Chapter 10: Factors Affecting Green Purchase Behavior of Rural Customers of North India: An Analysis Through M-O-A Framework

In recent years, organizations worldwide have come to a profound realization of their responsibility toward sustainability. Sustainability can be achieved by adopting sustainable practices in various sectors like agriculture, energy, transportation, and industry, as well as promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns. However, the three pillars of sustainability are social, economic, and environmental. Therefore, many organizations are involved in green marketing practices. The paper envisages the various factors which influence the purchase decision of green products among the rural consumers. For this, the primary data were collected from the rural area of North India by using stratified random sampling. The results were derived with the help of Exploratory Factor Analysis and M-O-A framework is used to expand the various factors. Each variable was grouped under three major factors, that is, Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability. With more than 70% of the country's population residing in rural area, make a massive customer base for consumer goods market. Findings revealed 12 key variables under three factors Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability which affect the purchase decision of green products by rural customers. In which motivation and ability are internal factors and opportunity being external factor. One of the strongest elements is motivation, serving as an internal force that leads individuals to buy sustainable products. Such insights will be beneficial for marketers and policymakers; they could develop efficient approaches to promote sustainable consumption and cultivate a society that is more mindful of the environment by identifying the primary motivators.