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Reduce the confusion : the influence of additional shelf information about eco-labels to compare green cosmetics

Korink, I.R. (2013) Reduce the confusion : the influence of additional shelf information about eco-labels to compare green cosmetics.

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Abstract:Aim: In recent years consumers have become increasingly aware of the influence of their daily purchase behaviour on the environment and their health. As a consequence, the sale of natural products, especially natural cosmetics has increased. The purchase process of natural cosmetics is influenced by the presence of eco-labels, which informs the consumer about the impact on environment and health. Due to the popularity of natural cosmetics with an eco-label, a growing amount of companies use eco-labels on their packaging. Currently there are 60 different cosmetic eco-labels globally known and this amount is growing every day. Research shows that within this great amount of eco-labels, consumers are not able to distinguish the official and non-official eco-labels. This study focused on the reduction of problems in distinguishing the eco-labels by increasing the trust and knowledge about these labels. Methodology: A pre-test and two main studies were conducted to test the influence of additional eco-label information on the purchase intention of eco-labelled cosmetics. The pre-test focused on the selection of stimulus materials for the main study. The main studies explored the influence of manipulations in brands, eco-labels and additional information. In the first main study, consumers’ preference and purchase intention for single products on a shelf was investigated. In the second main study, the preference and purchase intention of consumers was measured during a choice task. Furthermore, the moderating influence of brand loyalty, eco-label familiarity, eco-label knowledge, health awareness and environmental awareness was tested. Results: Analyses demonstrated that the consumers‘ purchase intention regarding eco-labelled cosmetics was influenced by the product preference of consumers. In this research the preference was given to cosmetics containing both trusted eco-labels and additional eco-label information. In addition, it turned out that familiarity with an eco-label, brand loyalty, health awareness and environmental awareness did not moderate the effect of brand, eco-label and additional information on the purchase intention of consumers. A moderating influence of eco-label knowledge on purchase intention was found. Conclusion: The present study contributes to the understanding of the purchase intention of young female consumers of eco-labelled cosmetics. Educating consumers by additional eco-label information at the point-of-purchase increased the preference for a product. Especially brands which are seen as regular benefited from adding additional information by which consumers can compare different eco-labelled cosmetics.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:05 communication studies
Programme:Communication Studies MSc (60713)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/64030
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