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APJML
32,4 Understanding consumers’
intentions to purchase green
products in the social media
860 marketing context
Received 20 March 2019
Revised 16 September 2019
Ying Sun
24 October 2019 School of Management,
Accepted 2 November 2019
University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China, and
Shanyong Wang
University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to observe consumers’ attitudes toward and intentions to purchase
green products on social media and to explore the relationships among social media marketing, perceived
consumer effectiveness (PCE), product knowledge, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, price
consciousness and attitudes toward and intentions to purchase green products. In addition, this research
attempts to further understand these relationships in different consumer groups.
Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey method was used to collect data from
consumers in China. The Amos 22.0 software package was used to conduct the data analysis.
Findings – The empirical results suggest that attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control
positively affect purchase intentions, while price consciousness negatively affects purchase intentions.
Product knowledge positively affects consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions, and PCE positively
affects consumers’ attitudes. As expected, social media marketing positively affects subjective norms,
product knowledge and PCE and negatively affects price consciousness. However, there is no significant
relationship between PCE and purchase intentions. According to the results of multigroup structural equation
modeling analysis, the effects differ significantly among different consumer groups.
Originality/value – This study enriches the research about the factors that influence consumers’ purchases
of green products in emerging countries in the social media marketing context.
Keywords Product knowledge, Theory of planned behaviour, Price consciousness, Green products,
Social media marketing, Perceived consumer effectiveness
Paper type Research paper

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing
and Logistics
Vol. 32 No. 4, 2020
pp. 860-878
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1355-5855
DOI 10.1108/APJML-03-2019-0178
1. Introduction
Individual consumption behavior has a significantly negative effect on the environment
(Fan et al., 2015). With the rapid growth of the economy and industrial development,
individuals’ consumption ability has improved greatly, leading to further deterioration of
the environment (Chen and Chai, 2010; Wang et al., 2015; Lin et al., 2017). To address
environmental problems, green consumption has become the focus of consumers and
enterprises (Gonçalves et al., 2016; Tariq et al., 2019). In fact, many consumers consider
environmental factors when making consumption decisions, and enterprises have realized
that green products have broad market prospects, and they are willing to promote green
products (Kotler, 2011; Akehurst et al., 2012; Gonçalves et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2017).
To promote green products, enterprises have increased their investments in green
marketing and have emphasized the importance of social media (e.g. WeChat, microblogs
and Twitter) in the promotion of green products. Social media plays an important role in
shaping consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions toward green products (Huang, 2016;
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number 71974177).
Zhang et al., 2018; Zhao et al., 2019). According to statistics released by “We Are Social” and Consumers’
“Hootsuite” in August 2017, the total number of users of social media at home and abroad intentions to
exceeded 3bn, and monthly active users of social media in China exceeded 900m. Moreover, purchase green
more than 80 percent of consumers are able to recognize green propaganda on social media,
and nearly half of consumers consider green propaganda to be credible (Abzari et al., 2014). products
Social media marketing is a growing focus for businesses to promote green products.
Enterprises can seize the opportunity of the internet to expand the market share of green 861
products and actively promote them on social media. Hence, it is crucial to understand the
importance of social media marketing in promoting green products and to examine how
social media marketing affects consumers’ green product purchase intentions.
However, consumers will not purchase green products immediately upon receiving
information promoted through social media. In general, social media marketing and
cognitive factors together affect consumers’ green product purchase intentions. The theory
of planned behavior (TPB) model is appropriate for predicting and understanding
consumers’ cognitive factors regarding green behavior (Montano and Kasprzyk, 2015;
Gao et al., 2017). The TPB has been successfully applied to explore green buying behavior
(Paul et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2016; Sun et al., 2017). As a result, the TPB can be regarded as
the basic theoretical foundation in this research to better understand consumers’ green
purchase intention. It is worth noting that the TPB model still has limitations, especially
with the advent of social media ( Jun and Arendt, 2016; Paul et al., 2016; Wang, Lin and Li,
2018). The characteristics of social media marketing, such as interactivity and information
sharing, make it different from traditional marketing. The TPB assumes that individuals
make purchase decisions rationally and that rational decisions are based on individuals’
knowledge about the product (Onel and Mukherjee, 2015). It is also noted that perceived
consumer effectiveness (PCE) should be considered in a green context. PCE has been found
to have a significant effect on consumers’ attitudes and intentions (Wesley et al., 2012).
The present research attempts to integrate social media marketing, product knowledge
and PCE into the TPB to address the limitations and to conduct a comprehensive study to
better understand consumers’ attitudes toward and intentions to purchase green products.
This research uses a multigroup SEM analysis to further examine the effects of
demographic variables on consumers’ purchase intentions. In the following sections, we first
propose the theoretical framework and research hypotheses and then introduce the research
methods and conduct the data analysis. Finally, we discuss the research results and note the
research implications and limitations.

