Article
How Green is your Choice When Skepticism Clouds your Judgement? An Empirical Study on Perception, Emotion, and Purchase Likelihood
Despite the growing popularity of green products, skepticism continues to cloud customers judgement. This study investigates how perception and emotion of customers influence their likelihood to shop green products, under the shadow of skepticism. An empirical investigation was conducted drawing on data from 429 individuals via a structured questionnaire that was administered through stratified sampling. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the direct, indirect, and moderating effects within the proposed framework. SEM precedes with confirmation of two measurement model through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Major results reveal that the customers’ perception of green products influence their purchasing likelihood, both directly and indirectly, with emotion acting as a mediator in the indirect effect. Notably, skepticism significantly moderates both direct and indirect paths. This research work provides novel idea of ‘bubbling likelihood principle’, a new theory based on the empirical evidences. The disrupting nature of skepticism in sustainable decision-making of customers refers to another novelty of this study. Implications suggests that marketers should prioritize clarity, credibility and emotional authenticity in marketing communications to ensure that customers can make informed and confident green choices while purchasing eco-friendly products even if their judgement is clouded by doubt.