The Importance Of Green Customer Satisfaction

This study referred to the definitions of Oliver (1997), (2006), Bansal (2005), and Barnet (2007), and defined green customer satisfaction as the customer sensed that consumption fulfilled some need, goal, desire about environmental or green concerns and that this fulfillment was pleasurable. It was the outcome of the consumption that the performance met or exceeded the green needs of customers, requirements of environmental regulations, and sustainable expectation of society.

Consumer environmentalism has been more prevalent in the last two decades while consumers are aware of the environmental problems in the world because of the impact of infamous environmental disasters and the rise of environmental protection activities.

Eventually, consumers become more willing to purchase products which are more environmental friendly. Because there are more consumers with responsible and environmental attitudes since the early 1990s, who prefer purchasing products which generate a minimum detrimental impact on the environment, the society becomes more concerned with the environment and, in turn, companies are forced to change their behaviors with regard to compliance with the society’s environmental concern.

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The environmental pressure is impossible to ignore, so the companies should develop new business models that can secure compliance with the popular green trends nowadays. In recent years, green marketing is one of the emerging notions in the field of marketing, and its concept has been widely accepted and applied in practice.

Companies can utilize the idea of green marketing to generate and to facilitate any exchange intended to satisfy customers’ environmental needs or wants. In addition, green marketing is a much broader concept which encompasses all marketing activities that are developed to stimulate and to sustain consumers’ environmental friendly attitudes and behaviors.

Previous studies suggested companies can undertake green marketing activities to investigate consumers’ green attitudes and behaviors, to identify the market of green products, to stratify the green market into different segments based on the consumers’ needs, to develop green positioning strategies, and to formulate a green marketing mix program.

Because of the more importance of green marketing in the future, this study discussed the concept of green brand equity and proposed a research framework to explore its positive relationships with its three drivers: green brand image, green satisfaction, and green trust.

Green Equity

Brand equity, the intangible brand property, is the hidden value inherent in a well-known brand name. Higher brand equity can enable consumers to be willing to pay more for the same level of quality due to the attractiveness of the name attached to the product.

Previous studies defined brand equity from two perspectives: The first definition from the financial perspective stresses the value of a brand to the firm; the second definition from the consumer perspective highlights the value of a brand to the consumers. Although the classic definition of brand equity is proposed from the added value of the brand endowed by its name, recent branding literature has expanded its definition to include a broad set of attributes that drive customer choice. Aaker (1991) and Keller (1993) explored brand equity from the consumer perspective based on consumers’ memory-based brand associations. Aaker(1991) defined brand equity as ‘‘a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to a brand, its name and symbol that add to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service to a firm and to the firm’s customers.’

’In addition, Keller (1993) posited that brand equity can create the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of a brand. Based on the above definitions, this study proposed a novel construct, ‘‘green brand equity,’’ and defined it as ‘‘a set of brand assets and liabilities about green commitments and environmental concerns linked to a brand, its name and symbol that add to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service.’’ Previous studies suggested that enhancing brand image is beneficial for the increasing of brand equity. In addition, Biel (1992) postulated that brand equity is driven by brand image.

Green satisfaction

This study referred to Oliver(1996) and defined ‘‘green satisfaction’’ as ‘‘a pleasurable level of consumption-related fulfillment to satisfy a customer’s environmental desires, sustainable expectations, and green needs.’’ The measurement of green satisfaction includes four items: (1) You are happy about the decision to choose this brand because of its environmental commitments; (2) You believe that it is a right thing to purchase this brand because of its environmental performance; (3) Overall, you are glad to buy this brand because it is environmental friendly; and (4) Overall, you are satisfied with this brand because of its environmental concern.

Green brand equity

Referring to Aaker (1991) and Keller (1993), this study defined ‘‘green brand equity’’ as ‘‘a set of brand assets and liabilities about green commitments and environmental concerns linked to a brand, its name and symbol that add to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service.’’

Based on the measurement of overall brand equity from Yoo et al. (2000), Yoo and Donthu (2001), and Delgado-Ballester and Munuera-Alema´n (2005), the measurement of green brand equity in this study includes four items: (1) It makes sense to buy this brand instead of other brands because of its environmental commitments, even if they are the same; (2)Even if another brand has the same environmental features as this brand, you would prefer to buy this brand; (3) If there is another brand’s environmental performance as good as this brand’s, you prefer to buy this brand; (4) If the environmental concern of another brand is not different from that of this brand in any way, it seems smarter to purchase this brand.