Green Marketing

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Firms have to become more responsible because the force of government (National Association of Attorneys-General, 1990). Canada have a strict regulation of commercial Hazardous wastes and hazardous recyclable materials - Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Some polluting industries are controlled through the issuing of environmental license and charge a higher tax (Government of Canada, 2014).

How green marketing affect consumer behavior

Numerous past studies have looked at and found the relationship between green behaviors and serval general indicators of consumer. Through observing the results of those studies, this paper would analyzes how demographic variables, psychographic variables and social norms influence consumers’ green behavior.

Demographic characteristics

Age has been found have a significant relationship with green behaviors (Roberts, 1996). Younger people more concerned with environment issues than older people did. Through analyzing the results of a survey with 850 questionnaires in USA, it shows millennial generations have stronger environmental attitudes than Generation X and baby boomers (Barber & Strick, 2010). However, some studies suggested older people tend to have more environmental purchasing behaviors than younger consumers because they have more resources and reason to support their environmental causes (Roberts, 1996; Scott & Willits, 1994; Diamantoopoulos, 2003).

Many studies found the difference between female and male‘s environmental behaviors and attitudes. Females had stronger attitudes toward green marketing than males and females have more tendency to considering people is abusing the environment (Barber & Strick, 2010).

Education is a more complicated variable than other demographic variables. Although some of studies found a positive correlation between education and green behaviors (Keles, 2007), some of other studies considered educations do not have a significant relationship with sustainable behaviors (Marla B. Royne & Alderson, 2016).

The link between income level and consumer environmentalism is curvilinear, rather than linear (Segmenting Green Consumers in the United States: Implications for Green Marketing, 2014). People with higher income is tend to purchasing green products and concern about environment, but the wealthiest are not the people with the most concern about environment.

Psychographic characteristics

Perceived consumer effectiveness is the most important correlate of green purchasing (Straughan & Roberts, 1999). The result of Robert’s research considered company must show the reliable and clear connection between consumers’ purchasing and environmental benefit (Straughan & Roberts, 1999).

Social altruism is one of sole drivers in predicting a green purchasing. Altruism is have an important influence on consumers’ green behaviors (Straughan & Roberts, 1999). When company adopt a green marketing strategy, the company not only show their environment protection strategies, but must also show how others would benefit from the strategy.

Environmental concern has a positive correlation with green consumption too (Marla B. Royne & Alderson, 2016).Environmental concern can be divided in seven distinct dimensions: concern for waste, wildlife, the biosphere, popular issues, health, energy and environmental technology (Zimmer, Stafford, & Stafford, 1994). Concern for waste, health and environmental technology have more influence on predicting green bahaviors than other dimensions (Marla B. Royne & Alderson, 2016).

Social Norms

Many studies proved social pressure has a strong link to green purchasing behaviors (Pickett‐Baker & Ozaki, 2008; Lee & Green, 1991). Subjective norm is the perception of an individual on the social expectation on him/her whether to perform an action (Zhikun & Fungfai, 2009). Subjective norms can determine behavioral intention (Zhikun & Fungfai, 2009).Social pressure is whether consumer performed or not performed in friends, parents, neighbors or other referents’ view (Kalafatis, Pollard, East, & Tsogas, 1999). It is the top predicator of Hong Kong’s younger, Penang and UK consumers’ green purchasing behaviors (Lee K. , 2008; Kalafatis, Pollard, East, & Tsogas, 1999).

Conclusion

The paper recommends that company should consider more factors of consumers when operated green marketing program. All of age, gender, income levels, social altruism, environment concern and social norm can affect consumer’s green purchasing. Marketing manager can adopting the appropriate green marketing strategy based on its own target group people.

Additionally, most data of this paper gathered from the studies focus on USA, UK, Hong Kong and many other area’s consumers. Some variables’ correlations is ambiguous. .The variables have a significant relationship with green behaviors in this paper may not work in other situations. For example, the relationships between green behaviors and social norms are different among eastern culture and western culture (Zhikun & Fungfai, 2009). Further researches on green marketing are needed to refine the market segments when company adopting green marketing.

References

Barber, N., & Strick, S. C. (2010). Selective marketing to environmentally concerned wine consumers: a case for location, gender and age. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 64-75.

Beder, S. (1997). Global Spin .

Delmas, M. A., & Burbano, V. C. (2011). The drivers of greenwashing.

Diamantoopoulos. (2003). Can socio-demographics still play a role in profi ling green consumers? A review of the evidence and an empirical investigation. Business Research, 465 - 480.

Government of Canada. (2014, 02 08). Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Retrieved from Government of Canada: https://www.ec.gc.ca/lcpe-cepa/default.asp?lang=En&n=26A03BFA-1

Kalafatis, S. P., Pollard, M., East, R., & Tsogas, M. H. (1999). Green marketing and Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour: a cross‐market examination. Consumer Marketing, 441-460.

Keles, C. (2007). Yeşil Pazarlama Tüketicilerin Yeşil Ürünleri Tüketme Davranışları ve Yeşil Ürünlerin Tüketiminde Kültürün Etkisi ile ilgili bir uygulama.

Keller, G. M. (1987). Industry and the Environment: Toward a New Philosophy.