Environmental friendly as a new dimension of product quality from consumers’ perspective

Abstract

This research is an effort to extend the dimensions of product quality to cover the ecological phenomena and solve the environmental issues by adding a new dimension, environmental friendly, to other dimensions of product quality. Furthermore this research examines the most important motivators for buying green products and impact of price on environmental friendly products’ buyers. A comprehensive literature review on product quality, buying behavior, normal product motivating factors and also green products motivators have been discussed. In addition, the importance of price on buying behavior particularly in relation to green product has been elaborated as well. Data collection method for this research is questionnaire and data analysis method consists of factor analysis, T test and descriptive analysis. The result of this study shows that environmental friendly has potential to be a new dimension of product quality. It has shown that Environmental concern, perceived consumer effectiveness, consumer knowledge, promotional tools, and laws and regulations are underlying factors which are motivating the customers for buying green products while the Reference Group is not motivating factor for buying environmental friendly products despite it defined as an underlying factor for buying green products. The result also indicates the buyers have been accepted to buy environmental friendly products in comparison with non-environmental friendly products. It is also remarkable that the customers had different reactions regarding to different percentage of price with respect to three categories of products.