Title: Are consumers ready to pay a higher price and forego quality for shirts and soaps with no animal cruelty certification? Evidence from the Indian market

Authors: Naman Sreen; Swetarupa Chatterjee; Pradip Sadarangani; Bidyut Jyoti Gogoi

Addresses: Jindal Global Business School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat – Narela Rd, Near Jagdishpur, Sonipat, Haryana 131029, India ' Rajagiri Business School, Rajagiri Valley P.O., Kakkanad, Kochi – 682 039, Kerala, India ' Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Umsawli, Shillong – 793018, East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, India ' Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Umsawli, Shillong – 793018, East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, India

Abstract: This research aims to uncover the inconsistent findings in the literature regarding consumers' willingness to pay premium for ethical products and consumers' willingness to sacrifice quality for ethical aspects in the product. Two experiments are conducted for examining the interaction and main effects of price and 'no animal cruelty' certification, and quality and 'no animal cruelty' certification on ethical purchase intentions. Experiments differ from each other on the basis of product category. The results of the research show that consumers are willing to pay extra for ethical certification of no animal cruelty. However, they are unwilling to sacrifice on quality of the product for gaining no animal cruelty certification. These findings provide interesting insights for practitioners and managers launching ethical products in the Indian market.

Keywords: price; quality; 'no animal cruelty' certification; ethical product purchase intentions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGE.2023.131335

International Journal of Green Economics, 2023 Vol.17 No.1, pp.50 - 66

Accepted: 09 Dec 2022
Published online: 06 Jun 2023 *

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