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Will a green color and nature images make consumers pay more for a green product?

Will a green color and nature images make consumers pay more for a green product? Would a green color label increase the dollar amount consumers are willing to pay for a green product? Would nature images (such as a leaf or flower) on the label have the same effect? This paper aims to examine the role of these labeling strategies in influencing consumer willing to pay.Design/methodology/approachUsing a 2 × 3 experiment, the authors empirically test the research questions across two studies: in the controlled-lab setting with 160 students (Study 1) and in a field-setting with 268 consumers shopping at a grocery store (Study 2).FindingsResults are consistent across both studies. Surprisingly, participants are willing to pay more for the product when it has a white-toned label rather than a green-toned one. Follow-up path analysis, with Study 2 data, reveals that a white-toned label has both an indirect (through more favorable evaluations of the product’s environmental friendliness), as well as a direct impact on willingness to pay. In providing a post hoc explanation, it is argued that a white-toned label better directs attention towards the claim signaling the product’s eco-friendliness, while providing a “clean”, “high-quality” look. In both studies however, nature images on the label did not have a significant effect.Practical implicationsInsights are particularly interesting for practitioners seeking to better label/package green products.Originality/valueThis investigation is the first to empirically examine how color and images on the label influence the dollar amount consumers are willing to pay for a green product. Findings reveal that counter to common belief, the heavy use of the color green on eco-friendly product labels might not be appropriate; a predominantly white-toned label works better. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Consumer Marketing Emerald Publishing

Will a green color and nature images make consumers pay more for a green product?

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
0736-3761
DOI
10.1108/jcm-04-2020-3771
Publisher site
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Abstract

Would a green color label increase the dollar amount consumers are willing to pay for a green product? Would nature images (such as a leaf or flower) on the label have the same effect? This paper aims to examine the role of these labeling strategies in influencing consumer willing to pay.Design/methodology/approachUsing a 2 × 3 experiment, the authors empirically test the research questions across two studies: in the controlled-lab setting with 160 students (Study 1) and in a field-setting with 268 consumers shopping at a grocery store (Study 2).FindingsResults are consistent across both studies. Surprisingly, participants are willing to pay more for the product when it has a white-toned label rather than a green-toned one. Follow-up path analysis, with Study 2 data, reveals that a white-toned label has both an indirect (through more favorable evaluations of the product’s environmental friendliness), as well as a direct impact on willingness to pay. In providing a post hoc explanation, it is argued that a white-toned label better directs attention towards the claim signaling the product’s eco-friendliness, while providing a “clean”, “high-quality” look. In both studies however, nature images on the label did not have a significant effect.Practical implicationsInsights are particularly interesting for practitioners seeking to better label/package green products.Originality/valueThis investigation is the first to empirically examine how color and images on the label influence the dollar amount consumers are willing to pay for a green product. Findings reveal that counter to common belief, the heavy use of the color green on eco-friendly product labels might not be appropriate; a predominantly white-toned label works better.

Journal

Journal of Consumer Marketing – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 11, 2021

Keywords: Green products; Images; Color; Labeling; Eco-friendly products

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