Conscious Consumerism: On the Interaction between Different Design Elements in E-Commerce to Promote Green Purchasing Behaviors

Abstract

This study investigates the interaction between different design elements in e-commerce to promote green purchasing behavior. Specifically, we analyze the reinforcing effect between an eco-rating label and a sustainable sorting option. Furthermore, we study whether sponsored articles positioned at the top of product lists, counteract the effects of these design elements. Finally, we examine the effectiveness of a self-nudge that encourages consumers to sort for green products as an ethical alternative to traditional persuasive design elements. We conducted a survey-based online experiment with 1096 participants to assess the effects of the different design elements in influencing green purchasing decisions. Our findings reveal no reinforcing effect of a sustainable sorting option, no opposing effect of the sponsored article placement, and only a weak effect of the self-nudge. Our study extends the literature on persuasive design elements in e-commerce and guides e-commerce providers on using them in their online stores.