Exploring the Role of Gender in Sustainable Consumption: A Moderated Mediation Model of Sustainable Marketing in the UK FMCG Industry
This study investigates the influence of sustainable marketing activities on brand image, customer involvement, and sustainable purchase intention within the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector in England, while examining gender as a moderating variable. Grounded in Signaling Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the research adopts a positivist philosophical stance and a quantitative, deductive approach. Data were collected through a structured online survey administered to 273 FMCG consumers in England, ensuring balanced representation of male and female respondents. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS, along with regression analysis, was employed to test the proposed moderated-mediation model.
The findings reveal that sustainable marketing activities significantly enhance brand image, which in turn strengthens customer involvement and ultimately increases sustainable purchase intention. Brand image and customer involvement were found to act as sequential mediators in the relationship between sustainable marketing activities and sustainable purchase intention, confirming a partial serial mediation effect. The results also indicate that sustainable marketing has both direct and indirect effects on sustainable purchase intention, highlighting its significant role in shaping consumer behaviour in the FMCG sector.
However, the moderating effect of gender was found to be statistically insignificant. Although minor differences in path strengths were observed between male and female consumers, these differences did not significantly alter the overall relationships in the model. This suggests that sustainable marketing strategies are broadly effective across genders in the English FMCG context.
The study contributes to existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the integrated role of sustainability-driven marketing in shaping consumer behaviour and clarifying the limited moderating role of gender. It offers practical implications for FMCG companies, emphasising the importance of strengthening sustainable brand image and fostering consumer involvement to drive sustainable purchasing behaviour.
