The effect of social norms and product knowledge on purchase of organic cotton and fair-trade apparel

This research study examined the influence of different types of social norms (injunctive and descriptive) and product knowledge (subjective and objective) on consumers’ purchase of organic cotton and fair-trade apparel to clarify our understanding in this scholarly domain. An online survey was conducted among 500 Generation Y participants to examine purchasing behaviors toward the two products. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and independent t-tests were used to test the cause–effect relationships among constructs and to compare the results between the two product groups. Injunctive norms were more effective in encouraging positive attitudes while descriptive norms had a stronger effect on increasing purchase intentions of organic cotton and fair-trade apparel. Additionally, this study confirmed the important role of knowledge in the purchase process. Both objective and subjective knowledge significantly influenced attitudes toward purchasing the products.