What Drives Green Grocery Purchase Intention in the UAE? The Roles of Environmental Concern, Perceived Value, Price Sensitivity, Perceived Consumer Effectiveness, and Health Consciousness

Abstract

This study examines the key drivers of green grocery purchase intention in the UAE. It contributes to understanding the gap between consumers’ attitudes toward the environment and their actual purchasing decisions. The study examines the influence of Environmental Concern, Health Consciousness, Perceived Value, Price Sensitivity, and Perceived Consumer Effectiveness on green grocery purchase intention. It adopts a quantitative and cross-sectional research design. 132 responses were collected from adult UAE residents who often shop for groceries. The data analysis was performed using multiple regression analysis. The findings show that Perceived Consumer Effectiveness and Green Perceived Value are the strongest positive predictors of purchase intention, suggesting that UAE consumers are driven by perceived effectiveness rather than environmental concern, and they are value-oriented. Opposing expectations, Environmental Concern, Health Consciousness, and Price Sensitivity didn’t have a significant influence on purchase intention. This indicates that marketing strategies should focus on empowerment-based messages and value-driven positioning. The study concludes with recommendations for marketing managers to focus on empowerment-based messages, value-driven positioning, and to identify the value that aligns with consumers. Additionally, policymakers must focus on initiatives that give UAE citizens a sense of empowerment and standardize green claims to build trust and enhance the visibility of the green grocery value. Keywords: consumer perceived effectiveness, green perceived value, green grocery purchase intention