Exploring the Impact of the Green Marketing Mix on Environmental Attitudes and Purchase Intentions: Moderating Role of Environmental Knowledge in China’s Emerging Markets

This study examines how the green marketing mix—comprising green product, price, place, and promotion—affects consumers’ environmental attitudes and green purchase intentions, incorporating environmental knowledge as a moderating factor, focusing on a sample of 334 environmentally conscious consumers from second- and third-tier cities in China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data collected through SPSS 24 and AMOS 26. The results indicate that green promotion, price, and place significantly influenced environmental attitude, while green products did not show a significant effect. Both green products and promotions positively affected green purchase intention, whereas price and place had no notable impact. Environmental attitude strongly influenced green purchase intention, emphasizing its critical role in shaping consumer behavior. Interestingly, higher levels of environmental knowledge weakened the link between environmental attitude and green purchase intention, potentially due to increased skepticism toward environmental claims and the onset of “green fatigue”. By analyzing data from consumers in China’s second- and third-tier cities, this study provides valuable insights into the unique dynamics of green consumer behavior in emerging markets, offering strategic guidance for companies to develop more effective and environmentally responsible marketing approaches. It offers insights for policymakers to promote a sustainable, eco-conscious society.