Understanding Consumption Choice: Closing the Gap from Intention to Purchase Decision of Eco-Friendly Packaging Product

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, Indonesia is the second-largest plastic polluter in the world after China. An estimated 3.2 million tons of unmanaged plastic waste are produced in Indonesia annually; of these, 1.29 million tons end up in the sea, and 85,000 tons, or 10 billion plastic carry bags, are released into the local ecosystem. Another study written in The Jakarta Post in 2020 also mentioned that Ciliwung is among the world’s most polluted rivers. The study was conducted by a group of Indonesian scientists and Dutch researchers, who also found that the weight of plastic waste from all rivers in Jakarta totals 2.1 million kilograms. Therefore, this paper is conducted to find ways to contribute to reducing plastic waste packaging by understanding how consumers in Jakarta make their consumption choices. The focus of this study is to explore traits to understand the purchase decision of products with eco-friendly packaging. Hence creating a pro-environmental behavior by closing the gap between green purchase intention into decision. The combined application of market research and behavior theory of psychology discipline help develop a more in-depth understanding of consumers’ purchase decisions. As well as differentiation in product value perception between the research participant’s group. Data will be collected by conducting qualitative research. Four sessions of focus group discussion (FGD) of 20 participants consisting of 10 males and 10 females which divided into 2 groups: with income by work (self-earning money) and depending on expenditure to parents. There are differences spotted between male and female consumers in the process of making purchase decisions. Males have the tendency to be more practical, whereas female has more aspects of consideration. In the groups differentiated based on earnings, it is also found that pricing and product availability play an important role in purchase decisions. To be able to push pro-environment behavior and better purchase decisions, there are five important factors that need to be considered: person-related, product-related, environmental-related, reference group-related, and values.