2. Theoretical framework and research hypotheses

2.1 Theory of planned behavior
The TPB was developed from the theory of reasoned action, and has been widely employed
to study behavioral intentions and actual behavior (Ajzen, 1991; Wang et al., 2016; Sun et al.,
2017; Shi et al., 2017). Actual behavior is determined by behavioral intentions, and
behavioral intentions are affected by three determinants: attitudes toward behavior,
subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (Ajzen, 1991). In recent years, scholars
have also used the TPB model to explore pro-environmental behaviors. For example, Chen
and Tung (2010) found that the TPB model is a useful framework for explaining consumers’
recycling intentions. Klöckner et al. (2013) found that the TPB model is an appropriate
theory for predicting consumers’ willingness to adopt new energy vehicles.
Attitude is an overall evaluation of personal behavior (Ajzen, 1991), and it is viewed as an
evaluation of the purchasing of green products in the context of predicting green purchase
behaviors. Previous studies have indicated that attitude is an important anterior variable of
purchase intentions (Dickinger and Kleijnen, 2008; Wang et al., 2016; Han et al., 2017;
Ru et al., 2018) and that the more positive consumers’ attitude toward green products is, the
APJML stronger their intentions to purchase will be; therefore, consumers with positive attitudes toward
32,4 green products might be more willing to buy these products. This finding is in line with previous
research that found that attitudes toward green products positively affect purchase intentions
(Kim and Han, 2010; Göçer and Sevil Oflaç, 2017). Hence, this research assumes the following:
H1. Attitudes toward green products positively affect consumers’ intentions to purchase
green products.
862
Subjective norms are described as the feelings of social pressure from others that are
important to a person’s performance in some way (Ajzen, 1991), and they capture individuals’
feelings from social pressure regarding certain behaviors. Various studies have noted that
subjective norm is a significant variable that positively influences intentions to purchase
organic food (Dean et al., 2012; Ha and Janda, 2012), to visit green hotels (Teng et al., 2014;
Chen and Tung, 2014) and to participate in environmentally friendly consumption
(Khare, 2015; Sun et al., 2017; Javed et al., 2019). China is a typical collective state. In Chinese
society, the collectivist mentality emphasizes group identification, emotional interdependence,
shared rights and obligations and the value of community harmony among people (Ali et al.,
2019; Carroll et al., 2019; Ru et al., 2019). Hence, Chinese people must align with others and
follow subjective norms, and they are likely to be influenced by others whom they see as
important (Yen et al., 2017). The current research suggests that when consumers realize that
their “significant others” prefer to purchase green products, they will develop positive
intentions to purchase green products. Hence, this research assumes the following:
H2. Subjective norms positively affect consumers’ intentions to purchase green products.
Perceived behavioral control refers to the perceived ease or difficulty of performing a certain
behavior (Ajzen, 1991). When purchasing green products, some external factors might be
out of an individual’s control, such as time, price, knowledge and skills. When individuals
believe that they have more resources and opportunities and expect fewer obstacles, their
perceived behavioral control will be stronger and their green purchase intentions will be
greater. Consistent with previous studies, consumers are likely to engage in green purchase
behaviors when they perceive that they can control the factors (Wang, Lin and Li, 2018).
Thus, the following hypothesis is presented:
H3. Perceived behavioral control positively affects consumers’ intentions to purchase
green products.
Price is an important decision standard for green purchasing behavior (Ahmetoglu et al.,
2014). The high costs of green purchasing can affect consumers’ ability and enthusiasm to
purchase green products. The effect of consumer price consciousness on purchase
intentions and behaviors has been thoroughly examined (Ahmetoglu et al., 2014; Arce
Salazar and Oerlemans, 2016). Consumers usually prefer lower prices since that they view
the buying of green products as a selfish, rational decision (Ahmetoglu et al., 2014).
According to Van Doorn and Verhoef (2015), price consciousness negatively affects the
purchasing of green products. Given that green products are often more expensive than
traditional products (Bezawada and Pauwels, 2013), it can be speculated that consumers
who are price conscious might not be willing to buy green products due to the perceived
high cost. However, when consumers have sufficient resources and the ability to purchase
green products, their price consciousness may decrease (Wang, Lin and Li, 2018). That is,
when consumers have higher perceived behavioral control, their price consciousness is more
likely to be weakened. Hence, this research suggests the following:
H4. Price consciousness negatively affects consumers’ intentions to purchase green products.
H5. Perceived behavioral control negatively affects consumers’ price consciousness.
2.2 Product knowledge and perceived consumer effectiveness Consumers’
Product knowledge is the sum of the product category information and rules stored in a intentions to
consumer’s memory (Philippe and Ngobo, 1999). Product knowledge is one of the most purchase green
important factors that influences consumers’ purchasing attitudes toward engaging in
pro-environmental purchasing behavior (McEachern and Warnaby, 2008; Cho et al., 2013). products
A consumer’s overall evaluation of certain products can be determined by product
knowledge (Cho et al., 2013). When consumers have more knowledge and information about 863
green products, they more easily understand that green products, compared with products
of the same quality, can save resources and energy (Lin, 2009; Wikoff et al., 2012). Sufficient
product knowledge about green products is useful for shaping consumers’ green attitudes
toward and intentions to conduct sustainable consumption. Hence, this research suggests
the following:
H6a. Product knowledge positively affects consumers’ attitudes toward green products.
H6b. Product knowledge positively affects consumers’ intentions to purchase green products.
PCE is consumers’ domain-specific belief that their efforts can play a role in solving
problems (Ellen et al., 1991). PCE is a subjective judgment measuring consumers’ ability to
affect environmental resource problems, and various studies have noted that PCE has a
significant effect on consumers’ environmentally friendly behavior (Vermeir and Verbeke,
2008; Webb et al., 2008). A high level of PCE encourages consumers to show positive
attitudes toward and intentions to buy sustainable products (Webb et al., 2008). When
consumers realize that they can do something to improve the environment, they will
consider the social impact and develop positive attitudes toward and intentions to purchase
green products. Hence, the following hypothesis is presented:
H7a. PCE positively affects consumers’ attitudes toward green products.
H7b. PCE positively affects consumers’ intentions to purchase green products.

