Sustainable marketing strategies and consumer behavior in India : An empirical research on the green brand perception and purchase intentions between urban and rural consumers
*Ajay GangeleCorresponding authorajaygangele14@gmail.comSchool of ManagementNoida Institute of Engineering and Technology (NIET)Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201306, India0009-0004-1651-293XView full profile → , Priyanka Malhotrapriyankahaana@gmail.comSchool of ManagementNoida Institute of Engineering and Technology (NIET)Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201306, India0009-0003-5507-1340View full profile → , Yaduvir Singhyaduyash@gmail.comDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering (Artificial Intelligence)Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology (NIET)Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201306, India0000-0002-2552-4797View full profile →
* Corresponding author · click or hover a name for details
- Received:
- 01 Apr 2026
- Published Online:
- 30 Sep 2026
- Article type:
- Research Article
- Language:
- EN
- Article no.:
- JSMS-1706
- Pages:
- 999–1010
Abstract
This work explores Sustainable Marketing and consumer behavior in India that is experiencing an unprecedented economic growth and increased environment consciousness. Its main originality is that it is a theory that formally incorporates indigenous cultural constructs, Ahimsa (non-violence) and Dharma (duty towards nature) as moderators of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) [1] and Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) models [2] instead of regarding them as peripheral variables. The convergent mixed-methods design was used: a structured survey of 1,623 respondents in six cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore; Pune, Jaipur, Coimbatore), sixteen focus groups (n = 134), and content analysis of 45 Indian brands. Reliability and validity were confirmed (Cronbach’s α = 0.87; CR = 0.91; AVE = 0.64). Green Purchase Intentions were largely predicted by Perceived Brand Authenticity (r = 0.712, p < 0.001; R 2 = 0.51), and Price Sensitivity was a significant partial mediator ( 0.41), which is almost twice the Western level. Four consumer groups were found: Those consumer segments are the Green-conscious Millennials (28%), the Traditional Value-driven Consumers (35%), the Price-sensitive Adopters (29%), and the Skeptical Non-adopters (8%). It was also found that there is a cultural paradox: high cultural value orientation, on the one hand, facilitates sustainable behavior, and, or we can say it creates the skepticism towards commercialization of Green Marketing, which is why the sustainability must be in the context of indigenous values rather than imported Western ideology.
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References
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