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This paper aims to test the effect of sustainability-driven reputation on purchase intention and willingness to pay a price premium along with the mediating roles of consumer trust and perceived risk.

A structural equation model was used on survey data collected from 660 participants to test the model and corresponding hypotheses.

The results show that sustainability has a positive effect on reputation, which in turn, while enhancing trust, decreases consumers' perceived risk. Further, trust is positively related to purchase intention and price premium, while perceived risk is negatively related to them. Finally, mediation analyses show the mediating roles of both trust and perceived risk between sustainability reputation and consumer behaviour.

This paper makes three major contributions: First, it takes all three dimensions of sustainability into account simultaneously in an empirical study in contrast with the disposition in the academic literature to address each dimension separately. Second, it explores the impact of reputation obtained primarily through sustainability on consumer behaviour. Third, it sheds light on the inner mechanism of the relational outcomes by testing the mediating effect of trust and perceived risk.

The purpose of the study is to investigate consumers’ perceptions of status motivations on retailers’ sustainability efforts and whether collectivism and materialism moderate this relationship.

A quantitative research methodology using survey data was used. Data were collected by administering questionnaires from millennial respondents (n = 386) from the USA and Turkey.

The results show that cultural value (collectivism) and materialism can serve as moderators of the effects of status motivation and sustainability. The findings indicate that the link between status motivation and sustainability perceptions (both environmental and social sustainability) is stronger for more collectivist consumers. In terms of materialism, while it did not moderate the relationship between status motivation and perceptions of environmental sustainability, it did moderate the relationship between status motivation and perceptions of social sustainability, particularly the uniqueness aspect of materialism.

The stronger link between status motivation and both environmental and social sustainability for collectivists suggests that the bandwagon effect may be impacting their need for status. The stronger link between status motivation and social sustainability for those more materialistic suggests that their need for status may be more impacted by a snob effect as they want to appear unique. The use of college students is a limitation of this study, and future research needs to explore a wider range of age groups to determine if there are generational differences. Additionally, future research could examine other cultural dimensions such as power distance and masculinity versus femininity.

Findings from this research provide insights for retailers, especially those targeting the status and luxury market when developing their sustainability plans. An interest in sustainability may aid consumers in meeting their need for status, particularly for those status consumers who are more collectivist, as a means to fit in with their group. For more materialistic consumers, retailers may want to focus more on unique social sustainability efforts that are more publicly noticeable.

Social sustainability, a topic not studied as frequently as environmental sustainability, has significant implications for consumers. The findings suggest that the link between status motivation and social sustainability is stronger for collectivists, suggesting a bandwagon effect. Additionally, the authors find that the link between status motivation and social sustainability is stronger for materialists, particularly the uniqueness dimension of materialism, suggesting a snob effect.

The originality of this study lies in the exploration of how status motivation impacts consumers’ perceptions of retailers’ environmental and social sustainability efforts and if these relationships are moderated by collectivism and materialism. Few studies have examined social sustainability, especially in terms of culture.

The purpose of this paper is to make an initial attempt to understand if environmental and social sustainability practices of suppliers influence the buying decision and ultimate supplier selection in a purchasing organization.

In order to test the effects of sustainability on sourcing decisions, this research utilizes two scenario-based behavioral experiments grounded in a transportation carrier selection context.

Two scenario-based experiments with managerial participants were conducted and results suggest that environmental and social aspects of sustainability are indeed relevant sourcing considerations that impact both economic and relational aspects of exchange relationships. These sustainability aspects enable carriers to differentiate themselves in a highly commoditized market.

Extant research advocates for sourcing organizations to take an active role in selecting sustainable suppliers. However, little is known about how supplier sustainability performance impacts sourcing decisions and supplier selection. This research addresses this gap in the literature and explores the effects of price, environmental, and social sustainability on purchase intentions and trust formation in a transportation carrier selection context.