Reevaluating the effectiveness of fear appeals on purchase intentions for green products: The moderating effects of social value orientation

<p>This study addresses a crucial research gap by examining how Social Value Orientation (SVO) moderates the impact of various fear appeal messages on consumers’ intentions to purchase sustainable products. Unlike most previous research that often treats fear appeals as a single construct, this study deconstructs them into distinct components-physical, social, economic, and self-esteem-to assess their nuanced effects. Additionally, while past studies have primarily relied on images or text, this research innovatively incorporates multisensory experiences to explore changes in consumer behavior. The results show that, compared to the effects of physical fear appeals, social, economic, and self-esteem fear appeals influence purchase intentions differently depending on personality traits. Specifically, egoistic personalities respond more to economic appeals, while altruistic personalities are more influenced by social and self esteem appeals. These findings validate our hypotheses regarding SVO’s moderating effects and offer theoretical insights for future research and practical recommendations for managers and marketers aiming to enhance consumer purchase intentions through effective fear appeal communications.</p> <p> </p>