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The influence of price and Purchase

intention of
availability on university organic
products
millennials’ organic food product
purchase intention
Nelson Geovany Carri
on B
osquez Received 30 December 2021
Revised 1 March 2022
Marketing Research, 20 March 2022
Pontificia Universidad Cat
olica del Ecuador Sede Santo Domingo, Accepted 29 March 2022
Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador
Leopoldo Gabriel Arias-Bolzmann
CENTRUM Cat
olica Graduate Business School, Lima, Peru
and
Pontificia Universidad Cat
olica del Peru

, Lima, Peru

, and
Ana Katherine Mart
ınez Quiroz
Pontificia Universidad Cat
olica del Ecuador Sede Santo Domingo,
Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador

Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to provide one of the first research works that, using the constructs of the theory of
planned behaviour (TPB), analysed the levels of purchase intention of organic products.
Design/methodology/approach – The study was quantitative with a correlational scope and a cross-
sectional design. The study population consisted of 566 university millennials from Ecuador. The results were
processed through the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the
structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings – The subjective attitudes and norms influence intentions to buy organic products. However, price
mediated by perceived behavioural control reduces purchase intentions, while product availability does not.
Originality/value – This study is one of the first research works, based on the constructs of the TPB which
was carried out to know if the attitudes and subjective norms of Ecuadorian university millennials, are related
to their purchase intentions for organic products.
Keywords Green consumption, Millennials, Theory of planned behaviour, Price, Availability
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
The continuous consumption of products on a global scale has led to problems such as global
warming, the generation of waste and pollution (Jaiswala and Kant, 2018; Naranjo et al., 2018;
Cavazos et al., 2020). These problems have grown rapidly in recent decades, increasing levels
of environmental deterioration (Yuhan et al., 2019) and contributing to the excessive and
irresponsible generation of waste (Liobikiene and Bernatoniene, 2017).
Consumers around the world have become increasingly concerned about the
environmental impact of these consumption patterns (Opoku et al., 2020). In the 1960s, due
to the actions of environmentalist groups, the term “environmental pollution” became more
frequent (Liobikiene and Bernatoniene, 2017), increasing academic interest in environmental
issues (Taufique and Vaithianathan, 2018).
On September 25, 2015, in a meeting of world leaders seeking to draft a new sustainable
development agenda, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) established its British Food Journal
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs make a universal call for society to adopt © Emerald Publishing Limited
0007-070X
measures that guarantee peace, prosperity, the eradication of poverty and environmental DOI 10.1108/BFJ-12-2021-1340
BFJ protection (Ramos et al., 2020). One of the goals that focused on responsible production and
consumption determined that it is necessary to reduce negative environmental impacts
through a change in current production and consumption patterns.
The academic literature has used terms such as “green consumption”, “adoption of eco-
friendly or organic products”, or “green acquisition” to refer to environmentally conscious
buying behaviours (Joshi and Rahman, 2015; Sun et al., 2019; Palafox, 2019). According to
Liobikiene and Bernatoniene (2017), this type of consumption is not focused on reducing the
acquisition of products; rather, its main objective is to reduce the environmental impact of the
products being bought.
One of the theories most commonly used in the study of green consumption is the theory of
planned behaviour (TPB). According to several authors, the constructs of this theory are
essential factors that condition people’s green purchase intention and behaviour (Liobikiene
and Bernatoniene, 2017; Yadav and Pathak, 2017; Taufique and Vaithianathan, 2018; Sharma
and Foropon, 2019; Sun et al., 2019).
In 1991, Icek Ajzen, author of the TPB, defined attitudes, subjective norms and perceived
behavioural control as the determining factors for green purchase intention. However, the
academic community questioned the influence of “attitudes” and “subjective norms” on green
purchase intention (Oztekin et al., 2017; Sun et al., 2019).
On the other hand, several researchers determined that millennials have favourable
attitudes towards green consumption (Nguyen et al., 2017; Nadery and Van, 2018; Bedard and
Tormie, 2018; Jaiswala and Kant, 2018). Other studies report the presence of barriers to green
consumption, revealing a gap in environmentally conscious consumer behaviour (Vermeir
and Verbeque, 2006; Nurse et al., 2010; Joshi and Rahman, 2015; Liobikiene and Bernatoniene,
2017; Carri
on and Arias-Bolzmann, 2021). Factors such as price and availability could be
barriers that prevent these consumers from purchasing products that market themselves as
being environmentally friendly (Joshi and Rahman, 2015). Nevertheless, the literature review
shows that studies contradict one another regarding the impact of price and availability on
millennials (Joshi and Rahman, 2015; Nadery and Van, 2018; Ricci et al., 2018; Nguyen
et al., 2019).
Therefore, this research aimed to determine if attitudes and subjective norms influence
purchase intention and also if price and availability are factors that reduce organic product
purchase intention among Ecuadorian millennials. Based on the aforementioned, the
following research model was created for this study:

