ORIGINAL RESEARCH

published: 02 August 2022

doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.790272

Signaling Green: Impact of Green

Product Attributes on Consumers
Trust and the Mediating Role of
Green Marketing
Kashif Ullah Khan 1 , Fouzia Atlas 2 , Muhammad Zulqarnain Arshad 3* , Sadia Akhtar 4 and
Farhan Khan 5*
1
School of Management Sciences, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Swabi, Pakistan,
2
Department of Management Sciences, Women University Swabi, Swabi, Pakistan, 3 School of Business Management,
College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Bukit Kayu Hitam, Malaysia, 4 School of Humanities and Social Science,
University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China, 5 Department of Government and Public Policy, National
Defense University, Islamabad, Pakistan

The purpose of this research is to highlight the relationship between green product
attributes and consumer trust that influence consumers’ decision to purchase green
products in the context of Pakistan. This study contributes to determining quantitatively
how green product attributes such as physical, perceptual, and reflexive attributes
Edited by:
influence consumers’ trust to purchase a green product and investigates the mediating
Ahmed Imran Hunjra,
Ghazi University, Pakistan role of green marketing. Data was collected from different industrial sectors through
Reviewed by: a survey questionnaire. We employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using the
Eduardo Moraes Sarmento, SMART-PLS software to check the reliability and validity of the constructs, and to
Lusofona University of Humanities
and Technologies, Portugal
test the hypotheses. This study reveals variations in terms of shaping the sustainable
Jun Li, consumers’ buying behavior by modifying product attributes and green marketing
South China Normal University, China
strategies that are in congruence with the proposed hypotheses of this study. In the end,
*Correspondence:
the findings and interpretations of the results are given which can guide the managers
Muhammad Zulqarnain Arshad
[email protected] to develop effective green marketing campaigns in reshaping the purchase intentions of
Farhan Khan consumers toward their green products.
[email protected]
Keywords: signaling green, green product attributes, consumer trust, green marketing, mediation
Specialty section:
This article was submitted to
Organizational Psychology, INTRODUCTION
a section of the journal
Frontiers in Psychology The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is deeply affecting humankind around
Received: 06 October 2021 the globe. Its drastic effects are not only limited to public health but has also severely hit
Accepted: 13 June 2022 national economies and enterprises that are facing a substantial reduction in demand in almost
Published: 02 August 2022 all sectors (Donthu and Gustafsson, 2020; Nicola et al., 2020). Due to the lockdown measures of
Citation: the government, Pakistani firms are experiencing unprecedented bad impacts on their businesses
Khan KU, Atlas F, Arshad MZ, including, education institutes, small retail markets, transport industry, restaurants, and the
Akhtar S and Khan F (2022) Signaling hospitality sector (Shafi et al., 2020; Rasheed et al., 2021). The pandemic has also shifted the
Green: Impact of Green Product
consumers’ pro-environmental behaviors and attitudes (Peluso et al., 2021). Several researchers
Attributes on Consumers Trust
and the Mediating Role of Green
asserted the possibility that the pandemic may favor a change in a more healthier direction toward
Marketing. environmentally friendly and sustainable consumption patterns as consumers have become more
Front. Psychol. 13:790272. aware of the humankind’s vulnerability and the relevance of the issues, such as pollution, climate
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.790272 changes, and pandemics, which may have severe effects on both their health and the natural

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Khan et al. Green Marketing, Green Product Attributes

