How Digital Literacy Nonlinearly Moderates the Impact of Green Information Load on Green Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Information Credibility

In digital marketing, consumers often face decision dilemmas due to either excessive or insufficient green information. How can firms manage green information load to enhance green purchase intention? Grounded in the principle of least effort and uncertainty reduction theory, this study examines the impact of green information load on green purchase intention and its underlying mechanisms. Results from six experiments show that: (1) Green information load positively influences green purchase intention; (2) Information credibility mediates this relationship; (3) Digital literacy moderates the effect of green information load on credibility, and this moderating effect is context-dependent: negative under low-load levels, positive under medium-load levels, and insignificant under high-load levels; (4) Green self-efficacy positively moderates the effect of credibility on purchase intention. Taken together, these findings suggest a nonlinear moderating role of digital literacy, offering a potential extension to cognitive bias theory, and provide preliminary practical guidance for businesses seeking to tailor information strategies to populations with varying levels of digital literacy.