acceptance and conformance is important, it is important to link ecologicalconcerns with socially relevant issues. Jansson et al. (2010) posit that biospheric valuesand personal norms affect consumers’ green attitudes. The current study adds earlierresearches that personal values have to be in line with group values and norms. It helpsin adapting to social systems and defining rules for acceptable and unacceptablebehaviours. Shaping consumers’ beliefs about ecological concerns may be easy forfirms because people do not have much information about green brands. Priming effectcan be used for conditioning ecological behaviour (Berger and Fitzsimons, 2008).Advertising messages can be developed to inculcate environmental concerns, savingenergy, and using products that save energy. Firms can change consumers’ attitudesby using group pressure and linking ecological beliefs with involving personalproblems. Until people understand relevance of protecting environment, they would bereticent about exhibiting pro-environment behaviours.

Kalafatis et al. (1999) in their research posit that pressure from social groups andavailability of green products is important in determining consumers’ green concerns.Drawing from their findings, there are very few green brands available and marketedin India. Thus, there is very little awareness about advantages of green products.At a national level, there are very few social groups involved in environment-relatedissues. This presents immense opportunities for firms. Firms can use social groups fordeveloping positive attitudes among consumer groups. They can create environmentrelated social groups. These can be used as forums for marketing ecological productsand creating consumer engagement platforms. People should be encouraged to becomemembers of these environment friendly groups managed by firms. Firms can creategroup and community engagement about green brands through social media andsocial networks. This would create consciousness at two levels. At first level, peoplewould develop better understanding about environmental issues and this would have

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an impact on their beliefs about green brands. Firms can also create awareness aboutsaving natural resources and energy. These themes can be used in creating advertisingcampaigns. Green brands can be promoted and marketed through these social groups.This can build involvement with brands. Green brand personality can be developed forproducts through social groups. At second level, in-group acceptance about ecologicalconcerns would improve. The purpose of these initiatives should be to encourageconsumers’ to discuss their environmentally friendly attitudes with friends and peers.Group interactions should improve individual’s commitment towards ecologicalbehaviour. Consumers should be encouraged and rewarded by firms for endorsingenvironment friendly purchase behaviour. Price discounts and gifts should be offeredboth to retailers and distributors for promoting green brands. Similar discounts,rewards, contests, and gifts should be offered to consumers in a way that it enablesthem in improving their social image in groups.

In developing countries, environmental concerns do not necessarily translate intopolicies that are strictly followed by firms. Research suggests that only few firms inIndia are pursuing green practices (Mishra and Sharma, 2010). Enforcement of greenpractices by government is also poor. Society, government, and consumers lackcommitment towards environmentally friendly practices. To create awareness in societyit is important that government enforces green practices and makes it mandatory forfirms to comply with international norms. Once, green practices gain acceptance insociety, consumers’ awareness about environmentally friendly products would increase.Awareness has to be created both at government and society level. Consumers’ attitudewould reflect society’s acceptance about green practices. Consumers have to be educatedabout necessity of pursuing green behaviour. Government and NGOs should makeefforts to educate consumers about implications of recyclable/green products andpollutants on environment. These programs would help in creating positive attitudesand acceptance of green products.

Conclusion and future research directionsThere is limited research on green marketing in India. However, there are fewlimitations about the research. It provides insights about influence of CSII onecologically conscious behaviours. It does not take into account influence of lifestyle,personal values, shopping styles, and personality traits on CSII and their impact onecological concerns. It presents very limited set of parameters that may be taken up forfuture research. Further, research can be undertaken to understand consumers’ ecologicalconcerns related to conservation of natural resources. Specific product or lifestyle-relatedvalues can be examined. Social class influence and involvement issues related to greenproducts can be studied.

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About the author

Dr Arpita Khare is currently a Faculty at the Indian Institute of Management Rohtak, India. Shehas a MBA degree in Marketing and DPhil in international management from the University ofAllahabad. With over 14 years of academic experience, her research interests span overconsumer behaviour, retailing, and services marketing. She has authored quite a few researchpapers in international and national journals. Dr Arpita Khare can be contacted at: khare.arpita@gmail.com

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