Social Media Influence on Green Product Perception and Purchase Behaviour among Millennials and Gen Z Consumers in Ernakulam District

Abstract

The article explores the effect of social media on the green product perception and attitude among Generation Z and Millennials. Quantitative data were collected from 116 respondents (58 Millennials, 58 Gen Zs) through a stratified survey administered online via questionnaires. The data concerning the connection between social media influence, green product perception, and purchase behaviour were analysed with the help of Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The results indicate that both generations, to a great extent, are influenced by social media to form perceptions about green products, with Gen Z being more responsive to the influence since it spends more time on social media. Yet, a higher intention-action gap in green purchasing is exhibited by Millennials. The research paper has defined the mediators suggested by perceived Sustainability Value and judgmental norms, bridging the gap in the research study on the generational variations of social media-induced green consumption. Marketers' and policymakers' implications are provided with a focus on different approaches to each generation. In the context of sustainable consumption, social media's influence on consumer behaviour is increasingly relevant. The results from the MGA showed that both generations had positive effects from social media on how view green products. The impact was stronger for Generation Z (β = 0.75, p < 0.01) compared to Millennials (β = 0.62, p < 0.01), and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.03). This is consistent with the use of social media by the Gen Z respondents, as more time was spent on social media, with 46% using it for more than 4 hours per day compared to just 28% of Millennials. The impact of social media on the perception and purchase intention of green products was investigated on the basis of two generations (Gen Z and Millennials) using Factor analysis and Multigroup analysis of the association between social media exposure, credibility, green product perception, and intention to purchase green products. The results found that the impact of media content varied among generations when it came to trust and intention to buy green products.