environment (Qi et al., 2020; Mende and Misra, 2021). Customers the combined effect of green marketing and product attributes on
are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental issues consumer trust. This research, in particular, examines whether or
that presently plague the earth’s ecosystems and display a not the green attributes of a product have a significant influence
greater propensity toward purchasing from companies whom on consumer trust in Pakistan.
they perceive as being environmentally conscious (Muduli et al., This research paper addressed the following research
2020). Firms showing initiative toward implementing green questions:
measures in terms of their present product offerings and
1. How do green product attributes influence the consumer’s
manufacturing processes have an advantage in capitalizing on
trust to purchase green products?
the increased demand for such products (Yadav and Pathak,
2. How does green marketing mediate the relationship
2017). When consumers choose to buy products there is a
between green product attributes and consumer trust to
multitude of factors involved in a purchase decision (Zhang et al.,
purchase green products?
2021). The product is composed of several attributes, and for
each product, the attribute is the attached value given by the The introduction is followed by a literature review and
consumers (Malter et al., 2020). model with hypothesis development, research methodology,
Burgeoning literature has majorly discussed environmental results and analysis, discussion, and implications, and finally, the
behavior as an antecedent of intention which is in turn the conclusion is discussed.
outcome of environmental attitude and knowledge, yet, far less
has been done about the factors that affect the relationship
between consumers’ attitude toward going green and green LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESIS
purchase behavior, among the factors that are the attributes of DEVELOPMENT
the green product (Cheung and To, 2019). This research study
is an endeavor to understand the extent to which the product Physical Factors and Green Marketing
attributes, physical, perceptual, and reflexive attribute, influence Traditional notions of design engineering have been a
consumers’ trust. multifaceted area of focus for product designers (Shiau
Physical attribute refers to the initial influence of a product et al., 2010), which have required a multitude of theoretical and
on consumers through its appearance, touch, and feel. We all conceptual models developed to mutually fulfill all performance
have sensitivities and preferences for particular tastes, designs, and aesthetic expectations by prospective buyers. Some of these
colors, facial features, and activities. Perceptual attributes are areas are related to industrial engineering and marketing, which
associated with the functionality of a product, and reflexive further divide the objectives of each buying stakeholder group
attributes are associated with right fullness appraisal and are (Frischknecht, 2009). For a firm seeking to be environmentally
based on standard-driven emotions such as, how products should friendly, design considerations must also include material
be designed and the process of production (Desmet, 2011). choices that are both affordable and improve the environmental
Due to rapid industrialization, the growing concerns for the footprint of the product. European businesses based in France
environment have increased for the governments, communities, and Germany have strived toward the development of “Clean
and consumers (Chiou et al., 2011). Consequent to a paradigm Technologies” which they cite as being enabling factors toward
shift in consumers’ intentions and/or preferences to purchase the continuous improvement of green performance in products.
eco-friendly products, the companies’ eco-friendly practices have Therefore, these physical characteristics may also play a role in
become the need of the hour (Hosseini and ZiaeeBideh, 2014). governing the marketing campaigns in terms of transferring
The importance of green marketing is an emerging phenomenon the cost of environmental protection from the consumer to
as most of the researchers in the field are now focusing on the industry to facilitate environmental protection within itself
environmentally damaging effects (Dangelico and Vocalelli, (Wen Wan et al., 2017). Chen et al. (2014) have outlined several
2017). The importance of green marketing is evident from product design requirements (also known as the 5Es) that
the fact that companies have adopted different environmental they consider as being critical for consideration for consumer
approaches that include price, promotion, distribution, and requirements and environmental regulations, i.e., the quality
efforts to design products that demonstrate their concern for the of end product, ease of usage, economies of scale and scope,
environment (Pride and Ferrell, 2008). Due to green marketing, energy-efficiency, and minimal environmental effects.
the consumer is becoming more conscious of environmental
protection (Groening et al., 2018). H1: Physical attributes have a positive relationship with green
The practical contribution of this study is in the field Marketing.
of sustainability where manufacturing companies pertain to
associate with the concept of eco-friendly or corporate social Perceptual Factors and Green Marketing
responsibility. This research would enable companies to know Goldman (1995) propose “Perceptions of products (e.g., that
what consumers are looking for and how can they win their trust something is beautiful) are what it is noticed from the products.”
by showing their affiliation/concerns with the environment and He suggested eight categories for concepts that describe the
the community. No such prior research has tested this model perception of products, including, broadly evaluative, formal,
empirically to identify how different important (green) attributes evocative, emotional, behavioral, representational, perceptual,
of a product influence green marketing and consumer trust, and and historical. Some of the perceptions in these categories depend

