Choose sustainable! How digital nudging architectures shape sustainable choices and consumer perceptions

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of different digital nudging architectures in promoting sustainable consumer behaviour during the shopping experience. This research addresses a critical research gap by providing the first empirical comparison of theoretically grounded digital nudging models specifically designed to foster conscious shopping decisions. Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects experimental design involving 195 participants was implemented to compare the impact of three digital nudging architectures – make together, in-sourcing and crowd-sourcing – on multiple consumer outcomes. These outcomes include engagement, perceived usefulness, willingness to pay a premium price, trust in the retailer, retailer credibility and commitment to charitable initiatives. Findings All three digital nudging architectures elicited generally positive consumer evaluations, although with differentiated outcome profiles. The only statistically significant difference concerned the perceived relevance of the initiative, which was higher in the crowd-sourcing condition than in the make together condition. Descriptive patterns further suggest that crowd-sourcing is associated with stronger relational and engagement-oriented responses, in-sourcing with higher perceived usefulness and retailer credibility and make together with stronger purchase-related responses such as intention to buy and willingness to pay a premium. Research limitations/implications Managerial implications are provided for designing engaging, ethically responsible digital nudges and sustainability campaigns in retail environments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study to compare distinct digital nudging architectures in a sustainability context, offering a structured, theory-driven evaluation. The study advances knowledge in behavioural marketing and digital retailing by (1) offering a structured comparison of nudging architectures for sustainability goals, (2) evaluating how such interventions influence cognitive, emotional and behavioural consumer outcomes, (3) emphasising the strategic role of retailers in digital sustainability communication and (4) addressing the ethical acceptability of nudging in preserving consumer autonomy.