2. Literature review
2.1 Green consumption
Consumers’ propensity to purchase green, ecologically certified food products has increased
in recent decades (Claire et al., 2018). This has transformed the need to understand the drivers
of green consumption behaviour into a research topic that has been addressed by hundreds of
academics who have produced dozens of scientific articles related to this topic (Testa
et al., 2018).
In the last three decades, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of studies
related to green consumption. Between 2011 and 2017 alone, 80 relevant studies were conducted
(Liobikiene and Bernatoniene, 2017). This is due to this field’s rapid expansion in developed
nations, and it is now reaching developing nations, as well (Yadav and Pathak, 2017).
Green purchase intention is significantly and directly driven by environmental concerns
(Jaiswala and Kant, 2018; Yaramiglu and Binboga, 2018). Environmental concerns refer to
people’s awareness of the existing problems in the ecosystem (Sun et al., 2019).
Environmental concerns and the intentional purchase of organic products are issues that
millennials feel are their individual responsibility, if they want to protect the environment and
reduce their ecological footprint (Jaiswal and Kant, 2018). “Academics see that this generation Purchase
is more connected with others and with the society, as well as ready to contribute to the intention of
improvement of the world they live in” (Weeber, 2017, p. 520).
Bedard and Tormie (2018) determined that millennials are the first consumers who grew
organic
up in a globalized and interdependent world, which has made them more receptive as a group, products
when compared to other generations, to the concept that they should work to solve ethical
problems. According to Nadery and Van (2018), three-quarters of millennials are willing to
pay more for environmentally friendly products. Recent research has determined that
millennials are considered the most dynamic, informed and sensitized group in terms of
behaviour and consumption patterns; this group of consumers also has amazing purchasing
power and is very inclined to buy green products and to prefer to work in environmentally
friendly companies (Johnstone and Lindh, 2022; Francis and Sarangi, 2022).
Based on the literature review, it was found that the age range of millennials varies across
studies. For example, Weber (2017) established that this generation was born between 1980
and 2000, while Naderi and Van (2018) stated that millennials were born between 1982 and
2000. For this study, the specifications of Wang et al. (2018), who determined that the correct
range is between 1979 and 2000, were followed.

2.2 The theory of planned behaviour (TPB)

In 1991, Icek Ajzen, author of the TPB, determined that attitudes, subjective norms and
perceived behavioural control were the factors that determine purchase intention. Sun et al.
(2019) stated that a wide variety of studies on green buying behaviour have used the TPB
constructs. In addition, Liobikiene and Bernatoniene (2017) determined that the TPB is
suitable for the analysis of eco-friendly buying behaviour, which is why many studies have
been done on green behaviour. Most of this research has used the TPB to determine that
attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control are the main determining
factors for green purchase intention (Liobikiene and Bernatoniene, 2017; Yadav and Patak,
2017; Taufique and Vaithianathan, 2018; Sharma and Foropon, 2019; Sun et al., 2019).

