A Study on Consumers’ Vegan Cosmetics Purchase Intention : The Moderating Role of Moral Identity and Price Sensitivity = 소비자의 비건 화장품 구매 의도에 관한 연구: 도덕적 정체성과 가격 민감성의 조정적 역할

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Successful marketing content and advertising can increase the sales and revenue of a company, yet the beneficial impact of advertising can be exploited when it causes a positive social change. One of these changes is encouraging consumers to consume vegan products and lifestyles. The green revolution is expanding all over the markets, reaching the beauty industry. The current study attempts to understand Korean consumers' behaviors toward maintaining vegan cosmetic consumption. The main aim is achieved by exploring the degree to which the mediating effect of advertising messages can cause vegan cosmetic purchasing behavior. Moderating effects of high and low moral identity and price sensitivity are also examined as external factors. Moreover, another primary objective is to explore why consumers resist consuming vegan cosmetic products. The current paper used an online survey sample of 177 Korean respondents.

The results show that emotional advertising appeals significantly affect the purchase intention of vegan cosmetic products. Moreover, the results provided support that moral identity has an impact on purchase intention. In other words, a high moral identity led to a high increase in purchase intention of vegan cosmetics and vice versa. However, in terms of price sensitivity, the current paper did not find any significant effect on purchase intention. As a result, the reason behind consumers' resistance to purchasing vegan cosmetics could not be identified. Therefore, the study recommends different managerial implications for marketers to investigate the in-depth moral emotions of their target audience before setting their vegan cosmetics promotion strategies. Finally, marketers should know under which circumstances their target consumers have a high price sensitivity before placing the final price.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 1. Introduction 1
• 1.1 Significance of the Topic 4
• 2. Theoretical Background 6
• 2.1 Social Marketing Appeals 6
• 2.1.1 Mobile Advertising 7
• 2.2 Emotional and Rational Appeals 8
• 2.2.1 Effect of Emotions 11
• 2.3 The Concept of Veganism 13
• 2.3.1 History of Veganism 13
• 2.3.2 Vegan Consumption 14
• 2.3.3 Benefits of Veganism 16
• 2.4 Vegan Cosmetics Products 18
• 2.5 Cosmetic Market in South Korea 20
• 2.6 The Moderation of Moral Identity 22
• 2.6.1 The Planned Behavior Theory 23
• 2.6.2 Moral Norms Theory and Value Belief Norm 25
• 2.7 Ethical Consumers in South Korea 26
• 2.8 Price Sensitivity 27
• 2.9 Purchase Intention 28
• 3. Research Model and Hypotheses 29
• 3.1 Research Model 29
• 3.2 Hypotheses 30
• 3.2.1 The Influence of Advertising Appeals on Green Purchase Intention 30
• 3.2.2 The Moderating Effect of Moral Identity 31
• 3.2.3 The Moderating Effect of Price Sensitivity 32
• 4. Methodology 34
• 4.1 Research Design and Data Collection 34
• 4.2 Designing Questions 35
• 4.3 Manipulation Checks 36
• 4.4 Measuring Variables 37
• 4.4.1 Moral Identity 37
• 4.4.2 Purchase Intention 38
• 4.4.3 Price Sensitivity 39
• 5. Data Analysis and Results 40
• 5.1 Respondents Profile 40
• 5.2 Reliability Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis 43
• 5.3 Results of Manipulation Check 45
• 5.3 Hypotheses Testing 46
• 5.3.1 Vegan Cosmetics Purchase Intention Affected by the Type of Advertising Appeal 46
• 5.3.2 The Moderating Effect of Moral Identity 47
• 5.3.3 The Moderating Effect of Price Sensitivity 50
• 5.4 Results of Hypotheses Testing 53
• 6. Conclusion and Implication 54
• 6.1 General Discussion and Conclusion 54
• 6.2 Theoretical Contribution and Managerial Implications 57
• 6.3 Limitation and Further Research 58
• References 60
• Appendix A 80
• Appendix B 84
• 요약 88