2.3 Social media marketing

Social media refers to online applications, platforms and media that aim to promote
interaction, cooperation and content sharing (Erkan and Evans, 2016). Social media come in
many forms, including Twitter, weblogs and Facebook. Social media allow users to
communicate with others who have similar interests. Hence, social media marketing is good
for advertisers since these consumers choose similar lifestyle groups on social media
(Lee et al., 2018). Marketers can search for sustainable consumption groups via social media
and recommend green products to them. In addition, social media can benefit information
production and transmission (Lee et al., 2018). Users can post and share their own original
content and viewpoints on social media. Hence, social media marketing is an opportunity for
enterprises to create online marketing strategies since consumers can obtain information via
social media and then make purchase decisions based on the information. Moreover, due to
its personalization features (e.g. interactions, networks and interpersonal relationships),
social media marketing can be seen as a credible advertising tool. Scholars have shown
that social media marketing has a significant impact on consumers’ intentions to engage in
pro-environmental behavior (Froehlich, 2009; Hynes and Wilson, 2016).
The communication features of social media allow it to become a form of social
comparison and can cause consumers to feel social pressure from others when social media
are employed to compare an individual’s own behavior with others (Allcott, 2011). This
comparison can be more effective than comparison through other media, particularly with
regard to prosocial behavior (Allcott, 2011). Social media marketing can present a unique
opportunity to encourage prosocial behaviors using the impact of social comparisons to
APJML influence individuals’ subjective norms (Allcott, 2011). It seems logical that individuals who
32,4 are influenced by social media marketing are easily affected by subjective norms in
sustainable consumption groups. Consumers with higher levels of social comparison are
likely able to act as other people do and show higher subjective norms.
More than half of consumers search for information via social media and make purchase
decisions based on the information that they obtain (Froehlich, 2009). Green products are more
864 expensive than ordinary products, and enterprises are committed to emphasizing the benefits
of green products and increasing consumer price premiums (Bezawada and Pauwels, 2013).
Hence, social media marketing about green products weakens the price comparison with
ordinary products. Moreover, social media marketers emphasize that price can convey
relevant information to consumers about the quality and value of products (Schuitema and
De Groot, 2015) and can raise individuals’ price consciousness. The information about product
knowledge provided by social media is transmitted through the internet (Froehlich, 2009).
When consumers search for more information about green products, they gain more product
knowledge. Hence, social media marketing positively affects consumers’ product knowledge
while negatively affecting consumers’ price consciousness.
Social media marketing can be used as a form of persuasion (Froehlich, 2009). Social media
have been used to stimulate consumers to learn sustainable lessons, from highlighting
personal environmental impact to motivating group prosocial behavior (Froehlich, 2009).
Moreover, the information from social media emphasizes the seriousness of destroying the
environment and encourages individuals to realize PCE by purchasing green products to
protect the environment. Social media marketing extensively affects PCE and the purchase
decision-making process (Mangold and Faulds, 2009; Laroche et al., 2013). Hence, this research
assumes the following:
H8a. Social media marketing positively affects subjective norms.
H8b. Social media marketing negatively affects price consciousness.
H8c. Social media marketing positively affects PCE.
H8d. Social media marketing positively affects product knowledge.
The framework of the current research is shown in Figure 1.

Product
H6b
knowledge
H6a
Attitude
H7a
Perceived
H8d Consumer
H1
Effectiveness
H7b
H8c

Perceived
Subjective
Social Media H8a H2 Intention
Norm
Marketing

Figure 1. H3
Research framework H8b H4
of consumers’
Perceived
intention to purchase Price
H5 Behavioral
green products Consciousness
Control
3. Methods Consumers’
3.1 Sample and data collection intentions to
To explore the research hypotheses, data were collected by a questionnaire survey of purchase green
654 consumers in China. A total of 783 electronic questionnaires were received from the
website www.sojump.com/ from April 8 to May 10, 2018. Only regular users of social media, products
such as weblogs, were allowed to complete the electronic questionnaire. The researchers
discarded questionnaires with missing values and the same answers. The final response 865
rate was 83.52 percent (654/783), and 654 usable questionnaires were obtained.
The main purpose and the amount of time required to complete the questionnaire were
presented to consumers prior to starting the questionnaire. To avoid data bias, the
respondents were instructed that there were no right or wrong answers, and their answers
were strictly confidential and anonymous and would not be disclosed. To increase the
response rate, the respondents were also told that they could earn ¥10 after completing
the questionnaire survey. Table I shows the demographic data of the respondents.

