Identification of consumers willing to buy green products – A case study in the Czech Republic

Green products are one way to protect the environment and eliminate the negative impact of human activity on the environment. However, the expansion of the sale of these products faces many challenges. One of the most significant obstacles is often cited as higher prices. The aim of this paper was to identify consumers willing to buy green products. The primary factors analysed were the social background of consumers, price and the premium for green products. Secondary data in the form of other research on the issue was used to meet the objective. The theoretical aspect of green product purchasing behaviour was supplemented with information from the processing of primary data from a questionnaire survey. The target group was the working-age population with at least a secondary education in the northwest of the Czech Republic. The survey was conducted between May and September 2023 on a sample of 267 respondents. A factor analysis was used in the data analysis to identify the relationships between the factors under study and to reduce the dimensionality of the data, as was segmentation using cluster analysis and classification using decision trees. The results provide information on the green purchasing behaviour of consumers in the study region. Two segments of marketing interest for green product purchasing were identified. One is the segment of ordinary consumers, mostly well-off women with children, who are willing to pay more for green products than other groups of people. The other interesting segment was mostly single women, influenced by opinions on their environment, who do not buy green products regularly and are willing to pay extra for green products, but not a significant amount. The findings of the study may provide useful information for marketers when planning and implementing activities related to green products.