Green Shopping: Do Consumers Think About the Environment When Making Purchasing Decisions?

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is of find out how consumers consider eco-aspects when making purchases.

Design/methodology/approach: An internet survey of 713 respondents was conducted. The study uses the following statistical tests: Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient, Bivariate Pearson Correlation, Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test, and Chi - Squared Test.

Findings. The people with children stand out with regard to shopping in a planned manner with a shopping list, which can help to make informed purchasing decisions and limit unnecessary shopping. The survey shows that people with children are willing to pay more to get a product in preferable packaging. However, the situation looks different when it comes to students. Students, compared with other professional status groups, are reluctant to pay more for better packaging. They also stand out in the case of social media use – they follow profiles promoting green behaviours.

Research limitations/implications. Further research is planned to study the motivation behind environmentally friendly purchasing decisions.

Practical implications.  Among its findings the study demonstrates which groups could be potentially targeted with green product offers.

Social implications. The outcomes of the survey show how shopping and consumer preference is evolving. It is all-important to take care of the natural environment nowadays.  For this reason, companies should strive to produce greener products to help consumers lower their environmental impact.   

Originality/value. Drawing the correlation between a shopping process and consideration for the natural environment.