Look old, feel green: how retro design of recycled product influences green purchase intention

Purpose The objective of this study is to investigate the application of holistic design strategies to enhance consumers’ evaluations of recycled products. Therefore, this study examines the effect of retro design (as opposed to modern design) on consumers’ perceived environmental friendliness of recycled products and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach A between-group online experiment was conducted with a sample of 189 US consumers recruited from the Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform. The independent variable was holistic design style (retro design versus modern design), and the dependent variable was purchase intention of recycled products. Perceived environmental friendliness served as a mediator, while environmental concern and product involvement were moderators. The results were analyzed employing a moderation model proposed by Hayes (2013). Findings The findings reveal that retro design (versus modern design) enhances perceived environmental friendliness of recycled products, thereby increasing purchase intention of these products. Furthermore, this effect is particularly pronounced among consumers with low environmental concern and low involvement with recycled products. Practical implications This study offers suggestions for recycling businesses to enhance consumers’ perceived environmental friendliness of recycled products by adopting retro design. This strategy is particularly effective when targeting consumers with limited environmental awareness and promoting low-involvement products, such as notebooks and small home decor items. Originality/value This study identifies retro design as a novel factor enhancing perceived environmental friendliness of recycled products and thus purchase intention. Furthermore, retro design is a peripheral cue, as its effect is more pronounced among consumers with low environmental concern and low product involvement. Therefore, this study extends the application of cue utilization theory and elaborate likelihood model to enhance our understanding of retro design and green consumption behavior.