Moderation of Income and Age on Customer Purchase Intention of Green Cosmetics in Bangalore

Cracking the code of customer purchase behaviour is a challenge for market researchers as myriad factors interfere. Marketers are puzzled as competitors position a new product category in the market to create demand. Indian public perceived cosmetics composition as blend of “healthy” chemical extracts. Television commercials portrayed the presence of chemicals in cosmetics as a product performance booster. People attributed chemical presence to superior product performance. Saturated markets witnessed competitors aiming at increased sales with similar commercials. Under pressure to differentiate, the idea of organic cosmetics started. Companies invested heavily on product development, marketing and branding. Expected success was not achieved as buyers measured performance of cosmetics weighing the absence of chemicals. Scepticism on organic level of the products emerged as various brand commercials claimed their respective compositions a true organic product. Fewer studies explained purchase intention of green cosmetics without focus on health consciousness and consumer innovativeness. Product diffusions were strategized on the basis of consumer innovativeness. Health consciousness captured individual’s weightage on health and well-being while purchasing a product. This paper explores relationship of health consciousness and consumer innovativeness with purchase intention development conducting exploratory factor analysis, regression analysis and interaction analysis on selected independent variables using dependent variables. The study found both consumer innovativeness and health consciousness leading to development of purchase intention of green cosmetics. Age and income moderated the relationship of consumer innovativeness and purchase intention.