Helping other customers to avoid harmful brands: The role of idealism, attitude and cynicism

Abstract

Background: Consumers are not always aware of how their purchase decisions may harm other humans and the environment. Green customer helping behaviours could aid in solving this problem.

Aim: The study aims to develop a research model, advancing knowledge of the extent to which idealism (an ethical philosophy) may influence green attitudes and promote green customer helping behaviours that could aid other customers in avoiding harmful brands. The study further aims to gain clarity regarding the moderating role of customer helper cynicism within the proposed model.

Setting: A self-administered questionnaire was fielded amongst consumers in South Africa and the United States of America (US).

Method: Mplus 8.5 and PROCESS macro in RStudio were used to analyse and compare the survey data obtained from the two samples.

Results: All direct relationships assessed were positive and significant for South Africa and the US samples. Varying results were uncovered between the two samples concerning the moderating role of customer helper cynicism.

Conclusion: The identified model confirms the important role of idealism in influencing green customer helping behaviours, as mediated by green attitudes and moderated by customer helper cynicism.

Contribution: Novel insight is provided into the contribution of ethical philosophy in promoting green customer helping behaviours. Additionally, direction is provided for the deployment of strategies that could promote green customer helping behaviours in diverse green contexts and across continents and that effectively may aid other customers in avoiding brands harmful to society.