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Khan et al. Green Marketing, Green Product Attributes

upon the experience of the consumer or comparison with other an influence on customer behavioral outcomes in a diverse
products. Perceptual attributes deal with the phenomenon of manner, such as the intention to purchase or recommend
people’s judgments about the objective qualities of a product (Pérez and Del Bosque, 2015).
being influenced by design properties (Reid et al., 2010). The
process of quantifying the perceptual attributes is difficult, and H3: Reflexive attributes have a positive relationship with green
the only method is “behavioral sciences” that describes how many marketing.
perceptual attributes are desirable. Existing research highlighted
the fact that designers and users perceive perceptual attributes Green Product Attributes and Consumer
differently (Schnurr et al., 2017). Consumers use subjective Trust
attributes for narrowing down their choices when they are Green product attributes in recent years have gained increasing
presented with many similar alternatives. Product design is an attention because of consumers’ eco-friendliness (Sharma and
important factor that affects sales, so, designing products that are Foropon, 2019). Consumers’ purchase decisions are shifting
aligned with perceptual attributes are critical (Landwehr et al., toward products having green attributes because of their
2011). The ability to integrate green criteria in terms of product consumption-related environmental problems (Paul et al., 2016).
design and performance guidelines can be used to enhance the Physical attributes of a product such as size and weight, product
perceptual effects of environmental friendliness on its witnesses quality, design, price, and packaging incline consumer trust in
and bystanders who see the product in action (Reid et al., 2010). that specific product (Aburumman and Nieto, 2019). Consumers’
Past research has supported similar findings of trust probably determines their final purchasing decision and
environmentally aware consumers’ willingness to pay more this trust is mainly based on the seller’s attitude of not being
for those products which they deem to be superior in terms opportunistic, behaving ethically, and the attributes of the
of minimizing environmental overheads (Woo and Kim, products they sell (Marakanon and Panjakajornsak, 2017). There
2019). There is also a trust-based element in terms of how is a difference between the perception of products perceived
environmentally aware consumers can be attracted to a by designers and users (Magnier et al., 2019). Consumers
particular product concerning its sustainability-oriented when buying a product often make their decision by using
attributes, which can be further termed as being that of “Green subjective reasoning. Consumers also use subjective attributes for
Trust” (Chen, 2013). narrowing down their choice of the set when they are presented
H2: Perceptual attributes have a positive relationship with green with many similar alternatives, and the same is the case with
marketing. objective attributes (André et al., 2018). As the design is an
important factor that affects sales, designing those products
that are aligned with perceptual attributes is most important
Reflexive Attributes and Green (Landwehr et al., 2011). The attributes perceived by a customer
Marketing in a product mainly come from the quality, value, and risk, as
In reflexive attributes, rationalization and intellectualization of a concluded in the previous studies (De Medeiros et al., 2016).
product occur in the minds of consumers and are subjected to All these attributes play an important role in the phase of
training, education, experiences, and culture of an individual. It decision-making for that particular product and building long-
is conscious and might be the highest degree of feeling, emotion, term purchase trust with it.
and cognition (Norman, 2004). Emotions are functional because The positive image of a product manufacturing firm is
they form our position associated with our own environment, sometimes perceived to be a positive attribute to building trust
attracting us toward certain objects, actions, people, and ideas, (Nguyen et al., 2019). Attributes perceived by consumers also
and pushing us away from certain others (Frijda, 1986). Satisfying include country stereotypes and experiences of a product from
emotions pull us toward the stuff that are (or intended to be) the country (Perez Mata et al., 2017). The reflexive attribute of
advantageous, whereas negative emotions will drag us away from an event or product is an appraisal of an event or product as
those that are (or supposed to be) harmful for our welfare potentially beneficial or harmful for one’s well-being (Scherer,
(Desmet, 2002). 2001). Appraisal is an assessment of the importance of a stimulus
The first dealing with the product is through the sensory for one’s personal well-being, such as a desire toward purchasing a
system, which establishes the initial impression or perception green product can be appraised as matching with our concern for
about the product. In the next stage, the person appraises the an environmentally responsible one. However, people belonging
usability of the product, which is dependent on an individual’s to different cultures may appraise the similar (green) product in
culture and experiences. In the last stage, the person reflects on diverse ways and will experience different emotions regarding
the product and its meaning in relation to him or her, and this its purchase (Desmet et al., 2007). One who is sensitive to
is the phase where emotions appear. Emotions at that stage can environmental issues may respond with the intentions of buying
vary from individual to individual and are dependent on every a green product as he/she trusts the green products.
person’s own situation (Perez Mata et al., 2017).
Organizations communicate their strategies of green H4: Physical attributes have a positive relationship with
marketing with the aim of creating consumers’ attitudes and consumer trust.
positive feelings toward the organization (Mercade Mele et al., H5: Perceptual attributes have a positive relationship with
2019). Literature has also proven that these attitudes have consumer trust.

