Business development policies cover both marketing and sales functions, as they are so intertwined in most firms. Thus, managers should comply with the factors that influence sustainable consumption behaviour. The study aims to investigate the effect of environmental knowledge (EK), materialism (MAT), environmental influences (EI), the promotion of sustainable consumption (PSC), and sustainable consumption behaviour intention (SCBI) on sustainable consumption behaviour (SCB). Although many studies have examined sustainability issues for various groups of countries, activities in this critical field in Bulgaria are severely limited, and integrated research on the subject is non-existent. This paper focuses on the importance of investigating various factors that influence sustainable consumer behaviour. A total of 489 complete and usable responses were collected from participants from all regions of Bulgaria between May 2022 and July 2022. The partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and SmartPLS 4 software were employed to test the hypothesised relationships. The results indicated that EK and MAT significantly affected SCBI. Additionally, the analysis revealed the statistically significant impact of EK, MAT, EI, PSC, and SCBI on SCB. Moreover, this study demonstrated that SCBI significantly mediated the relationships between EK and SCB and between MAT and SCB. Finally, the outcomes of the moderation analysis showed that age moderated the relationship between SCBI and SCB.

Social and material models consider hyperconsumption to be an unsustainable practice of consumer behavior that is responsible for the considerable damage inflicted upon the planet. The primary objective of this research study was to develop and validate a novel measurement scale to assess hyperconsumption behavior (HB) from a consumer’s point of view. Based on the literature on measurement theory, an HB scale was developed and validated over three studies. The first study consisted of item development, while the second study focused on exploring and confirming the factor structure of the scale. The investigations revealed that hyperconsumption behavior was a first-order construct with four underlying dimensions: shopping control (food); perceived repair benefits; possession of a large amount of goods; and experiential consumption. The third study assessed the nomological validity of the proposed scale by testing its association with two relevant scales of materialism and sustainable purchase behavior.

The purpose of this study is to investigate and reveal the relationships between student brand loyalty (SBL) and the four composite variables: brand associations (BA), brand information dissemination and sufficiency (BIDS), perceived quality (PQ), student brand engagement (SBE). The paper also explores possible relations between SBE and the constructs BA, BIDS, PQ. An empirical study was conducted among 250 students of 3 faculties in a public university in Bulgaria. The analysis included the maximum likelihood-ratio chi-square test (G-test), correspondence and multiple correspondence analysis. The results demonstrate a significance of all dependences among variables of the research model except between SBE and BA, PQ. Additionally, there has been little work on SBL relationships to select variables. This study contributes to filling this gap in the research. The suggested research frame provides a useful toolkit in aid of higher education policymakers for diagnosing and upgrading the SBL.

This study investigates the predictors and mediators of branded functional beverage consumption behaviour (CB) within the Gen Z demographic group in Bulgaria. An integrated model based on two widely known psychosocial theories was developed to examine the relationships between the consumers’ personal values within the value–belief–norm theory and the components of the protection motivation theory (PMT). The conceptual framework included two more influencing factors whose impact had not been researched in depth in previous studies concerning CB—namely, the role of media (RM) and branded functional beverage health benefits (HB). An empirical survey based on 435 Gen Z members aged between 16 and 26 years was conducted. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the proposed hypotheses. The results revealed that the consumers’ personal values were significant predictors of the PMT threat and coping appraisal components, which, in turn, had a significant positive impact on CB. CB was not directly affected by the branded functional beverage health benefits but was indirectly influenced by the HB via purchase intention toward functional beverages and RM. The study highlighted the important role of RM, which directly and indirectly affected CB. The theoretical and practical implications were discussed, and recommendations were given for raising Gen Z’s awareness of the benefits of functional beverages and increasing their consumer acceptance.