How does global-local identity affect green consumption? A regulatory fit perspective

Purpose Globalization has driven most consumers to possess dual identities concurrently – a global identity and a local identity. In this context, how should information be matched to the best effect? This study aims to explore the influence of global-local identity and regulatory focus messages on green product purchase intention and its underlying mechanism. Design/methodology/approach This study investigates the impact of global-local identity and regulatory focus messages on green product purchase intentions and the perceived effectiveness of green products across four experiments. A 2 (identity: global vs local) × 2 (message: promotion-focused vs prevention-focused) between-subjects experiment was used for all experiments (subjects were all from China). Study 1 investigates the interactive effect of global-local identity and regulatory focus messages on green product purchase intention. Study 2 and Study 3 further test whether the perceived effectiveness of green products mediates this effect. In Study 4, we measured participants’ chronic global-local identity. Findings When consumers’ global (vs local) identity is salient, promotion (vs prevention)-focused messages can lead to more positive green product purchase intention. The perceived effectiveness of green products mediates the process. Originality/value This paper offers a new research perspective on the impact of regulatory focus messages on green consumption behavior and provides practical insights into marketing and advertising strategies for green products.