The role of motivations in the construction of patronage intention of innovative green products

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to analyze how autonomous and controlled motivations influence the formation of patronage intention (PI) of innovative green products. Additionally, the role of positive affect (PA) in these causal relationships is analyzed, as is the moderating role of social norms (SN).Design/methodology/approachData were collected through an online self-administered questionnaire. The paper reports the results of a quantitative study based on a sample of 338 people of 24 years old or older, with different levels of education and motivations in terms of acting in favor of the environment. To ensure the reliability and validity of the constructs, an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used. To test the proposed research model, the methodology of structural equations was used.FindingsThe results indicate that autonomous motivations (AMs) contribute positively to the formation of patronage intention toward innovative green products, while controlled motivations (CMs) influence negatively. Additionally, it was observed that PA fulfills a relative role in the formation of patronage intention and that SN act as moderators of these causal relationships.Practical implicationsThese findings serve as a base for companies to identify those segments of consumers that are motivated autonomously by care for the environment and thus to design effective strategies to achieve their patronage intention.Originality/valueConsidering the relevance of the consumption of green products, as well as how companies can achieve the patronage intention of the consumer, this study shows a high level of originality in the sense that it analyses the role of motivations and PA in the formation of patronage intention of green products, especially when these are perceived as innovative.