IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jenvss/v15y2025i2d10.1007_s13412-024-00930-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cause-effect relationships among factors impacting customers’ satisfaction with zero-waste products: a text mining and multi-criteria decision-making approach

Author

Listed:
  • Rabab Ali Abumalloh

    (Qatar University)

  • Mehrbakhsh Nilashi

    (UCSI University
    Universiti Sains Malaysia)

  • Hossein Ahmadi

    (University of Plymouth)

  • Sarminah Samad

    (UNITAR International University)

  • Muhammed Yousoof Ismail

    (Dhofar University)

  • Syed Salman Mahmood

    (Abu Dhabi University)

Abstract

Zero-waste products are items that are designed to minimize waste generation and environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. These products aim to reduce or eliminate the use of disposable materials, promote reuse and recycling, and encourage sustainable practices. The assessment of these products has been investigated from different perspectives. However, the factors that impact customers’ satisfaction are rarely investigated; specifically, the use of online customers’ reviews to discover satisfaction dimensions is not explored in previous studies. This study aims to find what factors impact customers’ satisfaction with zero-waste products using a new methodology. The method is developed using text mining and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is used to discover the satisfaction dimensions from the 10,342 online customers’ reviews collected from Amazon.com. Using LDA, nine satisfaction dimensions (product effectiveness, environmental impact, convenience and usability, packaging and presentation, quality and durability, cost-effectiveness, health and safety, product innovation, and sustainable packaging) were discovered from textual reviews. This study then uses the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) to analyze cause-and-effect relationships among the discovered factors from customers’ perspectives. The results of analyzing cause-and-effect relationships showed that product effectiveness, environmental impact, product innovation, cost-effectiveness, and health and safety have the highest impacts on customer satisfaction. This study found that product innovation and environmental impact are the significant factors influencing the effectiveness of zero-waste products.

