To motivate shoppers to bring reusable bags, England has enforced a carry-bag law, allowing large retailers to charge 5 pence for a single-use plastic bag. Few studies have addressed the role of guilt in influencing sustainable pro-environmental behaviors among shoppers. The current study investigates two primary questions: Do male and female shoppers perceive guilt differently? Can guilt in an advertising context motivate shoppers to bring reusable grocery bags? Survey findings from Study 1 showed that high guilt was more impactful on women and helped generate favorable attitudes and behavior. The experiment for Study 2, based on the theory of psychological ownership, elicited a moderate level of guilt using advertisements related to egoistic and biospheric concerns. Findings showed that egoistic concerns, such as saving money, were more effective and that this effect was stronger for women than men. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

A majority of past studies have used the consumer socialization framework to study children and adolescents in the U.S. but there is a dearth in academic articles that focuses on Millennials. Furthermore, there is a large, understudied Millennial population in India. The purpose of this study was (1) to propose an integrative theoretical model for determining the relative importance of socialization factors on Millennials' green buying behavior and (2) to study the impact of culture in selecting socialization agents as sources of green product information. An online survey was administered to a sample of younger Millennials from India and the U.S. For both countries, results showed that interpersonal sources were more important in elevating environmental concerns and promoting green buying behavior than mass media. Environmental concern was found to play a mediating role in the socialization process and differences between and within genders in each country were found. Implications are discussed.

Purpose: Millennials, an understudied segment of the sustainable market, are enthusiastic about adopting greener lifestyles but fail to translate pro-environmental attitudes to actual behavior, thus understanding factors that motivate their actual purchase of green products is imperative. Using the consumer socialization framework, the researchers studied the impacts of social structural variables (i.e. age, gender, education and family structure), socialization agents (i.e. family, peers and mass media) and environmental concern on the buying behaviors of millennials from two of the world’s most populous nations: India and China.Design/methodology/approach: Using online panels (Amazon M-Turk and sojump.com), online surveys were administered to an online sample of millennials aged 18-24 years from India (n= 253) and China (n= 255).Findings: Hierarchical regressions showed that peer communication predominantly influenced green buying behavior of millennials from India, while family communication was most important to Chinese millennials. Environmental concern, an attitudinal outcome, directly impacted behavior and also mediated the relationship between significant socialization agents and buying behavior in both countries.Practical implications: Considering the importance given to peers (India) and family (China), green marketers have to use specialized strategies when marketing their products to millennials in India and China. Instead of focusing on mass media campaigns, the study highlights the importance of “personal” social networks to curb the environmental issues plaguing their respective countries.Originality/value: The current study extends the literature on millennials’ green consumer behavior by exploring millennials in India and China. The consumer socialization framework has not been applied to countries like India and China, and to understand green consumerism, the role played by influential agents such as family and peers in these collectivistic cultures and their potential to change green attitudes and behavior warrants further exploration. The possibility of mediating effects has been represented by weak correlations between socio-demographic and psychological factors. Using the consumer socialization framework, the current study explores environmental concern (EC) as a mediator in the model.