Consumers’ Intentions to Buy Energy-Efficient Household Appliances in China

Abstract

This study investigates the intentions of Chinese consumers to buy electrical household products labeled as highly energy-efficient, using induction cookers as a case study. Data were collected from June to August 2019 using an online survey among Chinese residents (N = 189) recruited through convenience sampling. The SEM analysis revealed that consumers’ intentions to buy an energy-efficient induction cooker are primarily driven by their attitudes towards doing so, while perceived control also played a role. In addition, multi-group analysis revealed that paying attention to energy labels moderates relationships in the model. For Chinese consumers who do not, in general, pay attention to energy labels, the intention to buy an energy-efficient induction cooker is weakly related to the antecedents proposed by the TPB, and only the attitude towards doing so is significant. However, for consumers who generally pay attention to energy labels, relationships in the model are strong, with all three TPB antecedents being significant and jointly accounting for substantial variation in purchase intentions. This suggests that clear and sufficient information on energy-efficient products and energy labeling is necessary to convince consumers that it is worthwhile to choose energy-efficient products.