Anticipated Consumer Guilt: An Investigation into its Antecedents and Consequences for Fair-Trade Consumption

This study considers fair-trade as a collaborative strategy of dealing with the wicked problem of apparel sweatshops. The study assumes that consumer guilt increases the market share of fair-trade products which can be regarded as a favorable change in the marketing system’s output. The paper develo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of macromarketing 2017-12, Vol.37 (4), p.444-459
Main Authors: Lindenmeier, Jörg, Lwin, Michael, Andersch, Henrike, Phau, Ian, Seemann, Ann-Kathrin
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:This study considers fair-trade as a collaborative strategy of dealing with the wicked problem of apparel sweatshops. The study assumes that consumer guilt increases the market share of fair-trade products which can be regarded as a favorable change in the marketing system’s output. The paper develops and validates a model of guilt-induced fair-trade buying based on this notion. The model comprises negative affect, ethical judgment, and self-efficacy as antecedents of anticipated consumer guilt. The study’s results, based on a sample of American consumers (n = 430) and analyzed in a structural equation model, reveal anticipated guilt as a major driver of fair-trade buying behavior. Furthermore, anticipated consumer guilt mediates the effects of its antecedents on fair-trade buying intention. The paper provides implications for macro-decision making (e.g., guilt-inducing nudges) as well as suggestions for marcromarketing research.
ISSN:0276-1467
1552-6534
DOI:10.1177/0276146717723964