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Khan et al. Green Marketing, Green Product Attributes

H6: Reflexive attributes have a positive relationship with the ongoing degradation of the environment. The main
consumer trust. objective that companies should consider when designing
marketing campaigns is the ability to convince consumers
Green Marketing and Consumer Trust that their purchase choices will have an impact on the fate
Environmental issues have always been the focus of people’s of the ecological health of the planet, thereby empowering
attention, and with the emergence of green consumption, them to make environmentally conscious purchase decisions
companies are also actively responding to market demands (Schill and Godefroit-Winkel, 2019).
by implementing green marketing (Wang and Kuah, 2018). Companies can persuade certain consumers to purchase green
Companies’ environmental efforts are now being widely regarded products at premium prices that they perceive to be relatively
as part of their corporate social responsibility, it is all “environmentally friendly” compared to alternative products
because of the consumers’ awareness regarding environmental (Wei et al., 2018). Green marketing campaigns are designed
responsibility (Nyilasy and Gangadharbatla, 2016). to convince consumers that their purchases play a role in
Jiang and Kim (2015) have proposed that consumers’ mitigating the ongoing degradation of the environment by way of
understanding of green marketing communications affects their emphasizing the positive impact they are having in this scenario
ultimate buying intentions for the business. A strong relationship (Lin and Huang, 2012). Companies are revising their marketing
exists between green marketing and consumer trust because strategies by adopting green marketing standards (including
green marketing tools, such as environmental advertisement, consideration of pricing, promotions, features, and distribution
eco-labeling, and eco-brand, can earn the consumer’s trust and linkages) to meet these needs (Boztepe, 2012).
guide them for purchasing such products (Uddin and Khan, H8: Green marketing mediates the relationship between
2018). Therefore, executing a green marketing strategy and attributes of a product and consumer trust.
sending information about the usage of green products will
make consumers feel the advantages of green consumption Based on the above hypotheses we propose the conceptual
(for example, the impact on social benefits such as health, the model given in Figure 1.
environment, and future generations), which can help consumers
to move from intention of purchase to action (Cheung and To,
2019). MATERIALS AND METHODS
H7: Green marketing has a positive relationship with consumer In this research study, a quantitative approach was employed
trust. with the help of a questionnaire due to the reason that data
needed to be collected from numerous respondents; therefore,
Mediating Role of Green Marketing a survey strategy is an efficient way to gather data from a
Today’s consumers are more conscious about the environment vast population that is perceived to be more reliable. A survey
than before (Dewald et al., 2014), thus making companies questionnaire was drafted to check the impact of physical,
responsible to meet consumers’ demands for eco-friendly perceptual, and reflexive attributes that respondents associate
(green) products. In the current setting, business companies are with to make purchases of a green product, for example a vehicle.
using green marketing strategies such as “recyclable and bio The measures were adapted from existing literature and the
gradable” shape to gain a competitive advantage and appeal questions were tailored according to the need of the study in
to environmentally conscious consumers (Szabo and Webster, the Pakistani context. The participants (consumers, especially
2021). Customers not only prefer green products, but they also employees in different industrial sectors mentioned in Table 1)
prefer eco-friendly packaging (Hao et al., 2019). The basic idea were advised to rank items on a five-point Likert scale ranging
behind green marketing is that would-be consumers will see the from (5 = very high to 1 = very low). The data for the survey
“greenness” of a good or the service as a gain and shape their was collected from different respondents working in different
buying decisions accordingly. The concept of green marketing organizations including manufacturing, service, and education
strategy has been strengthened with the popularity of terms such all over Pakistan. Questionnaires were distributed to the large
as “ozone-friendly” and “recyclability,” which is further extended population using both offline and online (emails, LinkedIn,
to include not only the consumer industry but also industrial WhatsApp, and Facebook) methods. The questionnaire was
products and services (Yang and Zhao, 2019). designed in English and consisted of 24 questions. We received
Thus, to retain loyal customers for long, companies are a total of 439 responses out of which 43 questionnaires were
exploring novel ways to communicate with the customers, such discarded because they were not correctly filled. The sample
as adopting green marketing. Increased awareness of global size (N = 396) was appropriate to apply the suitable statistical
warming, climate change, and other environmental issues has technique to analyze and interpret the collected data. Pilot testing
prompted eco-friendly manufacturers to produce green products. was conducted on the first 75 responses to check the reliability
Consumers respond positively to eco-branded products with and validity of the data. No changes were required in the
environmental features (Chatterjee, 2009). Roberts (1996) questionnaire and the same questionnaire was distributed for
investigated the factors that govern environmentally driven further responses. All the respondents were 18 years or older
consumer consumption patterns and found that consumers’ and below the age of 60 years. We choose Structural Equation
behaviors are in part due to an internal sense of altruism Modeling (SEM) using SMART-PLS software to check the theory
as well as their willingness to accept responsibility for with quantitative methodology.