3.2 Measures
Multiple measurement items, which were developed from the existing scales of prior studies,
were used to measure the constructs in this study. Slight changes in the wording of these
items were made to suit the background of this study. A five-point Likert scale (1 ¼ greatly
inaccurate, 5 ¼ greatly accurate) measured the items of this research. The structure and
items are shown in Table II.
Three independent parts constituted the questionnaire. The first part concerned the
demographic information of the respondents (Wang et al., 2019). The second part included
six latent variables: social media marketing, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control,
price consciousness, product knowledge and PCE. Four measurement items of social media
marketing were developed from Abzari et al. (2014), Erkan and Evans (2016) and Hynes and
Wilson (2016). A sample item is “I receive information from clients on social media who
have informed themselves that green products can contribute to human health and protect

Demographics Frequency Percentage

Gender
1. Male 280 42.81
2. Female 374 57.19
Age
1. Below 20 11 1.68
2. 21–30 220 33.64
3. 31–40 261 39.91
4. 41–50 103 15.75
5. 51 and over 59 9.02
Education level
1. Junior high school or below 16 2.45
2. Senior high school 60 9.17
3. Junior college or university 358 54.74
4. Master’s degree or PhD 220 33.64
Household monthly income
1. Less than ¥15,000 ($2,123) 178 27.22 Table I.
2. ¥15,000–¥30,000 ($2,123–$4,247) 293 44.80 Demographic
3. More than ¥30,000 ($4,247) 183 27.98 information of
Total 654 100 respondents
APJML Construct Item Coding
32,4
Attitude (ATT) It is wise to buy green products to protect the environment ATT1
It is a good idea to buy green products ATT2
I support buying green products ATT3
I hold a supportive attitude toward buying green products ATT4
Subjective norm Most of the people who are important to me support my purchases of SN1
866 (SN) green products
If I purchase green products, people who are important to me will also do so SN2
Those who I think are valuable to me would prefer me to buy green products SN3
Perceived I have enough time and money to buy green products PBC1
behavioral control I know where to purchase green products PBC2
(PBC) I can decide whether to purchase green products or not PBC3
I have enough resources to purchase green products PBC4
Price For me, the price is the deciding factor when I purchase products PC1
consciousness (PC) Price is important to me when I decide to buy products PC2
I usually try to buy products at the lowest price PC3
I have to pay attention to the price when I purchase products PC4
Perceived It is worthwhile for consumers to protect the environment PCE1
consumer I tend to think about how products will influence the environment when I PCE2
effectiveness purchase them
(PCE) I have a significant effect on the environment PCE3
Individuals’ behavior can make meaningful differences to the environment, such PCE4
as purchasing green products
Product I am very familiar with green products PK1
knowledge (PK) When I go shopping, I frequently see green products in shopping venues PK2
I often learn about green products through articles or news PK3
I know a lot about green products PK4
Social media I receive information from clients on social media who have informed SMM1
marketing (SMM) themselves that green products can contribute to human health and protect the
environment
Expressing my opinion about green products that I am thinking about buying is SMM2
very easy via social media
Using social media to search for information about green products that I am SMM3
thinking about buying is very fashionable
I would like to share information from social media about green products with SMM4
my friends
Intention (INT) I plan to purchase green products in the future INT1
I am willing to purchase green products INT2
Table II. From now on, I plan to purchase green products INT3
Instruments I intend to pay more for green products INT4

the environment.” Three measurement items of subjective norms were developed from
Cheung et al. (2017), Ding et al. (2017) and Wang, Lin and Li (2018). A sample item is “Most of
the people who are important to me support my purchases of green products.”
Four measurement items of perceived behavioral control were developed from Cheung et al.
(2017) and Ding et al. (2017). A sample item is “I have enough time and money to buy green
products.” Four measurement items of price consciousness were developed from Ailawadi
et al. (2008) and Van Doorn and Verhoef (2015). A sample item is “I have to pay attention to
the price when I purchase products.” Four measurement items of product knowledge were
developed from Kang et al. (2013). A sample item is “I know a lot about green products.”
Four measurement items of PCE were developed from Cho et al. (2013).
A sample item is “I have a significant effect on the environment.”
The final part was about attitudes toward and intentions to purchase green
products. Four measurement items of attitude were developed from Cheung et al. (2017),
Ding et al. (2017) and Wang, Lin and Li (2018). A sample item is “I hold a supportive attitude Consumers’
toward buying green products.” Four measurement items of intentions to buy green products intentions to
were developed from Cheung et al. (2017), Ding et al. (2017) and Wang, Wang, Wang, Wei and purchase green
Wang (2018). A sample item is “I plan to purchase green products in the future.”
products
3.3 Data analysis method
All of the variables in this study were latent variables, which are difficult to measure 867
directly and accurately. Therefore, only observable indicators could be used to measure
these latent variables indirectly (Hair et al., 2006). Traditional statistical methods cannot
effectively address these latent variables, while structural equation models can
simultaneously address latent variables and their indicators (Hair et al., 2006). The
maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method is the most commonly used method for
structural equation analysis. It should be noted that the premise of using the MLE method
is that the data should meet the normal distribution hypothesis. The non-normality of
data can be indicated by skewness and kurtosis (Hair et al., 2006). In this study, all of
the skewness and kurtosis values were acceptable after testing, indicating that the survey
data conformed to the normal distribution hypothesis. Hence, to confirm whether the
data fit the conceptual model well and to test the research hypotheses, Amos 22.0 software
was used to conduct the data analysis. A measurement model and a structural model
were analyzed. The reliability and validity of the measurement model were tested by
confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Structural equation modeling analysis was used to
verify the hypotheses after CFA.

