Gender-based dichotomies in various psychographic attributes for environmentally friendly products

Abstract

Orientation: Environmentally friendly consumption behaviour is one of the topical issues in contemporary marketing discourse. However, this subject has received considerable research attention mostly in middle- and high-income markets at the expense of developing world contexts.

Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore if there is a dichotomy between gender groups on the following consumer attributes: green attitude, green personality, green values and green purchasing intention. Producers and retailers of environmentally friendly products need to understand the profile of their customers if they are to effectively segment and target them.

Motivation for the study: The study is motivated by a need to understand any potential differences in customer attributes in green markets. An appreciation of such differences will supply marketers of environmentally products with critical information which can help them to design and position their value propositions.

Research design, approach and method: An exploratory and cross-sectional survey design was used. Data were collected from a total of 284 respondents using a self-administered, structured questionnaire. The student’s t-test and multiple regression analyses were used for data analysis.

Main findings: The study unveiled significant gender-based disparities in social altruistic values, but none in green personality, green attitude and green purchasing intention. Moreover, it was discovered that green attitude, green values and green personality had different levels of influence on the green purchasing intention of different gender groups, with a stronger impact observed among the sample of male respondents. The implication is that marketers of green products should consider gender-informed disparities in various psychographic attributes of consumers of environmentally friendly products.

Practical/managerial implications: The findings of this study can assist producers and marketers of environmentally friendly products to develop value propositions that are appropriate for young consumers who belong to different gender groups.

Contribution/value-add: Very little research in the Zimbabwean context exists with specific reference to how gender affects the green attributes of young, college-level consumers. This article adds value by unravelling some of the factors that influence the green purchasing intention of college students in Zimbabwe.