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Khan et al. Green Marketing, Green Product Attributes

FIGURE 1 | Conceptual framework.

Data the needs of the study from Wang et al. (2015). Since it boosts
Dependent Variable consumer satisfaction and makes retention easier, consumer trust
Consumer trust is the dependent variable and is measured using is a solid predictor of purchase intention (Chen and Barnes,
two items. These items were adapted and tailored according to 2007). The Cronbach’s alpha is 0.937 showing excellent construct
reliability. The measures are taken from the study of Chen and
Chai (2010).
TABLE 1 | The frequencies and percentages of personal levels of respondents. Independent Variables
Physical attributes include the size and weight of a product, as
Items Values Frequency Percentage (%)
well as product quality, design, pricing, and packaging, and all
Gender Male 249 62.9 influence customer trust for that specific product (Aburumman
Female 147 37.1 and Nieto, 2019). Physical attributes were measured using seven
Age 18–25 120 30.2 items adapted and modified from Desmet (2010). The measure
26–35 65 33.3 has been checked for its discriminant validity and reliability, and
36–45 132 21.9 the Cronbach’s alpha of this scale was 0.890.
46–55 41 10.4 Perceptual attributes deal with a phenomenon of people’s
Above 55 38 4.2 judgments of a product’s objective features being impacted by its
Monthly income Under 170$ 28 14.5 design properties (Reid et al., 2010). Perceptual attributes were
171$–278$ 14 7.3 measured using seven items adapted and modified from Desmet
279$–445$ 62 31.3 (2010). The Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was 0.901. Thus, this
446$–557$ 47 24 scale also achieved reliability and reflected its validity for use.
Over 558$ 45 22.9 Reflexive attributes: right fullness appraisal is connected with
Do you have Children? Yes 293 74 reflexive attributes and is based on standard-driven feelings such
No 103 26 as how items should be, their design, and the manufacturing
Education Less than or up to High 82 20.8 process (Desmet, 2011). Reflexive attributes were measured using
school
five -items adapted and modified from Desmet (2011), and
Currently pursuing 103 26
the items were checked for their validity and reliability. The
bachelor’s degree
Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was 0.899.
Bachelor’s degree 157 39.6
Masters and above 54 13.6 Mediating Variable
Nature of Industry Manufacturing 132 33.3 Green marketing is a comprehensive management strategy that
Retail and Service 198 50 identifies, anticipates, and meets the demands of consumers
Education 25 6.3
and society in a profitable and long-term manner (Mercade
Other 41 10.4
Mele et al., 2019). Green marketing is the mediating
Resource: Authors. variable and is measured using three items adapted from

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Khan et al. Green Marketing, Green Product Attributes

Mercade Mele et al. (2019). The Cronbach’s alpha is 0.921, TABLE 3 | Matrix of construct reliability and validity.
which is higher than the cut-off value of 0.7, showing excellent
Variables Cronbach’s alpha Composite Average variance
construct reliability. (α) reliability (CR) extracted (AVE)

Control Variables Physical Attributes 0.890 0.864 0.515

Six items were drafted to collect data about the participants of the Perceptual Attributes 0.901 0.853 0.539
study, including gender, age, income, children, education level, Reflexive Attributes 0.899 0.851 0.656
and nature of the industry. Descriptive statistics of these variables Green Marketing 0.921 0.830 0.620
are shown below in Table 1. Consumer Trust 0.937 0.822 0.614

Resource: Authors.

