Green Shades: A Segmentation Approach Based on Ecological Consumer Behavior in an Emerging Economy

Abstract

Despite important environmental problems in the urban centers of many emerging economies, marketers and policymakers are currently not adequately equipped with the tools and information to identify important consumer segments in regard to their pro-environmental behaviors. This research presents the findings from an empirical study with 715 Mexican consumers. A cluster analysis identifies five segments that differ not only on the intensity, but also the specific type of pro-environmental behavior. The findings suggest that marketing managers and policymakers should consider different combinations of ecological behaviors and include demographic and attitudinal variables, such as perceived consumer effectiveness and environmental and social values, rather than only focusing on high or low adoption levels of pro-environmental behaviors in general.