Resumo

Users are more concerned with how products are tested and what components are used. Companies that use animals in product testing are seen as inappropriate and termed Cruelty Free, making it a research theme of great interest to academia and the market. Institutes and research around the world show that conscious consumption habits around the globe are growing more and more. The expansion of the market for green/ecologically friendly products suggests that these are segments that need to be analyzed, because they understand how consumer behavior can influence their attitude and intentions.

In this context, it is relevant to investigate the intentions of consumers who care about the socio-environmental environment, and what influences this behavior. Called green consumers, aware or responsible, such consumers seek specific information about the production process of the products or check the labels on the packaging before making the purchase of cleaning supplies. The aim of the research is to identify the antecedents of consumer’s intention to buy cleaning supplies with environmental consciousness, social norms, price sensitivity, and attitude on cleaning supplies in Brazil.

The influence of a product's price on purchase intentions and behaviors has been intensively studied in recent decades (Ahmetoglu et al., 2014; Chen et al., 1998; Erickson & Johansson, 1985; Xu et al., 2012). Thus, as many consumers have rational and even selfish traits, both price sensitivity and altruism deserve attention in evaluating the intention and purchase of green products. As suggested by Lindenberg and Steg (2007) and Steg and Vlek (2009), pro-environmental behaviors are the result of multiple motives and their interactions with each other, which should be carefully considered.

For this, a quantitative survey was carried out with the highlighted target audiences, using as a basis for the proposition of the research model the concepts of environmental consciousness, social norms, sensitivity to price, attitude, and purchase intention. To carry out the research, a survey was conducted with 304 cleaning supplies users in Brazil and the analysis was performed through structural equation modeling (SEM).

As results, attitude had a direct and positive effect on purchase intention, what follow the literature. Environmental consciousness had a direct relationship on attitude and not on purchase intention. The sensibility of price suggests had a positive influence on attitude and purchase intention, not only a moderator between attitude and behavioural intention. Social norms had a positive impact on attitude, but not on purchase intention.

According to the conceptual model proposed in this article, the findings investigated suggest that many are the elements that generate and strengthen purchase intention. In general, two proposed relations were not supported. We believe that the king of products (cleaning supplies) is a specific category, in addition to the specificity of being cruelty free products. The strategies used by companies over time should strengthen elements such as family or social consumption, as well as present information that allows consumers not to feel "deceived" or that there is "suffering" in testing.

Ajzen, I., and M. Fishbein. 1980. Understanding attitudes and predicting social behaviour. London: Pearson. Bang, H., A. E. Ellinger, J. Hadjimarcou, and P. A. Traichal. 2000. Consumer concern, knowledge, belief, and attitude toward renewable energy: An application of the reasoned action theory. Psychology and Marketing 17: 6–26. Connell, K. Y. H. (2010). Internal and external barriers to ecoconscious apparel acquisition. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 34, no. 3: 279-286. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2010.00865.x