Influences of Product Environmental Information on Consumers’ Purchase Choices: Product Categories Perspective

Abstract

Although product environmental information serves as an effective tool for promoting green consumption which is a critical lever for advancing broader sustainability goals, its varied impacts across product categories (durable goods vs. fast-moving consumer goods) and the underlying mechanisms remain unexplored. Grounded in the theory of consumption values (TCV), this study investigated the heterogeneous effects and mediating pathways of such information through a comparative analysis of representative products: organic milk (fast-moving consumer goods, FMCGs) and energy-efficient air conditioners (durable goods). The results show the following: (1) epistemic value, which exhibits the strongest association with product environmental information, demonstrates significantly different influence patterns between purchases of green durable goods and green FMCGs across both online and offline channels; (2) in the e-commerce context, green FMCG consumption is mainly driven by product environmental information through the mediating effect of conditional value. For green durable goods, product environmental information influences green consumption through multiple pathways including functional value, conditional value, and epistemic value. This study extends the classic theory of consumption values, and the results suggest that differentiated information strategies of emphasizing conditional value for FMCGs and integrating multi-dimensional values for durables can optimize green consumption promotion. Such strategies hold substantial potential to strengthen the green development of the omnichannel retailing sector, reinforcing its contribution to reaching sustainability objectives.

1. Introduction

Consumers often skip green products because of information asymmetry [1,2]. Due to the challenges in verifying the authenticity of a product’s green attributes, consumers often prefer conventional products over green alternatives. Studies indicate that the effective supply of product environmental information can enable consumers to understand the behavioral consequences of purchasing green products, thereby encouraging their green purchasing [3,4]. Consumers are more inclined to pick green products over their alternatives if they perceive both functional adequacy and the environmental benefits of green items through product environmental information [5,6]. However, consumers exhibit different needs for product information across product categories. For example, consumers focus more on the technical performances of a vehicle, and the functional attributes of the product play a decisive role in their decision-making [7]. In the case of food, the emotional experiences associated with food can significantly influence consumers’ purchase choices [8]. According to TCV, consumers’ purchase choices are affected by different value dimensions, and the influence of values varies across different product types [9,10]. Therefore, when analyzing how product information affects consumers’ green purchase decisions, it is necessary to classify different categories of products.

Although some studies have examined how product environmental information affects green consumption behaviors [11,12], few have discussed the differentiated impacts of information and its mechanism pathways across varying product types. Furthermore, with e-commerce becoming a significant shopping channel, it is of great importance to compare how online and offline product environmental information can drive green product sales, thereby supporting the advancement of omnichannel green consumption. With the rapid rise of e-commerce platforms, the nature of the information available to consumers during purchasing has evolved [13]. While offline shopping allows more physical perception of products, online shopping offers a broader range of information forms, such as reviews, electronic word-of-mouth, pictures, and videos [14].

This study aims to investigate whether the factors influencing consumers’ green purchasing decisions vary across product categories in both online and offline settings, using the lens of product consumption values. Additionally, it explores how the abundance of product information in e-commerce contexts impacts online consumer purchase decisions, particularly regarding environmental information. By extending the application of TCV to the field of green consumption, this study offers theoretical contributions. The findings also provide practical insights for tailoring information strategies across online and offline channels to encourage green consumption.

2. Theory Foundation and Hypotheses

2.1. Theory of Consumption Values

According to the theory of consumption values, consumers’ choice is a function of functional value, conditional value, emotional value, epistemic value, and social value [15]. Different categories of products address distinct consumer demand dimensions, so the combination of values and the impacts of each value dimension differ among products [16,17].

Functional value refers to the perceived utility from physical properties of a product. It includes two dimensions, quality and price [15]. Function value is the most basic utility of the products, such as food nutrition and food safety of organic food, as well as transportation function of electric vehicles [7,18]. Therefore, functional value is considered as the most direct and important determinant of consumers’ purchase decision [15]. Previous studies have demonstrated that consumers’ perception of product quality, price, and cost performance are the main driving factors of consumers’ choice on green products [9,19]. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed, as showed in Figure 1:

H1. 

Functional value positively affects consumers’ choice of green products.

Conditional value refers to the perceived utility of a product in a specific situation [15]. Consumers’ choices are influenced by situational factors such as time, place, and special scenarios [9,20,21]. Consumers’ behaviors may be affected when these situational factors change. For example, when green products have price advantages due to factors such as green subsidy, consumers tend to choose green products over alternatives as green products have higher conditional value [5]. Another important situational determinant on consumers’ purchase of green products is consumers’ perception of the degrading environment. When consumers feel the environment is under threat, they may select green alternatives [9].Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H2. 

Conditional value positively affects consumers’ choice of green products.

Emotional value is the perceived utility derived from an alternative’s capacity to arouse feelings or affective states [15]. This construct measures both a product’s utilitarian and hedonic components [16]. On the one hand, consumers can experience emotional joy through the warm glow effect when they buy green products; that is, they perceive that they can support the environment and feel morally satisfied [22,23]. On the other hand, consumers need to confirm the green attributes of products through external signals. For example, signals such as brand and green certification can promote the purchase decision by increasing consumers’ trust [1,24]. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H3. 