2.3 Attitude
Attitude is defined as an individual’s positive or negative evaluation of a particular
behaviour. In other words, the more favourable the attitude towards green buying behaviour,
the stronger the intention of the consumer to purchase an eco-friendly product (Yadav and
Patak, 2017).
Taufique and Vaithianathan (2018) conducted a study in India and determined that
attitude towards the environment has a significant, direct and positive influence on purchase
intention and that it is one of the most common factors when deciding to purchase an eco-
friendly product. The study of Liang et al. (2019) obtained similar results. Additionally,
Jaiswala and Kant (2018) determined that Indian consumers are stimulated by cognitive
factors that directly and indirectly influence green purchase intention through the mediating
role of attitude, while Sun et al. (2019) found that psychological factors such as attitudes and
environmental awareness promote green consumption.
Although favourable attitudes towards the environment are essential to understanding
green buying behaviour (Nguyen et al., 2017), other studies have determined that “the role of
the attitude in consumer studies has not been fully addressed” (Testa et al., 2018, p. 2). Based
on this and following the recommendation of Oztekin et al. (2017), who determined that it is
necessary to carry out “more research using a direct link between attitude and green purchase
intention, as an attempt to overcome unreliable measures of intention” (p. 11), the following
hypothesis is proposed:
BFJ H1. Attitude positively influences university millennials’ organic product purchase
intention.

2.4 Subjective norms

Subjective norms have to do with the influence that the opinions of people from the
consumers’ inner circle have on those consumers’ desire to adopt certain behaviours
(Liobikiene and Bernatoniene, 2017). Subjective norms cause consumers to evaluate their
beliefs and change their consumption patterns (Ricci et al., 2018).
According to Ricci et al. (2018), the literature on green behaviour supports the idea that
subjective norms can play an important role due to the social pressure surrounding eco-
friendly behaviours. “When individuals are part of social groups and members of that group
take environmental actions, it is likely that individuals behave in a similar way” (Do Paço
et al., 2019, p. 6).
However, other studies have questioned the influence of said norms on purchase intention
(Paul et al., 2016; Kumar et al., 2017; Testa et al., 2018). Taufique and Vaithianathan (2018)
determined that subjective norms are “insignificant with regard to the direct effect on
behavioural intention” (p. 16). Although these norms imply a feeling of social pressure
towards certain behaviours, “their influence on green consumption has not been confirmed
yet” (Sun et al., 2019, p. 483). Based on the aforementioned and taking into account the
contradictions regarding the influence of subjective norms on green purchase intention, the
following hypothesis is proposed:
H2. Subjective norms positively influence university millennials’ organic product
purchase intention.

2.5 Perceived behavioural control

Perceived behavioural control is a key determinant of green buying behaviour. “It refers to
the individual perception of one’s own ability to perform a behaviour” (Ricci et al., 2018, p. 55).
According to Liobikiene and Bernatoniene (2017), the capacity to purchase green products is
a key determinant that promotes or restricts the purchase. “Perceived behavioural control is
the factor that reveals whether the consumer can easily consume certain products or if its
consumption is difficult or impossible” (p.112).
Ajzen (2002) indicated that some authors state that perceived behavioural control is
comprised of two variables, (a) perceived controllability, which is the degree of control people
have over their ability to perform a behaviour, and (b) perceived self-efficacy, which refers to
the ease or difficulty that people have when performing an action. Based on the above, the
following hypothesis is proposed:
H3. Perceived behavioural control positively influences university millennials’ organic
product purchase intention.