RESULTS shown in Table 3. The results show that t Cronbach’s alpha for the
constructs ranged from 0.890 to 0.937, showing a high reliability
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the model. To measure convergent validity, composite
This analysis refers to an appropriate reliability measurement reliability (CR) and mean-variance extracted (AVE) were used,
method for theoretical construct space (Chin and Todd, 1995) which have a threshold value of 0.7 and 0.5, respectively. Table 3
by showing the relationship between the observed items and shows the values of composite reliability (i.e., 0.822–0.864) and
the construct they measure. Table 2 describes the loading of AVE (0.515–0.656) greater than the threshold values.
the items used in the survey and shows that all the measures The results confirm that there is no issue of validity i.e.,
are significant on their path loading, representing acceptable “the degree to which items differentiate between variables”
convergent validity. (Thong, 2001, p.152). Therefore, the priority should be a strong
correlation within the elements of the same construct. This can
Data Reliability and Validity be achieved by checking the Fornell–Larcker criterion using
To perform different tests, we first checked the reliability and correlation analysis and the square root of average variance
validity of the data. For this purpose, reliability was checked by extracted to inner-construct correlations (Lee et al., 2014). In
Cronbach’s alpha, whereas convergent and discriminant validities Table 4, the square root of AVE (bold values in bracket) exceeds
were calculated through factor analysis using Smart PLS 3.0, as the value of the inter-construct. An additional test to validate
discriminant validity is determined by the range of values in
which the variables lie, that is, they are neither too high (> 0.90)
TABLE 2 | CFA and t-values.
nor too low (< 0.10).
As the reliability and validity of the data are now confirmed,
Items Measures Loadings t-values hypothesis testing is done by bootstrapping the results.
Physical Attributes PAT1 0.758 61.481
PAT2 0.790 58.045 Model Fit Indices
PAT3 0.756 58.294 To check a model good fit, the threshold value of chi-square
PAT4 0.761 59.169 (χ2 /df ) should be > 5.
PAT5 0.762 55.603 The threshold values for comparative fit index (CFI) and
PAT6 0.790 56.323 goodness-of-fit index (GFI) should be ≥ 0.9, and normed fit
PAT7 0.758 55.821 index (NFI) should be ≥ 0.9 (Bentler, 1983, 1988; Browne
Perceptual Attributes PET1 0.684 44.436 and Cudeck, 1993). The threshold value for (RMSEA) should
PET2 0.804 45.291 be ≤ 0.08 (Jöreskog and Sörbom, 1993; Dudgeon, 2004). The
PET3 0.864 45.229 adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) should be ≥ 0.8. At last,
PET4 0.824 46.980 IFI should be ≥ 0.9 (Bollen, 1989). The structural model of this
PET5 0.799 42.647 study shows significant results i.e., χ2 /df is (2), GFI is 0.65, AGFI
PET6 0.810 41.349 is 0.89, CFI is 0.97, RMSEA is 0.06, NFI is 0.95, and IFI is 0.97.
PET7 0.757 40.877
Reflexive Attributes PER1 0.846 61.469 Path Analysis of the Model
PER2 0.860 60.154 To evaluate the structural model, the bootstrapping method was
PER3 0.813 60.335 used with 396 samples to find values for T-statistics and to find
PER4 0.701 65.909 how significant the variables are. In the path analysis, 4 out of 7
PER5 0.668 64.057 paths were found to be significant whereas the remaining three
Green Marketing GM1 0.895 58.398 paths were not significant. Perceptual attributes and reflexive
GM2 0.891 58.737 attributes were found to be statistically significant with consumer
GM3 0.842 0.55.159 trust weighting (β = −0.390, p ≤ 0.05) and (β = 0.338,
Consumer Trust CT1 0.896 54.534
p ≤ 0.05), respectively. Perceptual attributes were also found to be
CT2 0.863 59.934
statistically significant with green marketing (β = 0.375, p ≤ 0.05).
Resource: Authors. Green marketing was found to be statistically significant with

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Khan et al. Green Marketing, Green Product Attributes

TABLE 4 | Latent variable correlations and discriminant validity.

