How environmental concerns affect the relationship between design attributes and purchasing intention

The present study investigates the ways through which design attributes are perceived by consumers and to what extent they impact on their purchasing intention within the specific context of the furniture sector. Moreover, by considering the increasing attention of both companies and consumers towards environmental issues, the study also examines the role of consumers’ environmental concern on the relationship between design and purchasing intention. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 350 consumers during the period from June 2019 to March 2020. Results suggest that the perception of design is mainly related to functional and aesthetic attributes of an object, while purchasing intention is particularly influenced by the symbolic dimension of design, thus revealing the existence of an attitude-behaviour gap among consumers. As soon as environmental issues are concerned, the findings highlight that consumers’ attention towards environmental problems does not affect the purchasing intention of design furniture products. However, it acts as a moderator on the relationship between the functional dimension of design and purchasing intention, that is, when consumers are not very careful about environmental problems, they are less attracted by the symbolic and aesthetic elements of design (of which environmental sustainability can be considered as a part of them). This study contributes to the literature on design management and environmental sustainability by focusing on the specific context of the furniture industry on which the literature is still rather sparse. Interesting implications are derived for both scholars and practitioners.