Social Media Goes Green—The Impact of Social Media on Green Cosmetics Purchase Motivation and Intention

Abstract

In the 21st century, green consumption has risen into a global trend, which inclines cosmetic companies to be more environmental-friendly and to have a larger green product portfolio to satisfy these new consumers’ needs. Social media contributed to this trend, shaping consumers’ attitudes into more environmentally conscious behavior. The present study applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explain the impact of Social Media on consumers’ purchase intention and motivation (altruism and egoism). Based on empirical investigation, an online survey was developed to measure the proposed conceptual model. The reliability and validity of the reflective constructs were tested using partial least squares (PLS) modeling technique. The results indicate the importance of social media on consumers’ attitudes, subjective norms, altruistic and egoistic motivations, and the impact of these variables as the antecedents of green cosmetics purchase intention. These results have important theoretical implications. They revealed that external factors such as social media as an information source, have an important role in consumer motivation formation and green cosmetic purchasing intentions. The findings are relevant for marketers to implement better communication strategies on social media to increase consumers’ motivations and purchase intention toward green cosmetics.

50 Shades of Green: Insights into Personal Values and Worldviews as Drivers of Green Purchasing Intention, Behaviour, and Experience

“…However, the findings in the literature are mixed. Several studies have argued that egoism may be positively related to pro-environmental behaviour, especially in cases when green products are perceived to be healthier or safer than non-green products (e.g., [39,40]). Consumers may have health concerns for themselves or for their close family.…”

“…For example, Wang and colleagues [37] indicated that altruism motivated daily energysaving behaviours of urban residents in China. In a study about green cosmetics, Pop and colleagues [39] showed that altruism has a positive impact on consumers' attitude towards green cosmetics.…”

Tracing the Trends in Sustainability and Social Media Research Using Topic Modeling

“…In order to take advantage of this opportunity, studies have highlighted the important part that social media plays in molding consumer opinions, influencing attitudes and purchasing decisions [50]. This is very evident in the sustainability space, where social media's role in shaping the consumer's green behavior and purchase intention has been significant [51]. Research has shown that social networks help to encourage environmental behavior [52], while celebrity engagement through social media platforms also influences consumer attitudes toward green products [53].…”

“…In terms of social media's influence on sustainable forms of consumer behavior, social media influencers provide a very effective means of illustrating the benefits of adopting a greener, more sustainable form of lifestyle [59]. More recently, Pop et al examined the impact that social media has on consumers' altruistic and egoistic motivation, as well as their attitudes and subjective norms toward green cosmetics products [51]. Using the theory of planned behavior with prediction of purchase intention as the key component, the study found that social media as a source of information has a clear role in consumer motivation formation and consumers' intention to purchase green cosmetics.…”

Editorial for the Special Issue “Green Marketing”

“…Featuring a carefully detailed topic, "Social Media Goes Green-The Impact of Social Media on Green Cosmetics Purchase Motivation and Intention" is, to date (February 2021), the most widely quoted article of the Special Issue. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the authors explore the role of social media in enhancing "consumers' purchase intention and motivation" [4]. The authors elaborate an original model, which is tested with the Partial Least Squares structural equations modelling method.…”