2.6 The price

Nguyen et al. (2017) state that despite consumers’ expressed environmental concerns, it is
possible that they might not purchase eco-friendly products due to perceived barriers.
Although the literature shows that millennials are willing to pay more for products that have
been produced in environmentally friendly ways (Nadery and Van, 2018), other authors have
determined that one of the factors that prevents green consumption is the price of green
products, which is usually higher than that of standard products (Ricci et al., 2018; Mu~ noz
et al., 2020). Based on the aforementioned and taking into account that perceived behavioural
control can be affected by perceived controllability, the following hypothesis is proposed:
 H4. Perceived behavioural control mediates the relationship between price and Purchase
university millennials’ organic product purchase intention. intention of
organic
2.7 Availability products
Several studies defined availability as another possible barrier to the purchase of green
products, as well as a factor that generates an attitude-behaviour gap in consumers (Witsel and
Aagaard, 2014). However, the idea that a lack of products on the market is a factor that deters
the consumption of those products has generated controversies within this field of research. In
addition, O’Donovan and McCarthy (2002) determined that availability was an element that
dissuaded Irish consumers from purchasing organic products. Although consumers stated
that they were interested in buying organic products, most of them did not do so, due to the
difficulty of finding organic products (Witsel and Aagaard, 2014; Biswas, 2016).
However, more recent studies have contradicted these findings. For example, Singh and
Verma (2017) determined that “the availability factor does not influence the consumer’s
attitude towards organic food” (p. 478). Likewise, Sharaf and Perumal (2018) stated that
product availability did not significantly influence eco-friendly buying behaviour among
Malaysian consumers.
Thus, it can be said that the limited availability of green products might constitute a
barrier that influences the gap between consumers’ positive attitudes and their real buying
behaviour (Joshi and Rahman, 2015). In this regard, Nguyen et al. (2019) determined that
future research should examine the availability barrier and how it affects the purchase of
green products. Based on the above and taking into account that perceived behavioural
control may be affected by the ease or difficulty that people have performing an action, the
following hypothesis is proposed:
H5. Perceived behavioural control mediates the relationship between availability and
university millennials’ organic product purchase intention. The research model is
presented below (see Figure 1).

TPB Constructs (Ajzen, 1991)

Attitude
H1

Subjective Purchase
H2
Norms Intention
Price H3
H4 Perceived
Behavioural
H5 Control Figure 1.
Availability Conceptual model

3. Methodology
This research uses a non-experimental cross-sectional design, with a quantitative research
approach and a correlational scope. The essential characteristic of non-experimental design is
that the researcher does not deliberately or intentionally manipulate the independent
variables being studied: the researcher does not possess absolute control over the conditions
in which the research is being carried out. The transversality of the design adopted for this
study does not take into consideration if the phenomenon being researched will behave
differently in the future: it only provides a “snapshot” of the relationships between variables
at the present moment.
BFJ The sample consisted of 566 university millennials living in the cities of Tulc
an, Santo
Domingo de los Colorados and Loja. These cities were chosen because they are located in the
north, centre and south of Ecuador, thus providing geographical diversity to the results. The
authors asked professors from the three cities to randomly administer the questionnaire to
their millennial undergraduate and graduate students. Table 1 shows the demographic data
of the study participants.
The decision was made to analyse university millennials because the academic literature
indicated that this group of consumers has buying behaviours aligned with green
consumption (Bedard and Tormie, 2018). In addition, Ndofirepy and Matema (2019)
determined that the consumption preferences of university students should be further
analysed due to two key factors: (a) students are rich sources of information on eco-friendly
products since they have a greater concern for environmental issues, and (b) students can be
considered opinion leaders and agents of change in many communities.
The determination of the study sample size was based on research carried out by Kline
(2005), who stated that a sample should be made up of 10 or 20 observations for each indicator
variable. In this study, the authors focused on four independent variables (Attitude,
Subjective Norms, Price and Availability), a mediating variable (Perceived Behavioural
Control) and a dependent variable (Purchase Intention). Based on these variables, the authors
created a survey with 22 questions. As such, it was necessary to collect at least 440 survey
responses. In the end, a total of 586 university millennials were surveyed; of that number, 20
surveys were eliminated due to inconsistencies in their answers or due to their not belonging
to the target demographic. This led to a total of 566 surveys that were included in the final
statistical analyses.
In order to develop a reliable questionnaire that measured the constructs of the
hypothesized model, it was necessary to review the literature to select research questions that
dealt with issues related to green consumption. In total, 22 questions were taken or adapted
from previously published academic papers. Fourteen questions were selected from Sreen
et al. (2018); six questions were chosen from Marde and Verite (2018); and two questions were
taken Testa et al. (2018). See Appendix.
The research instrument was validated by two experts in the field, both of them marketing
researchers. Both experts approved the instrument. A five-point Likert scale was used in
which 5 was the most favourable and 1 was the most unfavourable. The data collected from
the 566 university millennials were processed using Excel, the Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS 20) and AMOS 24 software. In this process, the internal consistency of the
instrument was determined, and the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor
analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) were carried out, which would allow
the research hypotheses to be either accepted or rejected.