Consumer trust Green marketing Reflexive attributes Perceptual attributes Physical attributes

Consumer Trust (1.000)

Green Marketing 0.581 (0.787)
Reflexive Attributes 0.500 0.606 (0.810)
Perceptual Attributes 0.358 0.661 0.734 (0.743)
Physical Attributes 0.443 0.609 0.707 0.718 (0.791)

N = 396, SQRT of AVE is shown in brackets in bold on the major diagonal. Resource: Authors.

consumer trust weighting (β = 0.512, p ≤ 0.05). This implies that decisions regarding physical attributes and green marketing,
hypotheses H2, H3 H5, and H7 are supported. same as the point of tradeoff that Dawes and Messick (2000)
Physical attributes are not statistically significant with focused on much in their research. The point is that the self-
consumer trust (β = 0.201, p = 0.156) and green marketing serving motives of individuals influence the purchase decision
(β = 0.163, p = 0.164). Reflexive attributes were not statistically based on product attributes and green marketing.
significant with green marketing weighting (β = 0.212, p = 0.075). The second hypothesis shows a positive influence on the
Thus, this proves that hypotheses H1, H4, and H6 are not perceptual attributes of green products toward green marketing.
supported because they failed to meet the benchmark t-stat = 1.96 Results (Table 5) of this research show that consumers’ perceived
and p < 001. attributes of green products are not intended toward green
Figure 2 shows the overall results of the proposed model in marketing. Gershoff and Frels (2015) in their research concluded
which we found the negative effect of control variables. that there are varying degrees in which green marketing is
affected by perceptual attributes of the product. These three
Indirect Effect varying degrees are awareness, motivation, and involvement of
In this study, we checked the indirect effect of product attributes consumers in making the environment green.
on consumer trust; we followed the recommendation of Zhao Our research results are consistent with previous studies
et al. (2010) and conducted the Sobel test (Sobel, 1982). The Sobel by Luchs et al. (2010) who in their research conclude that
test results indicate a partial mediating role of green marketing as the perceived performance attributes of a product increases
between product attributes and consumer trust (β = 2.584, the purchase preferences and intention toward green marketing
p < 0.001). of consumer decreases. This important contribution of our
research can be used as a guide by companies to consider
Common Method Bias perceptual factors of a green product while devising their
In the survey method common method bias (CMB) can be an marketing strategies.
issue, and to minimize CMB, different organizations including The findings of this research are also supported by Banerjee
manufacturing, service, and education all over Pakistan were and McKeage (1994) results of regular green consumers being
targeted. In Pakistan along with the national language, i.e., Urdu motivated by their internal values and assumptions of the
and other regional languages, English is a major language used currently worsening state of the environment. Such consumers
in daily life. Hence, the questionnaires were prepared in English pay more attention to the reflexive attribute of the product to
language and sent to the respondents. We follow Harman (1976) the extent to which they perceived that the consumption of the
single-factor analysis to calculate CMB. The exploratory factor product would aid in emphasizing their role as a “concerned”
analysis should be less than 50% to avoid CMB. Results show consumer. We discussed this relationship, i.e., H3, and it was
that the total variance for the single factor was less than 50%, found to have exhibited a significant relationship between
which suggests that CMB was not an issue in the current study reflexive product characteristics and consumer trust to make a
(Podsakoff et al., 2012). purchase decision about a green product.
However, the findings on this link are still inconclusive in
terms of a positive correlation having a role in encouraging
DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS purchase behaviors (Laroche et al., 2001). This may have resulted
in such marketing objectives being validated by the intrinsic
We hypothesized that the physical attributes of a green product values that one consumer may hold regarding their consumption
have a positive effect on green marketing. Results in Table 5 of such products and convert it into (trust) a motivating
are insignificant and do not support this hypothesis. Existing purchase behavior (Baldwin, 1993). The unique contribution
research shows that the relationship between physical attributes of this research is the investigation of the largely ignored
and green marketing involves a social dilemma in which impact of reflexive green products’ attributes and consumer
both the environmental and individual interests are at odds trust. Chase and Smith (1992) further address this relationship
(Gupta and Ogden, 2009). by citing that environmental marketing campaigns have been
The results of this study are insignificant because consumers in shaped by research into a consumer’s internal values (both
Pakistan might be involved in a tradeoff situation like purchase moral and esteem-based), which has shaped the course of 70%

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Khan et al. Green Marketing, Green Product Attributes

FIGURE 2 | Smart PLS results.

