How Green Consumption Values Affect the Intention-Behavior Relationship in C2C e-commerce

Abstract

The intention-behavior gap is a true concern in sustainability contexts. Given that consumers vary in their pro-environmentalism, we study might green consumption values reinforce the intention-behavior relationship in sustainable consumption? Consumer-to-consumer e-commerce marketplaces provide platforms to implement the circular economy and sustainable consumption in daily life. A two-stage longitudinal study of 210 respondents asks consumers’ intentions to buy second-hand Christmas gifts before Christmas and the same individuals’ actual behavior after Christmas. The present study finds that intentions predict actual behavior. The effect is moderated by green consumption values suggesting that green consumption values reinforce the effect of intentions on behavior in a sustainability context. The effects are not confounded by age, gender, education, or income of the respondents.