Characteristics Category N %

City Tulc
an 125 22

Santo Domingo de los Colorados 263 47
Loja 178 31
Education level Graduate 164 29
Undergraduate 402 71
Population cohort Older millennials (32–41 years) 81 14
Mid millennials (26–31 years) 133 24
Younger millennials (20–25 years) 352 62
Table 1. Gender Male 270 48
Demographic Female 296 52
characteristics Note(s): N 5 566
3.1 Internal consistency of the instrument Purchase
After conducting the survey, the internal consistency of the instrument was determined using intention of
Cronbach’s alpha. Through the internal consistency analysis, it was determined that for each
construct to meet the minimum value of 0.70, one question from the Subjective Norms
organic
variable (SN4) and one question from the Availability variable (AV3) had to be deleted. After products
this, the Cronbach’s alpha test was run again, and the values obtained exceeded 0.70. As a
result, it was determined that the instrument was consistent. Table 2 shows the Cronbach’s
alpha values for each construct in the model.

3.2 Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)

In order to prove that the items were grouped in the correct dimensions, an EFA was carried out
in SPSS 20. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) test resulted in a value of 0.712, while the Bartlett’s
Test of Sphericity resulted in a chi-square value of 5,325.614 and significance level of 0.000
(p < 0.05), which are all values that are accepted by the academic community (Wiitavaara et al.,
2012). Likewise, the total explained variance proved that the study items were grouped in the
correct dimensions with a percentage of 69.83%, a value that exceeded the 60% value
recommended by Streiner (2003). Finally, to prove that the items were grouped in their correct
dimensions, the rotated component matrix was carried out. The matrix showed that the 22
items included in the study were correctly grouped within their constructs.

3.3 Data analysis

A CFA was carried out to measure convergent and discriminant validity, while the hypotheses
were tested using SEM, which was carried out in AMOS 24. Multiple indices were used to
ensure the model’s goodness of fit. First, the relative value of the χ 2 divided by the degrees of
freedom (χ 2/df) was determined, and it was concluded that it was acceptable because the value
was below 3.0 (Anderson and Gerbing, 1988; Byrne, 2006; Hair et al., 2010). Then, the following

Load Cronbach’s Composite Average variance

Model constructs Questions factor alpha reliability (CR) extracted (AVE)

Attitude (AC) AC1 0.695 0.780 0.839 0.569

AC2 0.856
AC3 0.826
AC4 0.615
Subjective norms (SN) SN1 0.754 0.875 0.909 0.771
SN2 0.942
SN3 0.926
Perceived behavioural PBC1 0.729 0.815 0.869 0.623
control (PBC) PBC2 0.831
PBC3 0.803
PBC4 0.791
Price (PR) PR1 0.889 0.800 0.877 0.704
PR2 0.856
PR3 0.768
Availability (AV) AV1 0.933 0.864 0.928 0.866
AV2 0.929
Purchase intention (PI) PI1 0.677 0.775 0.845 0.578
PI2 0.818
PI3 0.807 Table 2.
PI4 0.729 Convergent validity
Note(s): Total Cronbach’s alpha: 0.763 and reliability
BFJ values were calculated: the goodness of fit index (GFI), the comparative fit index (CFI), the
Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) and the normed fit index (NFI), in which values greater than 0.90
indicate good fit (Byrne, 2006). Finally, the following values were determined: the residual mean
square root (RMR) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), in which values
lower than 0.80 indicate that the data possess a good fit (Byrne, 2006).

4. Findings
4.1 Estimation of the measurement model
The measurement model, composed of six constructs (Attitude, Subjective Norms, Perceived
Behavioural Control, Price, Availability and Purchase Intention), was tested using a CFA.
It was necessary to determine the reliability and convergent validity through Cronbach’s
alpha values ≥0.7, composite reliability ≥0.7 and average variance extracted (AVE) ≥0.5
(Fornell and Larcker, 1981; Ping, 2004; Chion and Charles, 2016). As stated by Hair et al.
(2010), when the results of the AVE are >0.50 and the composite reliability (CR) is greater than
the AVE, then convergent validity can be confirmed. See Table 2.
In order to determine the discriminant validity, it was necessary to compare the square
root of the AVE values of each construct with the values of the correlations of each pair of
constructs that formed part of the model. According to Chin (1998), when the values of the
square root of the AVE (SR AVE) are greater than the correlations between each pair of
constructs, the discriminant validity can be corroborated. See Table 3.
Based on the analysis presented in Table 2 and Table 3, it was determined that this study
met the criteria for convergent and discriminant validity, and the analysis of the model was
continued through SEM (see Figure 2).

