Understanding the Purchase Intention and Willingness to Pay for Organic Apparel

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the topic of green consumption and investigates the adoption and willingness to pay for organic apparel. The study is located in an emerging economy India. The newlinetheoretical framework adopted was the Theory of Planned Behavior. A sequential mixed methods approach was used with two stages. The first stage was a qualitative study and employed the focus group technique. This was followed by a quantitative study in the second stage. The findings of the qualitative study revealed a high involvement among consumers of sustainable apparel but a considerable degree of consumer skepticism regarding the green claims made by the manufacturers of organic apparel. The quantitative study employed a survey and the data was analyzed using structural equation modelling. The model on the antecedents and consequences newlineof consumer skepticism revealed that stronger the self-identity as someone who cares about the environment, the greater the degree of skepticism about Green claims. However, the greater the susceptibility to subjective norms the lower the degree of consumer skepticism. Interestingly, consumer skepticism did not have a significant influence on the consumer willingness to purchase or the willingness to pay or the willingness to pay premium for organic apparel. Product knowledge and involvement, prior experience as an organic consumer, and the perceived quality of the fabric were found to have a significant influence on willingness to pay for organic newlineapparel. Income had a significant and positive influence on the willingness to pay. Personal values were found to be significant for both the willingness to pay, and the willingness to pay premium. The managerial and policy implications of the study are discussed and suggestions for future research outlined. newline newline