A review of green purchase with reference to individual consumers and organizational consumers : a TCCM approach

Green buying research in the past has been very focused on studying the behavior of individual consumers (B2C) and organizational consumers (B2B). However, there has been no attempt to compare the factors that influence the green buying of individual consumers and organizational consumers. This paper aims to review the existing literature to understand factors influencing green buying concerning individual consumers & organizational consumers and present a future research agenda. This paper reviewed 120 research articles from the field of sustainability, marketing & supply chain, business studies, etc., by using the Theory-Context-Characteristics-Methodology (TCCM) framework to explain the facets that influence green buying concerning B2C and B2B consumers. The paper categorizes price sensitivity, risk perception, ecological knowledge, emission reduction, recycling, green packaging with eco-labels, and green communication as common factors influencing B2C and B2B green buying. Factors like environmental consciousness, product benefits, health consciousness, self-identity, price, cultural dimensions, and word of mouth are categorized as specific factors influencing B2C consumers. In contrast, triple bottom line, payback, green supplier selection, supplier quality, supplier responsiveness, green compliance, green supply chains, green innovations, competitive advantage, corporate social responsibility, etc., are categorized as specific factors influencing B2B consumers toward green purchases. The paper offers academic value and originality because of the comparative character of the topic and the research method used. It explains the common and specific factors related to green buying with reference to B2C and B2B consumers. Finally, this paper proposes future research agenda for this domain.