Consumer Buying Behaviour and Adoption of Green Products in Large Supermarkets in Nairobi City Kenya

Abstract

In the 21st century the behaviour of the consumer is changing towards being concerned about protecting the environment and changing his consumption pattern towards green products. Protecting the environment has become the necessity for every consumer since most consumers demand green products that are biodegradable, recyclable and have less impact on the environment. The objective of this study was to investigate consumer buying behaviour and adoption of green products in large supermarkets in Nairobi City Kenya. The study was able to answer to the following question, what consumer buying behaviour influence adoption of green products in major supermarkets in Nairobi City in Kenya? The study was anchored on the following theories, theory of buying behavior; theory of diffusion of innovation and resource dependency theory. Descriptive cross sectional survey design was used for the above study and the respondents were customers who visit the 6 large supermarkets on that particular day. Semi structured questionnaires were used to collect the data. A total of 181 respondents were targeted from the six large supermarkets but only 151 responded giving out a response rate of 85.56%.Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations were used. Correlation and regression analysis was used to test on the relationship between the variables studied. In correlation analysis there existed a relationship between consumer buying behaviour and adoption of green products. Social-cultural factor, Psychological factor, marketing mix variables and types of consumer buyer decision behaviour have positive and significant effect on adoption of green products. Therefore there is a significant relationship between the consumer buying behaviour and adoption of green products. The study concluded customers in Nairobi occasionally have used green products for the last six months and it was influenced by socio-cultural factors, personal factors, psychological factors and marketing mix (4pc).Consumers need more time and high involvement when making decision to purchase green product that is expensive and has high risk. The study recommends that supermarkets and government have the responsibility to create awareness of green products through utilizing social media, print media, radio and outdoor publicity.