'Buying green': the role of green customer-based brand equity in shaping customers' green buying behavior

This study aims to investigate the relationship between three dimensions of green customer-based brand equity (green brand awareness, green brand quality, and green brand image) and green brand buying behavior (GBBB) directly and through green brand loyalty (GBL). Moreover, green personal values moderate the link between the three dimensions of green customer-based brand equity (CBBE) and GBL. Using the convenience sampling technique, data were collected from 402 hybrid car users and analyzed through Hayes' PROCESS Macro. Results show that all three dimensions of green CBBE have positive associations with GBL and GBBB. Further, GBL mediates the link between green CBBE dimensions and GBBB. We also found that customers' green personal values moderate the links between the three dimensions of green CBBE and GBL. This study contributes to the literature on GBL by showing it as an underlying mechanism to explain why green CBBE is related to GBBB. We also foreground the value of customers' green personal values as a boundary condition to elucidate when customers' perceived brand awareness, quality, and image enhance their loyalty towards green brands. Firms that desire their customers to choose green products over conventional products need to consider enhancing consumers' green brand awareness, quality, and image. Furthermore, firms may focus on understanding customers' green values and using promotional campaigns emphasizing products' eco-friendly advantages.