Determinants of Consumers’ Intentions towards the Purchase of Energy Efficient Appliances in Pakistan: An Extended Model of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

Amplified energy demand due to technologically advanced electrical and electronic appliances has accentuated the importance of energy efficiency to overcome energy shortage and environmental concerns. As adoption of energy efficient appliances depends on perception of the consumers, this study focuses on behavioral exploration of the consumers’ intentions towards the purchase of energy efficient appliances using an extended model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The study is based on a survey comprising 289 respondents. Partial least square (PLS) method is used to analyze the data. The results show that the attitude, perceived behavioral control, policy information campaigns, and past-purchase experiences significantly impact behavioral intentions of the consumers, whereas subjective and moral norms are insignificant in shaping behavioral intentions. Based on analyses, policy implications emphasizing (i) strong awareness campaigns, (ii) energy efficiency incentives, and (iii) replacement initiatives are proposed to help policy makers and administrators in achieving required goals of energy efficiency and conservation. The proposed research model and policy initiatives are a blueprint for synergies among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in understanding and shaping consumers’ behaviors towards the purchase of energy efficient products, particularly, in developing countries.

Bridging Green Gaps: The Buying Intention of Energy Efficient Home Appliances and Moderation of Green Self-Identity

“…This result stresses that the access of people to information about a product's energy efficiency via the use of labeling will result in their tendency to make more purchases. As expected and in line with previous works of literature [23,24,66,99], attitude and perceived behavioral control are key drivers of the purchase intention of EEHA products. This validates Hypotheses 9 and 10, indicating that a favorable attitude and higher PBC enhance the purchase intention of EEHA products.…”

“…Data was obtained via a structured questionnaire, which was adapted from various past research works and contained 29 questions, including a demographic profile in Section 2. Eco-labeling was measured using the items from the conducted study by Neves & Oliveira [45], with three items for assessing the purchase intention being adapted from the conducted study by Ali et al [99]. The 3-items of environmental concern, environmental knowledge, and attitude were adapted from Li et al [25].…”

Promoting environmental sustainability: the influence of knowledge of eco-labels and altruism in the purchase of energy-efficient appliances

“…This study has multiple theoretical implications that enrich the TPB and contribute to the existing literature on sustainable consumption. While previous scholars have recognized the role of psychographic variables such as values and environmental concern in shaping the behaviors of consumers (Ali et al , 2021; Aslam et al , 2020; Baldini et al , 2018; Hameed et al , 2019), researchers have largely ignored the role of altruism, particularly for the consumption of sustainable products. As hypothesized in past studies that altruism is an important element of ecological behavior (Yarimoglu and Binboga, 2019; Nguyen et al , 2017), this study validates the relationship in the context of EEA purchase intention.…”

“…For example, half a billion people in India had access to electricity between 2001 and 2016 that accounted for a 24% share of the household sector in the country. In Bangladesh, the household sector accounts for 52% of the total energy consumption (Ali et al , 2021). Similarly, a densely populated and developing country's (Pakistan) household sector has 46% of the total energy share that contributes to the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment (Ali et al , 2019).…”

“…In the extant body of literature, researchers in developed and developing markets have mainly focused on EEA to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment (Mills and Schleich 2013; Makijenko et al , 2016; Song et al , 2019). Various studies paid attention to the influence of socio-economic characteristics (Mills and Schleich, 2010; Gaspar and Antunes, 2011; Ahmed et al , 2019; Baldini et al , 2018), psychographic factors (Li and Lin, 2016), information campaigns (Ali et al , 2021) and altruism (Nguyen et al , 2017; Yarimoglu and Binboga, 2019) on pro-environmental behavior. In addition to this, scholars have focused on the influence of consumers' environmental knowledge for the purchase of EEA (Wang et al , 2014).…”