Consumer familiarity, ambiguity tolerance, and purchase behavior toward remanufactured products: The implications for remanufacturers

Abstract Remanufacturing plays an important role in reducing energy consumption and material usage. The present research attempted to understand consumers' perceptions of remanufactured products in China and their resulting purchase behavior. The study uses the theory of planned behavior as its theoretical framework but extends it by incorporating two additional variables (consumer familiarity and ambiguity tolerance). Data was collected using a self‐administered questionnaire survey and analyzed with structural equation modeling. According to the survey findings, consumer familiarity positively affects consumer attitude but negatively affects consumer intention to purchase remanufactured products. Ambiguity tolerance positively affects attitude and purchase intention. Meanwhile, consumer attitude and perceived behavioral control are both positively and significantly related to purchase intention. However, the subjective norm has no significant effect on purchase intention. This study also demonstrated the positive effect of purchase intention on actual purchase behavior. Based on the research findings, practical guidelines are given for remanufacturers to motivate consumers to purchase remanufactured products.