Suggested Citation

  • Rabab Ali Abumalloh & Mehrbakhsh Nilashi & Hossein Ahmadi & Sarminah Samad & Muhammed Yousoof Ismail & Syed Salman Mahmood, 2025. "Cause-effect relationships among factors impacting customers’ satisfaction with zero-waste products: a text mining and multi-criteria decision-making approach," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 15(2), pages 282-297, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:15:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s13412-024-00930-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s13412-024-00930-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13412-024-00930-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s13412-024-00930-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thakur, Rakhi, 2018. "Customer engagement and online reviews," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 48-59.
    2. Ildiko Kovacs & Eva Reka Keresztes, 2022. "Perceived Consumer Effectiveness and Willingness to Pay for Credence Product Attributes of Sustainable Foods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-17, April.
    3. Nayeon Kim & Kyungtag Lee, 2023. "Environmental Consciousness, Purchase Intention, and Actual Purchase Behavior of Eco-Friendly Products: The Moderating Impact of Situational Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(7), pages 1-17, March.
    4. Isaac Akinwumi & Manuela Onyeiwu & Promise Epelle & Victor Ajayi, 2023. "Soil Improvement Using Blends of Coal Ash and Plantain Peel Ash as Road Pavement Layer Materials," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Hong Wang & Baolong Ma & Rubing Bai, 2019. "How Does Green Product Knowledge Effectively Promote Green Purchase Intention?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-13, February.
    6. Bill Hopwood & Mary Mellor & Geoff O'Brien, 2005. "Sustainable development: mapping different approaches," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(1), pages 38-52.
    7. Steffen Lehmann & Atiq U. Zaman & John Devlin & Nicholas Holyoak, 2013. "Supporting Urban Planning of Low-Carbon Precincts: Integrated Demand Forecasting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(12), pages 1-30, December.
    8. Tsai, Pei-Hsuan & Lin, Guan-Yi & Zheng, Yu-Lin & Chen, Yi-Chong & Chen, Pao-Zhen & Su, Zheng-Cheng, 2020. "Exploring the effect of Starbucks' green marketing on consumers' purchase decisions from consumers’ perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    9. Banerjee, Subhabrata Bobby, 2002. "Corporate environmentalism: the construct and its measurement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(3), pages 177-191, March.
    10. Yanbing Ju & Aihua Wang & Tianhui You, 2015. "Emergency alternative evaluation and selection based on ANP, DEMATEL, and TL-TOPSIS," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 75(2), pages 347-379, February.
    11. Kamble, Sachin S. & Gunasekaran, Angappa & Parekh, Harsh & Joshi, Sudhanshu, 2019. "Modeling the internet of things adoption barriers in food retail supply chains," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 154-168.
    12. Ye Sang & Heeseung Yu & Eunkyoung Han, 2022. "Understanding the Barriers to Consumer Purchasing of Zero-Waste Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-20, December.
    13. Son, Youngdoo & Kim, Wonjoon, 2023. "Development of methodology for classification of user experience (UX) in online customer review," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    14. Nasiri, Mohammad Sadegh & Shokouhyar, Sajjad, 2021. "Actual consumers' response to purchase refurbished smartphones: Exploring perceived value from product reviews in online retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    15. Tsarenko, Yelena & Ferraro, Carla & Sands, Sean & McLeod, Colin, 2013. "Environmentally conscious consumption: The role of retailers and peers as external influences," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 302-310.
    16. Prince O. Njoku & Joshua N. Edokpayi & John O. Odiyo, 2019. "Health and Environmental Risks of Residents Living Close to a Landfill: A Case Study of Thohoyandou Landfill, Limpopo Province, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-27, June.
    17. Kumar, Avinash & Chakraborty, Shibashish & Bala, Pradip Kumar, 2023. "Text mining approach to explore determinants of grocery mobile app satisfaction using online customer reviews," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    18. Alzate, Miriam & Arce-Urriza, Marta & Cebollada, Javier, 2022. "Mining the text of online consumer reviews to analyze brand image and brand positioning," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    19. Fraccascia, Luca & Ceccarelli, Gaia & Dangelico, Rosa Maria, 2023. "Green products from industrial symbiosis: Are consumers ready for them?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Magdalena Grębosz-Krawczyk & Agnieszka Zakrzewska-Bielawska & Beata Glinka & Aldona Glińska-Neweś, 2021. "Why Do Consumers Choose Photovoltaic Panels? Identification of the Factors Influencing Consumers’ Choice Behavior regarding Photovoltaic Panel Installations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, May.
    2. Neiba Neiba & N. Tejmani Singh, 2024. "Effect of Green Marketing, Green Consumption Values and Green Marketing Approaches on Organic Purchase Intention: Evidence from the Manipur," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 14(5), pages 18-31, September.
    3. Huan Hu & Chang Wang & Min Chen, 2024. "The Influence of a Regional Public Brand on Consumers’ Purchase Intention and Behavior Toward Eco-Agricultural Products: A Chinese National Park Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-23, October.
    4. Zhao, Xiangqi & Huang, Zhe, 2024. "A method for exploring consumer satisfaction factors using online reviews: A study on anti-cold drugs," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    5. Lueg, Rainer & Radlach, Ronny, 2016. "Managing sustainable development with management control systems: A literature review," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 158-171.
    6. Jiakun Liu & Xinxiang Gao & Yi Cao & Naveed Mushtaq & Jiuming Chen & Li Wan, 2022. "Catalytic Effect of Green Human Resource Practices on Sustainable Development Goals: Can Individual Values Moderate an Empirical Validation in a Developing Economy?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-23, November.
    7. Kumar, Anand & Bala, Pradip Kumar & Chakraborty, Shibashish & Behera, Rajat Kumar, 2024. "Exploring antecedents impacting user satisfaction with voice assistant app: A text mining-based analysis on Alexa services," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    8. Zhong, Qiming & Zhou, Li & Zhang, Jie & Ji, Ting, 2025. "The inverted U-shape of consumer reviews and conversion rates: The moderating role of store longevity and transaction volume on service-selling platforms," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    9. Tung-Lai Hu & Chuang-Min Chao & Chia-Hung Lin, 2024. "The Role of Social Media Marketing in Green Product Repurchase Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-23, July.
    10. Alina Filip & Alin Stancu & Lucian-Florin Onișor & Oana Cristina Mogoș & Ștefan-Alexandru Catană & Dumitru Goldbach, 2025. "Drivers of Purchase Intentions of Generation Z on Eco-Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-15, January.
    11. Yi, Jisu & Oh, Yun Kyung & Kim, Jung-Min, 2025. "Unveiling the drivers of satisfaction in mobile trading: Contextual mining of retail investor experience through BERTopic and generative AI," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    12. Zhifeng Zhang & Fariha Sami & Irfan Ullah & Sami Ullah Khan & Salahuddin Khan, 2024. "Analyzing the green marketing approaches and their impact on consumer behavior toward the environment in China: a logistic regression approach," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(11), pages 29453-29474, November.
    13. Priom Mahmud & Sanjoy Kumar Paul & Abdullahil Azeem & Priyabrata Chowdhury, 2021. "Evaluating Supply Chain Collaboration Barriers in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-28, July.
    14. Zhang, Yuhao & Li, Qianru & Yan, Jinzhe, 2025. "Exploring multimodal factors in online reviews: A machine learning approach to evaluating content effectiveness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    15. Zhang, Lu & Cui, Li & Chen, Lujie & Dai, Jing & Jin, Ziyi & Wu, Hao, 2023. "A hybrid approach to explore the critical criteria of online supply chain finance to improve supply chain performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    16. Kyeongmin Yum & Byungjoon Yoo, 2024. "Enhancing online reviews: exploring the impact of characteristic-based review system on customer engagement for offline sellers," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    17. Leonidou, Leonidas C. & Leonidou, Constantinos N. & Fotiadis, Thomas A. & Zeriti, Athina, 2013. "Resources and capabilities as drivers of hotel environmental marketing strategy: Implications for competitive advantage and performance," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 94-110.
    18. Endl, Andreas & Tost, Michael & Hitch, Michael & Moser, Peter & Feiel, Susanne, 2021. "Europe's mining innovation trends and their contribution to the sustainable development goals: Blind spots and strong points," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    19. Yu‐Shan Chen & Xin Yan, 2022. "The small and medium enterprises' green human resource management and green transformational leadership: A sustainable moderated‐mediation practice," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1341-1356, September.
    20. Yu Wang & Shanyong Wang & Jing Wang & Jiuchang Wei & Chenglin Wang, 2020. "An empirical study of consumers’ intention to use ride-sharing services: using an extended technology acceptance model," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 397-415, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:15:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s13412-024-00930-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.