Enhancing acceptance of reusable express packaging: A mixed-method study to reveal the net effects and configurational effects of consumers’ perceptions

Abstract

The advancement of e-commerce has significantly contributed to the swift expansion of online retail, but it has also resulted in the accumulation of express packaging and environmental challenges. Consequently, the scale promotion of reusable express packaging emerges as an effective alternative. In order to investigate the adoption intention, this study integrates stakeholder theory with an expanded technology acceptance model to construct a comprehensive framework. Based on a dataset of 1102 cross-sectional data from Shanghai, this study applies the partial least squares structural equation modeling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to examine the net and configuration effects of variables. The findings indicate that perceived government support acts indirectly on adoption intention through product involvement. Additionally, perceived enterprise efforts, perceived information utility, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived normality all exert both direct and indirect effects on adoption intention. Further, it has identified six antecedent configuration paths associated with high adoption intention. These paths can be categorized into three kinds of configurations based on core conditions: namely, a government support-centered and superior product configuration, a government support-centered configuration, and a product-centered configuration. This study reflects driving factors of consumers adoption intention while identifying their net and interconnection effects, providing valuable theoretical insights for governments, enterprises, and media in formulating targeted management policies.