4. Data analysis results

4.1 Measurement model testing
CFA was performed to evaluate structural reliability, single dimension validity, convergent
validity and discriminant validity because this study has a presupposition and a theoretical
basis for factor structure, and the measurement scale is derived from previous mature scales
(Marsh et al., 2019). The model fit indices of the measurement model were as follows:
χ2/df ¼ 2.15, RMSEA ¼ 0.04, GFI ¼ 0.92, RMR ¼ 0.03, NFI ¼ 0.92, CFI ¼ 0.96, PGFI ¼ 0.75
and PNFI ¼ 0.81. All of the indicators achieved the recommended level, showing that the
measurement model fit the data well (Hair et al., 2006).
Construct reliability was tested by Cronbach’s α values and composite reliability values.
As shown in Table III, all of the Cronbach’s α values ranged from 0.79 to 0.89, and
the composite reliability values ranged from 0.87 to 0.92. They were all greater than the
suggested benchmark of 0.70, which supported the construct reliability (Fornell and
Larcker, 1981). Convergent validity and discriminant validity were employed to test
construct validity. The convergent validity was tested by average variance extracted (AVE)
values and item loadings. As shown in Table III, the AVE values were greater than the ideal
value of 0.50 (Fornell and Larcker, 1981), and the loadings of all items were greater than the
ideal value of 0.70 (Hair et al., 1998), indicating that the construct had good convergent
validity. As shown in Table IV, the square roots of AVEs were all greater than the
correlations among constructs, indicating that the construct had good discriminant validity.

4.2 Structural model testing

The model fit indices of the structural model are as follows: χ2/df ¼ 2.89, RMSEA ¼ 0.05,
GFI ¼ 0.90, RMR ¼ 0.05, NFI ¼ 0.90, CFI ¼ 0.93, PGFI ¼ 0.75 and PNFI ¼ 0.81. All of the
indicators achieved the recommended level, showing that the structural model fit the data
well (Hair et al., 2006). Table V shows the results of the structural model testing.
The hypotheses were all accepted except for H6b. The results indicated that attitudes
APJML Construct Item Loading Cronbach’s α Composite reliability AVE
32,4
Attitude (ATT) ATT1 0.79*** 0.85 0.90 0.69
ATT2 0.84***
ATT3 0.86***
ATT4 0.84***
Subjective norm (SN) SN1 0.85*** 0.83 0.90 0.74
868 SN2 0.84***
SN3 0.87***
Perceived behavioral control (PBC) PBC1 0.83*** 0.83 0.89 0.67
PBC2 0.83***
PBC3 0.80***
PBC4 0.81***
Price consciousness (PC) PC1 0.88*** 0.89 0.92 0.75
PC2 0.87***
PC3 0.84***
PC4 0.88***
Perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) PCE1 0.82*** 0.81 0.88 0.64
PCE2 0.72***
PCE3 0.82***
PCE4 0.83***
Product knowledge (PK) PK1 0.84*** 0.88 0.92 0.68
PK2 0.83***
PK3 0.82***
PK4 0.80***
Social media marketing (SMM) SMM1 0.81*** 0.79 0.87 0.62
SMM2 0.83***
SMM3 0.76***
SMM4 0.74***
Intention (INT) INT1 0.84*** 0.87 0.91 0.71
INT2 0.86***
Table III. INT3 0.85***
Confirmatory INT4 0.83***
factor analysis Note: ***p o0.001

Construct Mean SD ATT SN PBC PC PCE PK SMM INT

ATT 4.02 0.60 0.83

SN 3.68 0.72 0.55** 0.86
PBC 3.27 0.77 0.38** 0.54** 0.82
PC 3.41 0.83 −0.26** −0.22** −0.20** 0.87
PCE 4.05 0.58 0.70** 0.50** 0.37** −0.24** 0.80
Table IV.
Means, standard PK 2.70 0.72 0.47** 0.46** 0.50** −0.25** 0.44** 0.82
deviations and SMM 4.14 0.56 0.72** 0.46** 0.32** −0.20** 0.67** 0.38** 0.79
correlations of INT 3.91 0.62 0.74** 0.60** 0.56** −0.38** 0.65** 0.59** 0.62** 0.84
the constructs Notes: The square roots of the AVEs are the italic elements. **p o0.01

toward green products (β ¼ 0.60, t-value ¼ 6.23, p o0.001), subjective norms (β ¼ 0.13,
t-value ¼ 3.19, p o0.001) and perceived behavioral control (β ¼ 0.23, t-value ¼ 6.08,
p o0.001) positively influence consumers’ intentions to purchase green products. Hence,
H1–H3 were supported. The research results were consistent with previous studies (Kim
and Han, 2010; Dean et al., 2012; Ha and Janda, 2012; Chen and Tung, 2014; Wang et al., 2016;
Path Path coefficient t-value Hypotheses Results
Consumers’
intentions to
Path 1: ATT→INT 0.60 6.23*** H1 Supported purchase green
Path 2: SN→INT 0.13 3.19*** H2 Supported
Path 3: PBC→INT 0.23 6.08*** H3 Supported products
Path 4: PBC→PC −0.11 −1.99* H4 Supported
Path 5: PC→INT −0.16 −5.98*** H5 Supported
Path 6: PK→ATT 0.10 2.81** H6a Supported 869
Path 7: PK→INT 0.13 3.66*** H6b Supported
Path 8: PCE→ATT 0.84 14.56*** H7a Supported
Path 9: PCE→INT 0.02 0.16 H7b Not supported
Path 10: SMM→SN 0.68 12.03*** H8a Supported
Path 11: SMM→PC −0.24 −4.39*** H8b Supported
Path 12: SMM→PK 0.57 10.63*** H8c Supported
Path 13: SMM→PCE 0.92 14.55*** H8d Supported
Gender→INT 0.07 1.96*
Age→INT 0.17 3.56*** Table V.
Income→INT 0.15 3.23*** The results
Education→INT 0.001 0.033 of the structural
Notes: *p o0.05; **p o 0.01; ***p o 0.001 model testing

