Abstract:
The literature argues that there is greater health and environmental consciousness in the present-day society, yet there still exists a huge green purchasing gap. This study,
therefore, aimed at examining the consumer perspectives towards buying green food
products and had specifically targeted to identify consumer self-perceptions in
buying green food products, analyzing the consumer price perceptions in buying
green food products, and analyzing consumer environment perceptions in buying
green food products. After thorough literature review, the researcher proposed
significant relationships between each perspective and the buying intention.
This survey study was deductive in nature where theories of planned behaviour and
consumer perspectives were tested. Quantitative data were collected in a cross-sectional
manner, using a well-structured questionnaire given to a sample of 399
respondents. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22 and AMOS
version 23 was employed in the analysis of data.
Study findings reveal that consumers‟ actual buying decision is highly influenced by
their health benefit perceptions of green food products. Perceptions of food quality
and its safety were also found to be good predictors of consumers‟ actual buying
decision that affects it positively contrary to a price which influenced the same
negatively. On the other hand, environment perceptions showed no significant
relationship to buyers‟ actual buying decision. The findings are consistent with most
previous studies in the sense that all self-perceptions and price proved to
significantly affect buyers buying decision, while environment perceptions
surprisingly revealed an uncertain relationship to an actual buying decision.
These findings can help marketers of green food products to increase and diversify
their markets by making the right promotions. This can be by focusing on the most
important factors proved to have more influence on buyers‟ actual decision to buy, for
example; focusing promotions on health benefits than environmental ones.
Successful green campaigns can be done by strategizing the focus on the most influential
factors for green food consumption.
