Green marketing and consumer behavior: A meta-analysis of sustainability-driven purchase decisions

Mohammed Naveed Udaigiri

doi:10.65453/ajbmr.v15i1.1404

Authors

Mohammed Naveed Udaigiri Faculty, College of Economics & Business Administration, University of Technology and Applies Sciences-Al Musannah, Sultanate of Oman.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65453/ajbmr.v15i1.1404

Keywords:

Green marketing; Consumer behavior; Eco-labels; Intention–behavior gap; Greenwashing.

Abstract

This paper condenses evidence from thirty published studies on how green marketing shapes consumer decision-making. We answer two questions: (i) which factors most reliably drive sustainability-driven purchase intention, and (ii) why does intention not always become real purchase? Across the studies, attitude toward the green product, green trust, perceived value, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and perceived consumer effectiveness consistently increase green purchase intention, while perceived risk (fear of poor performance, fake claims, or unfair price) reduces it (Zhuang, Luo, & Riaz, 2021; Neves, Oliveira, & Santini, 2025). Experimental work on graded eco-labels (traffic-light or A–F ‘Eco-Score’) shows that such labels rapidly shift perceived sustainability and can nudge intention. Poor sustainability grades also create a strong negative halo for food products: consumers think the product is less healthy and tasty, so willingness to buy drops (Taillie et al., 2024; Büttner, Gassler, & Teuber, 2024). Even when buyers say they intend to choose the greener product, final purchase is blocked by price differences, availability, habit, convenience, and time pressure at the point of choice (Bleidorn, Lenhausen, & Hopwood, 2021; Essiz, Yurteri, Mandrik, & Senyuz, 2022; Syed, Acquaye, Khalfan, Obuobisa-Darko, & Yamoah, 2024). A decisive moderator across studies is trust: precise, verifiable sustainability claims improve intention, while vague or exaggerated ‘greenwashing’ claims trigger skepticism and even boycott intention (Santos, Coelho, & Marques, 2024; Andreoli, Silva, & Lopes, 2025; Persakis, Nikolopoulos, Negkakis, & Pavlopoulos, 2025). We apply a PRISMA-style secondary review, summarise core constructs across thirty studies, and present two linked pathways: (1) psychological drivers of intention, and (2) sustainability signal → perceived sustainability → trust/value/attitude → intention → behaviour. The practical message is straightforward: make sustainability easy to understand, honest to believe, and easy to buy.

Author Biography

Mohammed Naveed Udaigiri, Faculty, College of Economics & Business Administration, University of Technology and Applies Sciences-Al Musannah, Sultanate of Oman.

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