Sun et al., 2017). Perceived behavioral control (β ¼ −0.11, t-value ¼ −1.99, po0.05) negatively
influences consumers’ price consciousness. Hence, H4 was supported; this result is in line with
the research of Wang, Lin and Li (2018). Price consciousness negatively influences intentions
(β ¼ −0.16, t-value ¼ −5.98, po0.001). Hence, H5 was supported; the results are consistent
with previous studies (Ahmetoglu et al., 2014; Arce Salazar and Oerlemans, 2016). Product
knowledge positively influences attitudes (β ¼ 0.10, t-value ¼ 2.81, po0.01) and intentions
(β ¼ 0.13, t-value ¼ 3.66, po0.001). Hence, H6a and H6b were accepted; the results are
consistent with previous studies (McEachern and Warnaby, 2008; Lin, 2009; Wikoff et al.,
2012; Cho et al., 2013). PCE has a positive influence on attitudes (β ¼ 0.84, t-value ¼ 14.56,
po0.001) and no influence on intentions (β ¼ 0.02, t-value ¼ 0.16, pW0.05). Hence, H7a was
accepted; the results are consistent with previous studies (Vermeir and Verbeke, 2008; Webb
et al., 2008; Wesley et al., 2012). H7b was not supported.
Social media marketing positively influences subjective norms (β ¼ 0.68, t-value ¼ 12.03,
p o0.001), product knowledge (β ¼ 0.57, t-value ¼ 10.63, p o0.001) and PCE (β ¼ 0.92,
t-value ¼ 14.55, p o0.001). The results were consistent with previous studies (Mangold and
Faulds, 2009; Allcott, 2011; Laroche et al., 2013; Schuitema and De Groot, 2015). Therefore,
H8a, H8c and H8d were accepted. Social media marketing negatively influences price
consciousness (β ¼ −0.24, t-value ¼ −4.39, p o0.001). Thus, H8b was supported. In
addition, demographic variables, such as gender (β ¼ 0.07, t-value ¼ 1.96, p o0.05), age
(β ¼ 0.17, t-value ¼ 3.56, p o 0.001) and household income (β ¼ 0.15, t-value ¼ 3.23,
p o0.01), were positively and significantly associated with consumers’ intentions to
purchase green products.

4.3 Multigroup SEM analysis

To further investigate the relationships among variables, multigroup SEM analysis was
conducted. The analysis results are shown in Table VI. According to the classification of
China’s national conditions, the respondents were divided into three subgroups: low-income,
middle-income and high-income household subgroups. A low-income household has a
monthly income less than ¥15,000, a middle-income household has a monthly income
between ¥15,000 and ¥30,000, and a high-income household has a monthly income greater
than ¥30,000. The respondents were divided into two subgroups, male and female, based on
APJML Gender Household income Age
32,4 Path Male Female Low Middle High Gen Y Gen X

Path 1: ATT→INT 0.56*** 0.48*** 0.52*** 0.47** 0.55*** 0.54*** 0.47***

Path 2: SN→INT 0.43* 0.14 0.17* 0.10 0.22** 0.12 0.31***
Path 3: PBC→INT 0.28*** 0.28*** 0.25*** 0.32*** 0.23** 0.28** 0.24***
Path 4: PBC→PC −0.21 −0.11 −0.27*** −0.24* −0.10 −0.11 −0.40***
870 Path 5: PC→INT −0.09 −0.24*** −0.27*** −0.21** −0.12* −0.15* −0.23***
Path 6: PK→ATT 0.18 0.23** 0.11 0.21** 0.30* 0.22** 0.15
Path 7: PK→INT 0.10 0.11* 0.06 0.10* 0.17* 0.12* 0.07
Path 8: PCE→ATT 0.62*** 0.61*** 0.65*** 0.62*** 0.58*** 0.59*** 0.62***
Path 9: PCE→INT 0.35*** 0.29*** 0.37*** 0.29*** 0.32*** 0.32*** 0.29***
Path 10: SMM→SN 0.43*** 0.54*** 0.50*** 0.49*** 0.48*** 0.46*** 0.53***
Table VI. Path 11: SMM→PC −0.14 −0.18 −0.18 −0.20* −0.09 −0.14 −0.04
The results Path 12: SMM→PK 0.40*** 0.38*** 0.30** 0.37** 0.50*** 0.38*** 0.37***
of multigroup Path 13: SMM→PCE 0.66*** 0.71*** 0.64*** 0.69*** 0.75*** 0.66*** 0.69***
SEM analysis Notes: *po 0.05; **p o0.01; ***p o0.001

