Green Marketing: The Environmentally-Friendly Attributes of Products and Decision to Purchase

Research background: Currently the degradation of the environment which consumers contribute to is an important problem. Purchase behavior plays a key role as it is associated with the choice of products by consumers who are increasingly taking into account environmentally-friendly criteria. The effective implementation of marketing strategies that take into account the principles of sustainable development is possible under the condition of changes in the behavior of purchasers.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the importance of environmentally-friendly attributes for product purchasers.

Research methodology: The research was conducted among 650 Polish consumers. An online survey method was applied.

Results: The study confirms that environmentally-friendly attributes do not play a primary role while choosing products. Hedonic, health and economic benefits take place before environmental benefits. For women, eco-friendly attributes were more important when choosing products, while men were more driven by economic and functional benefits. Young people are hedonists guided by taste and aesthetics, and they do not pay much attention to the environmentally-friendly attributes of products. In turn, older respondents are economical and pragmatic buyers for whom energy efficiency and product durability are of particular importance.

Novelty: The research adds the value as for understanding the phenomenon of the green purchase gap, especially in developing countries where positive attitudes towards green products are not translated into real purchasing behavior. The research quotes some implication for marketing, especially for marketing communication strategies.