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Companies often encourage consumers to engage in sustainable behaviors using their services in a more environmentally friendly or green way, such as reusing the towels in a hotel or replacing paper bank statements by electronic statements. Sometimes, the option of green service is implied as the default and consumers can opt-out, while in other cases consumers need to explicitly ask (opt-in) for switching to a green service. This research examines the effectiveness of choice architecture and particularly the different default policies-i.e., the alternative the consumer receives if he/she does not explicitly request otherwise-in engaging consumer green behavior. In four experiments, we show that the opt-out default policy is more effective than the opt-in, because it increases anticipated guilt. This effect is stronger for consumers who are less conscious for the environment (Study 1).We also show that a forced choice policy, in which the consumer is not automatically assigned to any condition and is forced to choose between the green and the nongreen service option, is more effective than the opt-in policy and not significantly more effective than the opt-out policy (Study 2). Finally, we show that the role of defaults is weakened (enhanced), if a negotiated (reciprocal) cooperation strategy is used (Study 3). The article contributes to the literature of defaults and provides managerial and public policy implications for the design of green services.

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate loyalty building and the creation of affectionate bonds in the consumer‐firm dyad.Design/methodology/approachThe study relies on face‐to‐face personal interviews in the context of grocery store retailing.FindingsThe results identify the significant predictors of consumer‐firm emotional attachment to be firm trust, trust in employees, likeability of service personnel and likeability of co‐consumers, shopping enjoyment, self‐expressiveness, place dependence, and place identity. Consumers' self‐enrichment, self‐gratification and self‐enablement likely influence emotional attachment, which in turn is a strong predictor of behavioral loyalty and word of mouth. Attachment anxiety appears to multiply the effects of emotional attachment on behavioral loyalty and word of mouth.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross‐sectional nature of the study precludes definitive conclusions concerning causality between the constructs utilized. The data come from the supermarket retail channel, limiting the generalizibility of the results.Practical implicationsAs the results suggest that the consumer's self‐enrichment seems to be the most important factor in determining emotional attachment, managers should incorporate the notion of emotional attachment into strategic performance management systems.Originality/valueThe study incorporates the notion of consumer heterogeneity into the relationship anxiety construct, arguing in favor of a non‐additive consumer‐firm emotional attachment nomological network.

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