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    Consumer and product-related factors impacting on green product purchase behaviour
    (2019) Dilotsotlhe, Nombulelo
    Following the growing environmental, health and social concerns about the impact of marketing activities and consumption, consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the products they use in their households and the food they eat. Even though this awareness is advancing at a slower pace in South Africa when compared to other countries, South African consumers are nonetheless aware of green products and are buying such products. ‘Green products’ can be defined as those products which do not pollute the earth or deplete natural resources and which can be recycled or conserved. Despite the awareness and availability of green products, sales of these products are reportedly low, with an estimated market share of less than 4% worldwide as at 2012. Considering the low demand for green products, there is a clear need to study factors that hinder or help the purchase and consumption of such products. In examining the drivers of green purchase behaviour, the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has been applied in a variety of pro-environmental, behavioural studies, including research on key factors that influence the intention to consume green products as well as studies on recycling and reducing energy consumption. The findings from these studies have supported the usefulness of the TPB constructs in predicting the intention to go green or to adopt green behaviour. However, the strength of the explanatory power of the TPB model has been widely debated. It has therefore been suggested that more constructs need to be examined in the TPB to improve the variance explained in intention or behaviour. Such constructs could include the different values that consumers enjoy from green products. The Theory of Consumption Values (TCV) has been used to understand such values. However, studies on these values have not examined the product-related factors which help or hinder green product purchase. The Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) addresses product-related factors but has been used chiefly in analysing the adoption of new technologies. Recommendations have therefore been made to test the Diffusion of Innovation Theory in green product purchase behaviour. Upon defining the research problem, this study integrated the TPB, TCV and DOI to understand the consumer-related and product-related factors driving green appliance (e.g. fridges, heaters, freezers) purchase behaviour among black middle class South Africans. This is particularly important since studies on green products in South Africa have focused primarily on understanding awareness, perceptions, interest and environmental concerns regarding eco-friendly products or green products and not on how these factors drive green product purchase behaviour. The black middle class was selected because they are considered to be significant in terms of size and spending power and may have the income to purchase green products, which are often considered to be somewhat more expensive. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 500 black middle class respondents residing in Gauteng. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling were the main data analysis methods. Specifically, Partial Least Squares (PLS) Structural Equation Modelling was used to test the hypotheses after testing and obtaining good construct reliability and validity. The results indicated that the integrated conceptual model provided a reasonably good explanation of the consumers’ attitudes towards green appliances as well as their actual purchase and consumption of the products. All the significant independent variables (functional value, conditional value, epistemic value, relative advantage, compatibility and observability) explained 84.5% of the variance in attitude towards green consumption. Attitudes, social value and perceived behavioural control explained 83.1% of the variance in behavioural intention towards green consumption and behavioural intention explained 24.2% of the variance in adoption behaviour. This study made a major contribution to the body of literature on green consumption behaviour by presenting and testing an integrated model with the aim of increasing knowledge on green consumer behaviour. This study also identified key predictors of consumers’ green product consumption behaviour, enabling practitioners to understand which factors influence black middle class consumers in their decision-making regarding green purchase and consumption. This knowledge will help marketing managers design effective strategies to encourage green consumption behaviour among such consumers. Further studies should, however, investigate the factors which would convert the purchase intention into actual behaviour. The study could be replicated among Generation Y consumers, who are also a large and lucrative market segment in South Africa.