AC SN PBC PR AV PI SR AVE
a
AC 0.569 0.754
SN 0.279** 0.771a 0.878
** ** a
PBC 0.243 0.151 0.623 0.789
PR 0.067 0.030 0.167** 0.704a 0.839
AV 0.023 0.009 0.045 0.021 0.866a 0.930
PI 0.303** 0.135** 0.138** 0.031 0.001 0.578a 0.760
Note(s): **Correlation is significant at the bilateral 0.01 level
All of the correlations tested in the model were significant at the bilateral 0.01 level, except for the AV-PBC
correlation
Table 3. Attitude (AC), Subjective Norms (SN), Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC), Price (PR), Availability (AV),
Reliability and validity Purchase Intention (PI), a(AVE)

Attitude
0.3
50
**
*
Subjective Purchase
Norms 0.161*** Intention
0.1
87
Price ** **
* Perceived 54*
0.1
Figure 2. Behavioural
Values in the Control
Availability 65
hypothesized model 0.2
4.2 Structural equations modelling (SEM): model fit and hypothesis testing Purchase
In order to determine whether the hypotheses can be accepted or rejected, a SEM was intention of
developed using the maximum likelihood method. Later, the relationships between the six
variables that were part of the hypothesized model were examined. The results determined
organic
by the maximum likelihood estimation showed that the data complied with the goodness-of- products
fit indices: χ 2 (df) 5 448.045 (155); χ 2/g 5 2,891; NFI 5 0.917; IFI 5 0.944; TLI 5 0.923;
CFI 5 0.944; RMSEA 5 0.058 (Byrne, 2006; Hair et al., 2010). After having examined the
relationships between the six variables in the hypothesized model, four hypotheses were
accepted, and one was rejected. The estimated values obtained through AMOS 24 allowed it
to be determined that Attitude (β 5 0.350), Subjective Norms (β 5 0.161) and Perceived
Behavioural Control (β 5 0.154) influence Purchase Intention. Likewise, it was determined
that Perceived Behavioural Control moderates the relationship between Price and Purchase
Intention (β 5 0.187), it does not moderate the relationship between Availability and
Purchase Intention (β 5 0.265). See Table 4 and Figure 2.

5. Discussion
Due to the current relevance of studies related to green consumption, the need to know the
green product purchase intention of millennials has become an important research field for
the academic community. This study provides a better understanding of university
millennials’ intention to purchase products with eco-friendly characteristics, as well as the
possible barriers that could hinder that intention.
This study uses the constructs of the TPB and measures whether the attitudes and
subjective norms of Ecuadorian university millennials are related to their organic product
purchase intention. It could be that barriers such as price and product availability could
influence these consumers’ perceived behavioural control.
The results obtained through the statistical analyses indicate that H1 was accepted: the
attitude of Ecuadorian university millennials towards actions related to environmental
protection and the acquisition of organic products is highly favourable and influences their
purchase intention. This supports previous findings that attitudes in favour of the
environment influence intention to purchase eco-friendly products (Kumar et al., 2017;
Taufique and Vaithianathan, 2018; Sun et al., 2019). It also supports the finding that the more
favourable the attitude towards resolving environmental problems, the greater the green
purchase intention (Magnusson et al., 2001; Yadav and Patak, 2017; Sreen et al., 2018;
Taufique and Vaithiniathan, 2018).
In addition, the results indicate that H2 was accepted. This means that subjective norms
influence organic product purchase intention. In other words, the normative beliefs,
influences and opinions of family and friends can make university millennials increase their

