Impeding green customization: the roles of negative perceptions, environmental responsibility and claim type

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of environmental responsibility (ER) on consumers' green customization intention (GCI), as well as the separate and joint moderating effects of consumers' negative perceptions and environmental claim type (ECT) on the relationship between ER and GCI.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, two online experimental questionnaires and one between-subject lab experiment were conducted to test all hypotheses.FindingsThis study found that high-ER consumers are more likely to choose environmental options in the product customization process (versus low ER). The effect of ER on consumers' GCI is moderated by consumers' negative perceptions of green consumption (e.g. green skepticism and perceived environmental premium (PEP)). Additionally, ECT's joint moderating effect and consumers' negative perception of green customization consumption can be decreased by a substantive (versus associative) claim type in message framing.Practical implicationsThe findings provide new insights into the factors affecting consumers' GCIs and have significant practical implications. First, consumers' different ER levels should not be neglected when examining the value of green customization. Second, consumers' green skepticism and PEP could reduce consumers' GCI. Third, the use of substantive environmental claims may also be particularly helpful for companies' communication strategies regarding consumers' low-level negative perceptions of green options.Originality/valueWhile previous studies state “environmental responsibility” as a key characteristic of general green consumption, the authors extend that to a green customization process and connect that with consumers' negative perceptions and ECT. In addition, the separate and joint moderating effects of consumers' negative perceptions and ECT were examined. Thus, these findings refine the existing understanding of the relationship between ER and green customization.

Green consumption by design: interaction experiences and customization intentions

“…First, we focused on the representative choice architecture in customization to explain IEC as a key trigger for increasing consumer GCI. This study expands the current discussions on how to effectively improve consumers' green customization behaviors (Wang et al, 2023a). Second, by investigating the mediating effect of consumers' processing fluency, this study scrutinized how consumers' GCI is improved by the IEC process based on the fluency theory perception.…”

“…recycled material, biodegradable material, etc.) (Wang et al, 2023a). The green customization process is not only influenced by consumers' environmental characteristics and goal-framing but also by communication strategies and option design on webpages (Onwezen, 2023;Wang et al, 2023a), while the previous research mainly focused on environmental purchasing intention or behavior from the perspective of general sustainable consumption and marketing management strategy (Kar and Harichandan, 2022;Wang et al, 2022).…”

“…Thanks to the advancement of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, consumeroriented customization provides a novel approach to reducing consumers' attitude-behavior customization process can not only meet consumers' need for uniqueness (Wang et al, 2021) but also satisfy green product consumption needs of different intensities (Wang et al, 2021, Wang et al, 2023a. Examples include the "recycled polyester" material options in "tomtoc" messenger backpack customization, "eco-friendly interior materials and power system" options in current energy vehicle customization, etc.…”

“…travel plans). However, beyond the simple combination of general green consumption and customization, the application of existing theory and fluency mechanisms to green customization research has limitations (Wang et al, 2023a). Therefore, it is necessary to explain the formation of consumers' green customization intention (GCI) to achieve a win-win effect on financial and environmental performance.…”

“…The choice architecture of online customization platforms guides consumers' choices by influencing their psychological expectations through logically designed interfaces and options (Mertens et al, 2022). Several studies have explored strategies to enhance consumer intentions to embrace eco-friendly alternatives through the lens of choice architecture (Mertens et al, 2022;Panzone et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2023a). With the advancement of big data and AI technologies, intelligent and visually oriented choice architectures have gained increasing attention, while consumers' acceptance of them has been lukewarm (Tawira and Ivanov, 2023).…”