Conscious cleaning products: The influence of green marketing on consumer buying behaviour

Abstract

Society’s interest in environmental issues and sustainability has made green marketing a priority for organisations globally. Consumer behaviour has a significant influence on climate change, and alterations in consumer behaviour have the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of consumption by up to 25%. A substantial portion of this can directly be attributed to consumers selecting products with a lower carbon footprint. Traditionally, household cleaning products have had a detrimental effect on the environment but they have more recently made extensive use of green marketing strategies. This study aimed to investigate the influence that the green marketing of cleaning products has on the buying behaviour of consumers. Consumer insights were gathered using an interpretivist, qualitative, exploratory approach with a focus group methodology to determine how their perception of green marketing and its influence on their buying behaviour might be affected. Findings revealed that although participants have a positive attitude towards green marketing and green cleaning products, their buying behaviour is influenced by factors such as price, quality, convenience, and health. Factors such as eco-labelling, social media, and product attributes are important factors that influence their decision-making process. Also noted was the lack of awareness of green cleaning products and their limited availability. This study aids in understanding the effectiveness of green marketing and highlights the need for greater awareness in the promotion of the benefits and availability of green cleaning products. This study provides a deeper understanding of green marketing’s influence on consumer behaviour and can be used to guide in the development of future practices for the promotion of ecofriendly products. Consequently, it is recommended that more research studies be conducted on the effectiveness of green marketing, so that we can better understand whether these campaigns are successful, and whether they actually influence consumer purchasing decisions. Furthermore, there is a need to understand the consumer decision making process with different products, as factors that influence buying behaviour might differ within different products.