Hypotheses Relationships β p-value Hypotheses

H1 AC - PI 0.350 *** Accepted

H2 SN - PI 0.161 *** Accepted
H3 PBC - PI 0.154 0.002 Accepted
H4 PR - PBC 0.187 *** Accepted
H5 AV - PBC 0.265 0.509 Rejected
Note(s): Goodness of fit indices: χ 2 (df) 5 448.045 (155), χ 2/df 5 2.891, NFI 5 0.917, IFI 5 0.944, TLI 5 0.923,
CFI 5 0.944, RMSEA 5 0.058, ***p < 0.001 Table 4.
Attitude (AC), Subjective Norms (SN), Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC), Price (PR), Availability (AV), Results of hypotheses
Purchase Intention (PI) testing
BFJ intention to buy organic products. These findings support the existence of a strong
association between subjective norms and a wide range of pro-environmental behaviours,
including the purchase of products identifying as eco-friendly (Al-Swidi et al., 2014;
Chaudary, 2018; Ricci et al., 2018). These findings also contradict the findings of other
academics regarding the relationship between subjective norms and purchase intention
(Thøgersen and Zhou, 2012; Paul et al., 2016; Kumar et al., 2017; Testa et al., 2018).
H3 was also accepted. This means that perceived behavioural control positively influences
university millennials’ organic product purchase intention, a finding that supports the idea
that perceived behavioural control is a determining factor that promotes or restricts the
purchase of products with eco-friendly characteristics (Liobikieneand Bernatoniene, 2017;
Yadav and Patak, 2017; Ricci et al., 2018). It is important to note, however, that Nguyen et al.
(2017) have also determined that, although environmental attitudes and subjective norms
influence buying behaviour, many consumers do not buy eco-friendly products due to the
lack of opportunity, time and resources.
Furthermore, H4 was also accepted, which means that perceived behavioural control
mediates the relationship between the price and university millennials’ organic product
purchase intention. In other words, price is a determining factor for purchase intention, since
this group of consumers believes that organic products are expensive and therefore might not
be willing to pay more for these products. This supports the idea that price is one of the main
factors restricting green purchase intention (Ricci et al., 2018) but also contradicts the theory
of Naderi and Van (2018), who stated that three-quarters of millennials are indeed willing to
pay more for products that are committed to the environment.
In terms of perceived behavioural control, it was found that the availability of organic
products on the market is not a barrier that limits university millennials’ purchase intention;
thus, H5 is rejected. In other words, perceived behavioural control does not mediate the
relationship between availability and university millennials’ organic product purchase
intention. Most of the participants stated that organic products are available on the market
and that it is easy to find them. This finding supports the studies of Singh and Verma (2017)
and Sharaf and Perumal (2018), who stated that the availability of organic products does not
influence purchase intention, and it contradicts the finding that many consumers do not buy
organic products because it is difficult to find them (Witsel and Aagaard, 2014;
Biswas, 2016).
Taking into consideration the findings of H1 and H2, the claims that attitudes and
subjective norms are highly influential factors for organic product purchase intention are
supported (Magnusson et al., 2001; Al-Swidi et al., 2014; Yadav and Patak, 2017; Sreen et al.,
2018; Taufique and Vaithianathan, 2018; Chaudary, 2018; Ricci et al., 2018; Carri
on and Arias-
Bolzmann, 2021) and contradict Oztekin et al. (2017) and Sun et al. (2019), who proposed that
the influence of subjective norms and attitudes on green purchase intention had not yet been
confirmed.
Also noteworthy is the fact that, despite the influence of subjective norms on organic
product purchase intention, the presence of barriers can curb this intention (Vermeir and
Verbeque, 2006; Nurse et al., 2010; Joshi and Rahman, 2015; Liobikiene and Bernatoniene,
2017). This is due to the high price that organic products command on the market (Ricci et al.,
2018). Price considerably influences perceived behavioural control, and, consequently, causes
consumers’ purchase intention becomes less intense, which, in turn, causes them to chooses to
consume traditional products, instead (Carri
on and Arias-Bolzmann, 2021).

