Understanding consumer responses to carbon footprint product labels: A multi-group analysis of online and offline shopping engagement in retail contexts

As carbon footprint product labels (CFPL) gain prominence as tools for encouraging environmentally responsible consumption, it becomes increasingly important to explore how consumers interpret and respond to such information. This study applies the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) framework to investigate the relationships among Sustainability-Oriented Values (SOV), Carbon Label Awareness (CLA), Eco-Conscious Norms (ECN), and Sustainable Purchase Behavior (SPB), while also examining the moderating influence of Shopping Engagement Modes and Cognitive Processing Styles. A multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted using a sample of 662 consumers, segmented into Online-Dominant Shoppers ( n = 340) and Offline-Dominant Shoppers ( n = 322), as well as Systematic Processors ( n = 345) and Heuristic Processors ( n = 317). The findings reveal differentiated decision-making patterns across these consumer groups. Online-focused consumers exhibited a greater reliance on CLA for immediate decisions, whereas offline consumers were more likely to follow a sequence involving both CLA and ECN, indicating the heightened role of social influence in physical shopping contexts. Systematic Processors demonstrated more deliberate integration of eco-labels and norms into their decisions, while Heuristic Processors were more influenced by surface-level label recognition. The study underscores that consumer responses to sustainability labels are not homogenous, and that both contextual and cognitive factors shape purchasing behavior. Strategic implications include enhancing digital label visibility for online shoppers and strengthening normative messaging in physical retail to encourage sustainable consumption. • Online and offline shoppers interpret carbon labels differently as context drives green choices • Systematic and heuristic thinkers process sustainability information in distinct ways • Tailoring digital labels and in store norms can better inspire sustainable purchasing