The role emotions play in consumer intentions to make pro-social purchases in Germany – An augmented theory of planned behavior model

Although, sustainable consumption is gaining in relevance for consumers and retailers in Germany, pro-social consumption is still often neglected. Therefore, this study investigates factors influencing the purchase intention of German flower buyers in relation to Fairtrade-cut roses based on an online survey of 1,201 flower buyers in retail shops in 2017. As a basic theoretical framework, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was utilized and extended with two additional constructs. The addition of emotions and perceived consumer effectiveness reveals a strong explanatory power of the model proposed. Data analysis via partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) suggests that emotions and subjective norm are the two most influential determinants of intention to purchase Fairtrade roses. However, emotions also significantly influence all determinants of behavioral intention introduced to the extended model. The findings of this study can be used to fine-tune marketing and communication activities related to pro-social and Fairtrade products.