Compressed stabilised earth blocks as a sustainable building material: investigation of customer purchase intentions

Purpose This research aims to analyse the influence of multidimensional factors on customer purchasing intentions of compressed stabilised earth blocks (CSEBs), providing relevant authorities with systematic insights to promote CSEBs. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional field survey with 222 respondents, preceded by a pilot survey with 30 respondents, was conducted in the Eastern and Northern provinces of Sri Lanka. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the significance of personal, social, psychological and cultural factors on customer purchase intentions of CSEBs. Findings Beyond the direct influence of product pricing, factors of lifestyle, social norms/values, perception and social differences significantly shape customer purchasing intentions within the personal, social, psychological and cultural dimensions, respectively. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses further indicated that personal, social and psychological dimensions substantially influence customer purchasing intentions of CSEBs, while the cultural dimension had negligible influence. Research limitations/implications By identifying key factors shaping customer purchasing intentions, this research lays the groundwork for initiatives aimed at promoting CSEBs. These insights can also inform marketing strategies, educational/awareness programmes and regulatory measures to promote CSEBs effectively. Originality/value This research addresses a critical gap in behavioural research on sustainable building materials, focusing on the influence of personal, social, psychological and cultural factors on the customer purchasing intentions of CSEBs. The findings enrich the existing knowledge base and offer novel insights for evidence-based decision-making to promote CSEBs and future behavioural research.