6. Conclusions
Green consumption has gained relevance in the business world and in academia. The
academic community has made great efforts to understand the factors that influence people’s
purchase intention when it comes to eco-friendly products. Although many studies on this Purchase
topic have been conducted in developed economies, research on green buying behaviour in intention of
developing countries is still in its early stages (Taufique and Vaithianathan, 2018).
With the aim of identifying eco-friendly product purchase intention and how price and
organic
availability might function as barriers that reduce it, this study was carried out in three cities products
in Ecuador, and the participants were university millennials. The results showed that this
group of consumers has highly favourable attitudes towards organic products and that
subjective norms significantly influence their purchase intention. The price of green products
is an element that reduces purchase intention, while availability does not.

7. Implications
This study could be used to understand university millennial consumers better and analyse
their organic product purchase intention. From a practical point of view, the findings could
help organic food producers identify the levels of purchase intention possessed by university
millennials in emerging countries like Ecuador. The results also reveal the influence of price
as a barrier factor that mitigates organic product purchase intention; therefore, companies
need to adopt pricing strategies that take this group of consumers’ real financial situation into
account. Thus, the results of this study provide information for organic food producers to
implement customization tactics to meet the needs of this generation.
This study also provides information to the organic food production sector so that it can
design marketing campaigns that raise awareness among consumers about the impact of
price and availability on the consumption of green products. From a social viewpoint, these
findings make it possible to determine the real situation of Ecuadorian millennials, showing
that their behaviours are different from those of millennials in developed countries when it
comes to organic product consumption.

8. Limitations and directions for future research

The limitations of this study are related to three issues: (a) the participants were university
students, and, although this facilitated the research process, analysing all millennials
(regardless of whether or not they are university students) would provide a broader, more
holistic understanding of this consumer segment’s buying behaviour, and it would also make
it possible to generalize the results obtained; (b) the responses of the youngest millennials
could be contradictory, since many of them do not frequently purchase products to consume,
as the majority are still dependent on their parents and, at times, must therefore adapt to their
parents’ consumption patterns; and (c) in view of the fact that a large percentage of university
millennials do not work yet, their lack of income could be the reason that this group of
consumers focuses so heavily on analysing price before purchasing a product.
Future research should compare the green consumption purchase intention of millennials,
Generation X and baby boomers. Carrying out this type of study would determine which
population cohort engages in the consumption of eco-friendly products the most. Other
research could incorporate scepticism and socioeconomic status as barriers that may affect
purchase intention.

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Appendix Purchase
intention of
organic
Model constructs Questions
products
Attitude (AC) AC1. Environmental protection is important to me when
Adapted from: Sreen et al. (2018) making product purchases
AC2. I believe that green products help to reduce pollution
(water, air, etc.)
AC3. I believe that green products help to save nature and
its resources
AC4. Given a choice, I will prefer a green product over a
conventional product
Subjectives norms (SN) SN1. People who are important to me thinks that I should
Adapted from, Sreen et al. (2018), Testa et al. buy green products
(2018) SN2. My interaction with people influences me to buy green
products
SN3. My acquaintances would approve of my decision to
buy green products
SN4. Most of my friends think that buying organic
products is the right thing to do
Perceived behavioural control (PBC) PBC1. It is entirely my decision to buy green products
Adapted from: Sreen et al. (2018), CCP4 taken PBC2. I cannot pay more to buy green products
from: Testa et al. (2018) PBC3. I require a lot of time to search for green products
PBC4. I know exactly where to buy organic products
Price (PR) PR1. I am not willing to pay more for organic products
Adapted from: Marde y Verite (2018) PR2. I cannot afford to pay more for organic products
PR3. Organic products are too expensive
Availability (AV) AV1. I find that organic products are sufficiently available
Adapted from: Marde y Verite (2018) for purchase
AV2. I think it easy to find organic products near me
AV3. I think there are more and more shelves dedicated to
sell organic products
Purchase intention (PI) PI1. I intend to buy green products
Adapted from: Sreen et al. (2018), IC4 taken from: PI2. I plan to purchase green products
Testa et al. (2018) PI3 I will purchase green products in my next purchase
PI4. Next month I will buy organic products

Corresponding author
Nelson Geovany Carri
on B
osquez can be contacted at: nelson.carrion@pucp.edu.pe; ngcarrion@pucesd.
edu.ec

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