Interplay between minimalism, moral identity, and ethically minded consumer behavior in retail context: Cross-cultural investigation of Indian and American consumers

• Published in: Journal of retailing and consumer services 2025-05, Vol.84, Article 104191
• Main Authors: Sreen, Naman, Mehrotra, Ankit, Alghafes, Rsha, Agarwal, Vaishali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Eco-anxiety; Ethically minded consumer behavior; India; Minimalism; Moral identity; U.S
• ISSN: 0969-6989
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104191

Minimalism has become a global phenomenon due to rising moral and environmental concerns. However, scholars have yet to examine minimalistic value's impact on ethically minded consumer behaviors. Moreover, limited studies on the outcomes of minimalism focus beyond intrinsic motivations and goals, and most studies are skewed toward developed markets. This study adopts self-determination theory to investigate the influence of minimalism value on ethically minded consumer behavior through moral identity dimensions of internalization and symbolization in two countries with varying cultural and economic scenarios (India and the U.S.). The Indian and American data were collected through digital platforms, which provided a representative sample comprising 500 Indian respondents and 498 U.S. respondents. The data was analyzed using structured equation modeling. Further, this study includes eco-anxiety as a moderating variable between moral identity symbolization and ethically minded consumer behavior. The results convey a significant association between minimalism, moral identity internalization, symbolization, and ethically minded consumer behavior. Moral identity internalization influences moral identity symbolization and ethically minded consumer behavior. Moral identity symbolization positively impacts ethically minded consumer behavior. An increase in eco-anxiety reduces the strength of the relationship between moral identity symbolization and ethically minded consumer behavior. The results provide insights to practitioners to implement effective strategies for promoting ethically minded consumer behavior.