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Purpose This study aims to test for factors affecting environmental sustainability and purchase intention in the fashion industry. Accordingly, the authors developed a framework that depicts the relationships between perceptions of social responsibility, consumer attitude, trust, purchase intention and perceived consumer effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted with an internationally diverse sample of 216 consumers. Data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings The results indicated that perceptions of social responsibility directly affect consumers’ attitudes towards these fashion brands, as well as trust and perceived consumer effectiveness. Also, consumers need to perceive sustainability efforts of these brands as altruistic, and trust was found to be a direct predictor of purchase intention. However, both consumer attitude and perceived consumer effectiveness did not predict purchase intention. Research limitations/implications The survey was primarily distributed to young people. Therefore, a generalisation of the findings to other age groups might be limited. Practical implications Practicing managers should emphasise the fact that environmental sustainability and fast fashion brands could be sustainable to increase trust among consumers. Social implications When it comes to environmental issues, positive perceptions regarding the companies’ social responsibility efforts are vital to enhance both consumers’ trust towards the brands and their individual feeling of empowerment. Originality/value This study intends to shed light on the key elements that shape consumers’ attitudes and willingness to purchase green apparel.

The presence of brands online has intensified over the past decade. Previous research has found that following online updates from a brand’s Facebook page enhances brand evaluations. As Instagram is emerging as one of the most popular social media platforms, we extended previous research by simulating the experience of navigating online on a smartphone while focusing on this platform. Our main goal was to understand if brands with a large number of followers versus brands with a small number of followers are perceived differently by consumers. Findings from two studies (Ntotal = 313) suggest that purchase intention and brand trust are higher for Instagram brand pages with a large number of followers. However, the perceived quality and likeliness to refer the brand to a friend are not affected by the number of followers. Also, we found no significant gender differences across variables.

The purpose of this paper is to study how color contrast (complementary vs. analogous colors) affect individuals’ attitude and purchase intention in the context of web banner advertising. Previous research on the effect of color in marketing stated that color is one of the most important factors for fast decisions regarding product choice. However, the study of color has mainly focused on isolated colors (hue) and color temperature (cool vs. warm colors). Thus, color contrast studies are lacking. Two experimental studies (Ntotal = 409) were conducted in the context of web banner advertising. Study 1 involved a service setting (a wireless internet service provider) and Study 2 focused on a product category (a wireless headphone set). Findings revealed that the blue-green analogous color set tend to elicit higher levels of both attitude towards the ad and purchase intention. The results were partially confirmed for Study 1 and (totally) confirmed for Study 2. This research work contributes to shed some light into color perception and e-commerce strategy thus helping marketers and designers to create more effective web banner advertisements.

Web advertising is a fast-growing industry in which brands fight for the attention of the most attractive consumers: Millennials and Centennials. This study aims to test the impact of Web Advertising Visual Design (WAVD) on the consumers’ Online Purchase Intention (OPI) and, simultaneously, analyze if such influence differs across those generations. Participants (N = 318) filled in an online questionnaire. Data revealed a direct impact of visual design on consumers’ OPI as well as an indirect impact via Attitude Toward the Brand (ATB). Moreover, results showed that generations Y and Z do not differ significantly in their intentions, although Centennials exhibit a higher coefficient for the influence of WAVD on OPI. Regarding the theoretical implications, the results tend to confirm the Theory of Visual Rhetoric and partially confirm the Theory of Reasoned Action. Managerial implications and research limitations are also discussed.

This research assesses the determinants of Millennials protection motivation (or security intentions) on their actual use behavior when navigating online, considering the protective measures they adopt. Accordingly, we propose a model integrating variables from two widely accepted behavioral theories, the Protection Motivation Theory and the Reasoned Action Approach. An online survey was conducted, relying on the responses of 236 participants from different nationalities, which were analyzed through hierarchical multiple regression. Results show a gap between security intentions and use behavior and indicate safety habit strength and actual control as significant predictors of Millennials’ use behavior. By focusing not only on the users’ behavioral intentions but also on their actual use behavior, this research seeks to extend the previous literature on the topic.

Color is one of the most elementary techniques used in marketing and produces behavioral effects reflecting purchase attitudes. However, packaging color has seldom been investigated in-context. Additionally, color research mainly focuses on individual colors, instead of color combinations. Here, we aim to study the putative effect that dominant retail environment colors might produce on attractiveness and product purchase intention, when products use similar store colors, and when products use complementary colors to those of the store. Moreover, we investigate if these choices are product dependent (e.g., do food and non-food products evoke the same packaging color choices in a given retail color context). A total of 653 participants were recruited to participate in two experimental studies disseminated through online platforms. Study 1 showed an interaction between store and product color significantly affecting both product attractiveness and purchase intention. Importantly, we found that the product category might modulate the complementary color-effect, in terms of attractiveness and purchase intention. Study 2 revealed that product-type subtends sensorial experience or semantic derivation mechanisms for preferred color choices. Together these studies unveil a complex relation between product type, context and color that possibly subtend different cognitive decision-making mechanisms. As such, colors cannot be considered as standalone variables in consumer decision making strategies. Here, we shed light into color perception and product strategy, thus helping marketers, retailers and designers to communicate more efficiently and to define a successful brand strategy.