Green marketing and consumer behaviour towards organic food products
a PLS-SEM and multi-group analysis approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2179-3565.2025v16i3p151-171Keywords:
Green Marketing, Organic Food Products, Green Purchase Intention, Green Purchase Behaviour, Structural Equation Modelling, Multi Group AnalysisAbstract
This study examines the major determinants of green consumer behavior towards organic foods in an emerging economy, which incorporates the factors of both intrinsic and extrinsic drivers into an accepted validated PLS-SEM framework. Quantitative data consisting of a survey of 400 respondents from cities and country areas of Central India were obtained. The model assessed the impact of Perceived Health Value (PHV), Green Product Knowledge (GPK), Environmental Concern (EC), Green Price Premium (GPP), and Eco-Label Credibility (ELC) on Green Purchase Intention (GPI) and Green Purchase Behavior (GPB). The findings demonstrated that PHV and GPK are the most dominant predictors of GPI, indicating the superiority of self-centered motives, such as personal health promotion and consumer consumerism. EC had a significant but slightly notable impact on GPI, whereas GPP and ELC failed to directly impact intention. Nevertheless, ELC played a dual role; it partly mediated and moderated the relationship between EC and GPI, intensifying intention when the credibility of labels was viewed as high. GPI was a significant predictor of GPB, as might have been anticipated; however, importantly, the mean behavioral outcome was less than the mean intention, indicating that a significant intention-behavior gap persists. Multi-Group Analysis (MGA) proved that rural and urban consumers have a similar psychological driver, with rural consumers displaying more sensitivity to the price, which effectively explains that the price premium is a superior barrier in such markets. This study is theoretically valuable for explaining the dual nature of eco-labels and presenting how health and knowledge are more fundamental than extrinsic indicators in the construction of sustainable purchase intentions. Managerially, it indicates the necessity of health-oriented conversations, teaching consumers, clear labelling, and segmentation-based pricing methods to promote the use of organic foods and reduce the intention–behavior discrepancy in emerging markets.
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