Cosmopolitanism, self-identity, online communities and green apparel perception

Abstract

Purpose – The research examined the influence of cosmopolitanism, global self-identity and online communities on Indian consumers’ green knowledge and consequently, its effect on the perception of green apparel product attributes. Design/methodology/approach – A mall intercept technique was used for data collection in four cities in India. The hypothesized relationships were examined through structural equation modeling. Findings – Cosmopolitanism, global self-identity and online communities influenced green knowledge. Green knowledge influenced Indian consumers’ perception of green apparel. The results indicate that social conformance and identification with online communities predicted consumers’ understanding of green apparel. Research limitations/implications – The research focused on green knowledge, cosmopolitanism, online communities and consumers’ perception of green apparel. The role of demographics, culture and product attributes like price, quality, promotions and design were not considered and may provide valuable insights. Practical implications – Green apparel manufacturers can communicate about the product attributes by linking it with growing global environmental consciousness, cosmopolitanism and global self-identity traits that focus on green consumption. Online communities can be used to inform, educate and promote green apparel. Social implication – The study will pave the way forward to explore green consumption paradigms among fashion-oriented consumers in the Indian market who drive sustainable behavior. Originality/value – The research suggested that conformance with global values and identification with online communities can be critical in helping consumers understand green apparel. It examined the importance of offline and online social conformance in evaluating green apparel. Keywords Green apparel, Cosmopolitanism, Global self-identity, Green knowledge, Online communities, Green attributes