Concrete or abstract? Exploring the impact of the green information concreteness of environmentally friendly products on brand attitude

Purpose This research aims to examine how the concreteness of green product attribute information (concrete vs abstract) influences consumer perception and brand attitude. Design/methodology/approach This research conducted three studies. Study 1 shows that the green product attribute information with different levels of concreteness (concrete vs abstract) affects mental simulation differently. Study 2 explored the moderating role of product attributes (intrinsic vs extrinsic). Study 3 examined the moderating role of product type (hedonic vs utilitarian) and extended the conceptual model to downstream variables, such as brand attitude. Findings This research proved that concrete (vs abstract) product attribute information leads to more process simulation and less outcome simulation of the green effects of the product. Concrete information significantly enhances process simulation under extrinsic attribute conditions, while abstract information significantly enhances outcome simulation under intrinsic attribute conditions. For utilitarian products, concrete information boosts process simulation and improves brand attitude toward green products. In contrast, for hedonic products, abstract information enhances outcome simulation and subsequently improves brand attitude toward green products. Originality/value This research explored how green product attribute information of varying concreteness influences consumer perception and attitude through dual pathways based on mental simulation mechanisms. It examined the boundary conditions of these effects from the perspectives of product attributes and product categories, thereby expanding the application scenarios and enhancing the practical significance of the research.