Understanding the consumer purchase behaviour towards green electronic products: using insight from the theory of planned behaviour

Purpose - This research investigation aims to explore the factors that affect purchasing behaviour among consumers in India in the context of green electronic products with the aid of the extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) by incorporating two additional constructs, namely environmental concern and ethical obligation. Design/methodology/approach - The current research adopted a quantitative methodology, utilising a survey (questionnaire) to gather data from respondents residing in Delhi-NCR, India. A convenience sampling technique was used to select these respondents. Both online and offline modes were used to collect the data. Moreover, to evaluate the theoretical foundation of the investigation, the researchers employed PLS-SEM (partial least square structural equation modelling) on 346 useable samples. Findings - The outcome reveals that attitude, subjective norm and perceived behaviour control (PBC) are significant predictors, supplementary constructs such as environmental concern are not significant predictors, whereas ethical obligation is a substantial predictor of purchase intention. Consumer purchase behaviour, in turn, is influenced by consumer purchase intention. Practical implications - The outcome of this research could help the country’s legislators formulate policies and programs related to current environmental problems faced by our planet. Marketers could understand the factors that drive consumers' purchasing behaviour towards green electronic products and design effective marketing strategies accordingly. Thus, by enhancing the company’s green image, marketers of green products may potentially increase future purchases, all of which contribute to solving worldwide environmental problems. Originality/value - This research confirms the usefulness of TPB in understanding Indian consumers' purchasing intention and behaviour towards green electronic products. It further extends the TPB by showing that new components, environmental concerns and ethical obligations influence Indian consumers' purchasing intentions and behaviour. Moreover, prior studies mostly used both additional constructs for green products. Current research used specific types of green products, i.e. green electronic products, as very few studies are available on these products that apply TPB, which makes this study novel. In contrast to previous research that primarily examined purchase intention, this study takes a further step by investigating the connection between intentions and consumers' purchase behaviour. It establishes intention as a precursor to behaviour, specifically towards green electronic products. Additionally, this study introduces new constructs and explores the Indian context, significantly contributing to the existing literature.