Consumer Perception Towards Eco-Friendly Products

Consumer perception of eco-friendly products in India represents a growing yet structurally constrained domain in which favourable attitudes have not translated into consistent purchasing behaviour. This study presents a statistically rigorous empirical investigation of how Indian consumers perceive eco-friendly products and which perceptual dimensions drive repurchase commitment. Drawing on primary survey data from 202 valid respondents collected via stratified random sampling across urban and semi-urban India during January–February 2026, a comprehensive inferential statistical framework was applied comprising Spearman rank-order correlations, one-sample t-tests against a neutral midpoint (µ₀ = 2.5), Mann–Whitney U tests, point-biserial correlations, chi-square tests of independence, and ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression with standardised coefficients. Five perceptual scales were tested. All five means were statistically significantly above the neutral midpoint (p < .001). Quality perception registered M = 2.970 (SD = 0.897, t(196) = 7.344); regulation impact achieved the highest mean at M = 3.371 (SD = 0.700, t(196) = 17.464). The OLS regression model was significant [F(5,191) = 5.472, p < .001, R² = .125, Adj. R² = .102], identifying long-term cost effectiveness (β = .197) and perceived benefits (β = .166) as the two strongest positive predictors of repurchase intention. Critically, definitional awareness failed to predict repurchase intention (r_pb = .110, p = .123), directly challenging the awareness-first paradigm that governs most green marketing strategy in India. Three adoption barriers high price (29.2%), limited availability (28.7%), and awareness depth (27.2%) share near-equal weights, revealing a compound constraint structure.