gender and into Generation Y (Gen Y) and Generation X (Gen X) subgroups according to
age. Gen Y includes respondents who were born between 1980 and 2000, and Gen X includes
respondents who were born between 1965 and 1979 (Wang, Wang, Xue, Wang and Li, 2018).
In terms of the positive impact of attitudes on intentions to purchase green products
(Path 1), the effect was significant in the male and female subgroups; the low-income,
middle-income and high-income households, and the Gen Y and Gen X subgroups.
The effects in the male subgroup, the high-income households and the Gen Y subgroup were
higher than in the other subgroups. In terms of the positive impact of subjective norms on
intentions to purchase green products (Path 2), the effect was significant in the male
subgroup, the low-income and high-income households, and the Gen X subgroup. The
effects were greater in the male subgroup, the high-income households and the Gen X
subgroup than in the other subgroups. In terms of the negative impact of price
consciousnesses on intentions to purchase green products (Path 5), the effect was significant
in the female subgroup, the low-income, middle-income and high-income households, and
the Gen Y and Gen X subgroups. The effects were greater in the female subgroup, the
low-income households and the Gen X subgroup than in the other subgroups, indicating
that the female subgroup, the low-income households and the Gen X subgroup were more
vulnerable to price consciousnesses.
In terms of the positive impact of perceived behavioral control on intentions to
purchase green products (Path 3), the effect was significant in the male and female
subgroups, the low-income, middle-income and high-income households, and the Gen Y
and Gen X subgroups. The effects were greater in the middle-income households and the
Gen Y subgroup than in the other subgroups. In terms of the negative impact of perceived
behavioral control on price consciousnesses (Path 4), the effect was significant in the
female subgroup, the low-income and middle-income households and the Gen X subgroup.
The effects were greater in the low-income households and the Gen X subgroup than in the
other subgroups.
The impacts of product knowledge on attitudes toward green products (Path 6) and of
product knowledge on intentions to purchase green products (Path 7) were only significant
in the female subgroup, the middle-income and high-income households and the Gen Y
subgroup. The effects were greater in the female subgroup, the high-income households and
the Gen Y subgroup than in the other subgroups. In terms of the positive impact of PCE on
attitudes toward and intentions to purchase green products (Paths 8 and 9), the effect
was significant in the male and female subgroups, the low-income, middle-income and
high-income households, and the Gen Y and Gen X subgroups. The effects were greater in Consumers’
the male subgroup, the low-income households and the Gen X subgroup than in the intentions to
other subgroups. purchase green
In terms of the positive impact of social media marketing on subjective norms, product
knowledge, and PCE (Path 10, Path 12 and Path 13), the effect was significant in the male products
and female subgroups, the low-income, middle-income and high-income households, and the
Gen Y and Gen X subgroups. The effects of social media marketing on subjective norms 871
were greater in the female subgroup, the low-income households and the Gen X subgroup
than in the other subgroups. The impacts of social media marketing on product knowledge
in the male subgroup, the high-income households and the Gen Y subgroup are greater than
in the other subgroups. The impacts of social media on PCE were greater in the female
subgroup, the high-income households and the Gen X subgroup than in other subgroups. In
terms of the negative impact of social media marketing on price consciousnesses (Path 11),
the effect was significant only in the middle-income households.

5. Discussion and implications

5.1 Discussion of the results
The current research explored consumers’ intentions to purchase green products in the
social media marketing context. The research results indicated that attitudes positively
affect consumers’ intentions to purchase green products, and the effects were greater in the
male subgroup, the high-income households and the Gen Y subgroup than in the other
subgroups. Moreover, the results suggested that men have a more positive attitude toward
participating in sustainable behaviors than women. It is not surprising that young
consumers have more positive attitudes than older consumers about buying green products
(Diamantopoulos et al., 2003). Younger consumers are concerned not only with the present
but also with the future effects of their present actions and prefer to become lifelong
consumers of the green market. Therefore, these young consumers pay more attention to
green products than the older population, and they seem willing to purchase green products
when they are shopping (D’Souza et al., 2007).
Although subjective norms positively affect consumers’ intentions to purchase green
products, the effect is relatively small compared with previous research results in China.
The effects were greater in the male subgroup, the high-income households and the Gen X
subgroup than in the other subgroups. The results indicated that if consumers confirm that
their “significant others” want them to engage in sustainable consumption behaviors, they
are more likely to buy green products. However, in the social media context, individuals
perceive less pressure from “significant others.” The virtual nature of social media makes it
easier for individuals to relax their disguises, which is conducive to encouraging many
“bad” behaviors that they dare not undertake in real life.
Price consciousness negatively affects consumers’ intentions to purchase green
products. The results of the multigroup SEM analysis indicated that the female and Gen X
subgroups are more sensitive to price consciousness, and low-income households are more
easily constrained when buying green products. Consumers might be unwilling to
purchase green products when their budgets are limited because of lower incomes,
resulting in price perceptions as obstacles. Previous research has indicated that more
price search behaviors and price consciousness arise in lower-income groups (Ailawadi
et al., 2001). A more differentiated certification or labeling should be applied to increase the
green market. Moreover, perceived behavioral control negatively affects consumers’
price consciousness. Hence, improving consumers’ perceptions of control about green
buying, such as gradually increasing income, will also increase their willingness to
purchase green products, while social media marketing can also decrease consumers’
price consciousness.
APJML According to the results, product knowledge positively affects consumers’ attitudes
32,4 toward and intentions to purchase green products. The effects were greater in the female
subgroup, the high-income households and the Gen Y subgroup than in the
other subgroups. In addition, the average score for product knowledge was very low
(see Table IV ), indicating that consumers are not familiar with green products. This
finding is in line with the Chinese scenario. The promotion of green products in China is
872 still in its infancy, and consumers have little knowledge about green products. PCE has
the greatest impact on attitudes, but contrary to expectations, it does not have a
significant influence on green purchase intentions. The effects were greater in the male
subgroup, the low-income households and the Gen X subgroup than in the other
subgroups. The results indicated that if consumers believe that they can truly improve the
environment through their personal consumption behaviors, they will tend to form
positive attitudes.
Social media marketing positively affects subjective norms, product knowledge and
PCE. Social media marketing was found to have the greatest impact on PCE. The results
of the multigroup SEM analysis indicated that female consumers, those with higher
income levels and Gen X consumers were more willing to buy green products. Greater
attention should be paid to green consumer groups and to facilitating the social
atmosphere of green consumption.

