Intention Behavior Gap in Purchasing Used Products : A Quantitative Analysis of Factors Determining Purchase of Secondhand Household Durables in Sweden

Abstract: The incremental awareness ofenvironmental issues and sustainability has shifted the retail industryin past years. Consumers are increasingly demanding for sustainable products and services and consequently, companies need to address customers’ demands to maintain their profitability. One of the most sustainable consumption patterns is thrift shopping which has several economic, social, and environmental benefits. Despite the huge sustainable benefits of secondhand shopping,only a few studies investigated the behavior of thrift shoppers to identify determinants or barriers to their secondhand purchase behavior. This study is going to address this gap in the literature by extending the theory of planned behavior in the context of secondhand shopping. This leadsto three research questions which provide a strong theoretical and practical contribution to the secondhand shopping literature:RQ1: How large is the gap between the intention and the behavior of consumers buying secondhand products?RQ2: Is the gap more contributed by those who intend to buy them while they do not so, or those who intend not to buy them but do so?RQ3: What are the determinants ofpurchasing secondhand products?This study aims at investigating Swedish consumers’ secondhand purchasing behavior regardingsecondhand household durables. A quantitative research approach was adopted using a self-administered survey among 179respondents.The main findings of this study state that there is a positive gap between secondhand purchase intention and behavior. Inclined abstainers whose intention to buy secondhand products is higher than their thrift shopping behavior coverthe largestshare of the respondent in this study. Additionally, the results of this study posit that thrift shoppers’ attitude toward used goodsand thrift shopping, their past experience of secondhand shopping, social norms and peer pressure, trust in the performance of used products, product availability and shoppers’ access to thrift stores, and thrift shoppers’ perceived value are the positive determinants of thrift shopping behavior through the mediation role of purchase intention. Conversely,thethrift shoppers’ perception of the risks associated with used products negatively impacts on their secondhand shopping behavior.