THE GREEN MARKETING MIX FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE GEN Y GREEN PURCHASE DECISION IN MALAYSIA : THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF GREEN CORPORATE IMAGE

Abstract

The green concept in a business is a fast growing element driving companies and decision makers to maneuver their business to meet stakeholder’s expectations. Business practices are intense in finding key elements to identify factors that drive consumers to purchase their products. Although companies are aware of the steadily growing demand for green products, there is still lack of effort by marketers and producers to build trust and attract consumers. On the other hand, as much as consumers are willing to pay extra for green products and although there is a consistent demand for green products, studies shows that there is an obvious gap in the purchase intention and the actual purchase decision. Out of a total 1,064, 262 companies registered under the Registrar of Companies in Malaysia, only 2284 companies had applied and received the ISO 14001 green certification which qualifies them to be a green company. Meanwhile, there are only 203 confirmed green products registered with MyHijau labels in the market. This is a discouraging fact to boost green purchase decision in Malaysia. Hence, this study will look into the Malaysian perspective of Green marketing mix elements which plays a significant role in consumer’s Green Purchase Decision. This study will also study the impact of green corporate image as a mediator in the relationship between the green marketing mix factors and consumer’s green purchase decision. This study aim to determine whether the Theory of Buyer Behavior can be used as a tool to observe the green purchase decision.