5.2 Practical implications

The above analyses can provide several practical insights about social media marketing and
green purchase behaviors. Furthermore, these analyses can ensure that business
practitioners develop marketing strategies and advise the government on policy
formulation. Consumers with positive attitudes toward green products are more likely to
buy these products. Manufacturers could cooperate with the government to create a positive
image of green products and to help consumers to form positive attitudes toward green
products. Consumers are easily influenced by “significant others”, and subjective norms
positively affect green purchase intentions. To ensure that business practitioners expand
their market share, some well-known public figures, such as stars or celebrities, could be
employed to organize campaigns to emphasize the harmful effects of certain daily actions
and to highlight dos and don’ts to foster environmental awareness among female consumers
or young consumers on social media. Perceived behavioral control has a significant impact
on green purchase intentions. Some respondents said, “I don’t know where to buy green
products.” Moreover, price consciousness significantly discourages consumers from buying
green products. Hence, manufacturers should provide more information, knowledge and
experience about how consumers can easily access green products and should attempt to
explain the price gaps between green products and general products, showing the
production costs and benefits of green products.
Furthermore, the average score for product knowledge was very low. Increasing
education about green products can improve awareness among consumers with fewer
purchase intentions. Measures should be undertaken to promote knowledge of green
products on social media, focusing on sustainable consumption and lifestyle practice.
Consumers should be better educated about the features of green products, and social media
should be used to promote the advantages of green products and assure consumers that the
quality is equal to or greater than that of replacement products. Considering the effects of
PCE, green manufacturers should emphasize that personal consumption behavior can
contribute to improving the environment.
Manufacturers should pay attention to targeted marketing according to different
consumer groups. That is, the green consumer market should be segmented to identify
key green consumers. For example, to increase consumers’ green attitudes, measures
would be more effective when green manufacturers target consumers who are older and Consumers’
have higher incomes. If green manufacturers want to improve consumers’ green purchase intentions to
intentions via subjective norms, they can target female consumers, lower-income purchase green
consumers and Gen X consumers. It is also necessary to emphasize the impact of social
media marketing. Measures should be undertaken to disseminate the benefits of products
green products on social media. Moreover, marketers should pay attention to the
selection of appropriate social media influencers and tailor them for advertising to 873
gain a competitive advantage in the market to increase green attitudes and purchase
intentions. It is the marketer’s prerogative and discretion to choose a social media
influencer who can appeal to the target audience and captivate the audience with
impressive advertising messages.
In addition, it is necessary to emphasize the role of the government in promoting the
development of green products. First, to further promote the development of green products,
more relevant policies and regulations should be formulated by the government. Second, the
government could raise awareness about ecological issues to arouse the conscience of
different demographic segments via social media. Third, the government could provide
financial subsidies to the green product industry and encourage more manufacturers to
develop green products. Finally, consumers should be encouraged to buy green products by
offering them appropriate incentives.

6. Conclusion and limitations

6.1 Conclusion
This study explored consumers’ green purchase intentions based on an extended TPB
model and emphasized the importance of social media marketing, price consciousness,
product knowledge and PCE. Consumers’ intentions to purchase green products are
positively influenced by attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control but
are negatively influenced by price consciousness. Product knowledge and PCE both
positively affect consumers’ attitudes toward and intentions to purchase green products.
Social media marketing positively affects subjective norms, product knowledge and PCE.
PCE plays an important role in green buying because it has the greatest impact on attitudes
and intentions and is influenced the most by social media marketing.
This research makes several contributions. First, the literature review indicated that
there has been very little research on green consumerism in emerging markets, so studies in
this field are worthy of more attention. This study was devoted to understanding green
consumption in emerging markets and showed that social media marketing widely
influences product knowledge, PCE and attitudes toward and intentions to purchase green
products. Second, this research focused on consumer groups in the context of social media,
providing a more comprehensive understanding of the intention to buy green products.
Finally, the important impact of market segments on green product purchasing intentions
was considered in this research.

6.2 Limitations
It is important to emphasize the limitations of this research, although it also has a few
interesting conclusions and implications. First, this research focused on the intention to
purchase green products rather than the actual purchase behavior. Further studies could
investigate the purchase behaviors of green products to provide a deeper understanding
of the trends of actual purchase decisions. Another limitation of this research is
that it lacks a specific definition of green products. Future studies could investigate
specific green products and compare consumers’ purchase intentions between different
green products.
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878 About the authors

Ying Sun is a PhD student of School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China
and her primary research interests are green consumption and green marketing.
Shanyong Wang is Associate Professor of University of Science and Technology of China and his
primary research interests are consumer behavior and marketing. Shanyong Wang is the corresponding
author and can be contacted at: wsy1988@mail.ustc.edu.cn

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