TABLE 5 | Structural paths and hypothesis tests.

Hypothesis Relationship Standardized regression weights (β) t-statistics P-value Result

H1 Physical attributes → Green Marketing 0.163 1.39 0.164 Not supported

H2 Perceptual attributes → Green Marketing 0.375 2.58 0.010* Supported
H3 Reflexive Attributes → Green Marketing 0.212 1.78 0.075 Supported
H4 Physical Attributes → Consumer trust 0.201 1.421 0.156 Not supported
H5 Perceptual Attributes → Consumer trust −0.390 2.722 0.007* Supported
H6 Reflexive Attributes → Consumer Trust 0.338 2.223 0.027* Supported
H7 Green marketing → Consumer Trust 0.512 4.813 0.000*** Supported

Significant at: *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001 N = 396; T = 1.96 (min) for significance. Resource: Authors.

of successful green marketing campaigns conducted within the consumers, making them more trustful of the products being
last two decades. marketed as such. Recyclability was also found to have a strong
Amyx et al. (1994) studied the construct of green trust among relationship with consumers’ own internal affinity toward green
consumers concerning its mediating role in terms of governing products in terms of recyclable products being considered
their attitudes toward products that have been marketed as being environmentally responsible on their own merits, and therefore
green and found that products that exhibited concern and care more trustful by potential consumers. This may further be
for both the consumer and environment in an equal measure augmented by the perception of their involvement in the ongoing
were more effective in promoting an eco-friendly outlook among protection of the environment (McCarty and Shrum, 1994).

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Khan et al. Green Marketing, Green Product Attributes

The last contribution of this research is the significant behavior. We also investigated the factors that contribute toward
mediating role of green marketing campaigns between product the effective implementation of green marketing campaigns and
attributes and consumer trust in influencing sustainable green their intended effect on the development of consumer trust.
purchasing behavior. The last hypothesis H8 was validated The quantitative technique was employed to statistically analyze
through the Sobel (1982) test and shows a partial mediating the impact of green marketing between green product attributes
relationship of green marketing practices between green product and consumer trust, i.e., consumer intentions to purchase green
attributes and consumer trust to influence sustainable green products in Pakistan. Consumer trust is a key prerequisite for
purchasing behavior. Similar to the results of this research, the establishing a green product market. The results revealed a
existing research also exhibits similar results and characteristics. positive strong correlation between green product attributes,
Lyer (1999) posited that the act of eco-labeling and green such as perceived and perceptual attributes, and consumer trust
packaging has enhanced the environmental appeal of products in to purchase green products. Consumers’ trust is developed by
terms of projecting their purported environmental benefits to the green marketing strategies.
expectations of the consumer. Bleda and Valente (2008) further The results of this research will aid in guiding the development
corroborate these findings by stating that if green marketing of future green marketing campaigns in terms of fine-tuning their
initiatives meet consumer expectations of eco-friendliness, it will focus on the elements that have been noted to have a considerable
lead to an enhanced degree of trust on the part of the consumer. effect in terms of shaping consumers’ belief (trust) in the merits
Ginsberg and Bloom (2004) further add the notion of the of such “green” products.
brand image being augmented by expectations (perceptions) of
green performance, which may lead to a higher degree of trust
among consumers than if those marketing elements were kept DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
disparate. An element of loyalty may come into action when
consumers are deciding among similarly performing products, The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be
and eco-trust may prove to be the determinant factor in terms made available by the authors, without undue reservation.
of guiding their purchase decisions (Rahbar and Wahid, 2011).

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
CONCLUSION
KK, FA, and FK wrote the manuscript. MA and SA gathered
This study aimed to investigate the impact of green product the data. MA and KK analyzed the data. All authors read and
attributes on consumer trust i.e., sustainable consumer buying approved the final manuscript.

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