Emotional value positively affects consumers’ choice of green products.

Social value refers to the utility obtained by consumers through their connection with social groups, which is usually relevant with products with social attributes [15]. Individuals may experience social pressure, defined as perceived expectations from peers regarding appropriate behavior [9]. The social attributes of products serve as signals of consumers’ external image and social identity [25,26]. Given the environmental-friendly nature of green products, the associated altruistic image constitutes a significant determinant of consumer choice. Studies have shown that purchasing green products makes consumers think that they have a better and more environmental-friendly social image, thus promoting their willingness to buy green products [5]. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H4. 

Social value positively affects consumers’ choice of green products.

Epistemic value can stimulate curiosity and satisfy consumers’ thirst for knowledge and novelty [15]. Epistemic value is most relevant to product environmental information. Due to the credence attribute of green products, consumers need additional external signals to confirm the green attributes of products, such as a green label and certifications [1,3]. Previous studies verified that providing sufficient product information can effectively promote consumers’ green behaviors by facilitating them to acquire necessary information clues for selecting green products [3]. Therefore, epistemic value plays an important role in the process of consumers’ green consumption, satisfying their need for understanding their behavioral consequences [10,21]. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H5. 

Epistemic value positively affects consumers’ choice of green products.

Figure 1. Theoretical framework and hypotheses.

Figure 1. Theoretical framework and hypotheses.

2.2. Different Influencing Factors Across Product Types

Based on life cycle and purchase frequency, goods could be categorized into durable goods and FMCGs. Durable goods (such as electrical appliances) have high monetary value and long service life, so consumers are more cautious and need more information collection and comparison before decision-making [27]. Consumers possess higher information demand for and are more sensitive to technical parameters for durable products, such as energy consumption performance, price, and long-term economic applicability [28]. FMCGs such as perishable food items and tissue paper are typically characterized by low unit prices and high purchase frequency. When purchasing FMCGs, consumers tend to rely more heavily on habitual purchasing patterns for decision-making [29]. In contrast, for green durable products, consumers often place greater emphasis on certification signals, such as eco-labels, to verify their environmental or quality attributes [30]. This difference in purchase frequency results in distinct consumer experiences across product categories, leading to variations in information sensitivity and the impact of epistemic value. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H6. 

Influences of epistemic value on consumer choices differ across durables and FMCGs.

The influence of social value on consumer choice varies significantly across product categories. For products that convey social status and shape external image, social value exerts a positive effect on purchase decisions. Conversely, for FMCGs which typically involve lower monetary expenditure, consumers perceive their purchase behavior as less reflective of social status [25]. Regarding electronic durables such as smartphones, social value enhances brand loyalty and influences purchase conversion behaviors [31]. In contrast, research on everyday food purchases indicates that social value lacks a significant impact [8]. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H7. 

Influences of social value on consumer choices differ across durables and FMCGs.

2.3. Mediating Effect of Consumption Values

In the online shopping context, since consumers cannot obtain physical perception of products, they will rely more on external signals on the website to obtain product information, such as product descriptions, reviews, pictures, and videos [14,32]. Product environmental information is an important channel for consumers to acquire environmental knowledge and know their behavioral consequences on the environment [3,33]. Previous studies have tested the influences of various forms of products’ environmental information, such as eco-labels [30] and energy-efficient labels [34]. With the development of diverse information technologies, information can also be communicated in forms such as QR code, reviews, and e-WOM (word-of-mouth) through novel channels including social media and e-commerce websites [11,35,36]. Consumers’ environmental knowledge can promote behavioral willingness through the mediating effects of functional value, social value, and conditional value [37]. One study shows that the visibility of a product, that is, the exposure of the product through advertising or the usage situation known by consumers when observing other peers, can significantly affect functional value, social value, and situational value, and thereby enhance consumers’ purchase intention [38]. Similarly, marketing strategies can effectively enhance consumers’ perception of the functional value and emotional value of smartwatches, thereby promoting consumers’ purchases by improving consumers’ attitudes [39].

H8. 

Consumer choices of green products are affected by e-commerce product environmental information through the mediating effect of consumption values.

3. Research Methods

3.1. Questionnaire Design

An online questionnaire was employed to gather consumer data. Energy-saving air conditioners and organic milk are commonly recognized green products, which conform to the characteristics of durable goods and FMCGs; therefore, they are selected as representative products of durable goods and FMCGs, respectively. The first section of the questionnaire focused on collecting respondent characteristics. The second part featured consumption value items, which has been tailored into two versions based on the attributes of energy-saving air conditioning and organic milk. This items were developed to reflect functional value, conditional value, emotional value, and social value, grounded in mature and validated scales [5,9]. Furthermore, the study introduced the latent variable of the environmental information related to e-commerce products. Specifically, the following metrics were used to measure this variable: “When making a purchase on an e-commerce platform, I will check the pictures and details on the product detail page”, “When making a purchase on an e-commerce platform, I will check the product ratings and buyer reviews”, “When making a purchase on an e-commerce platform, I will check the sales of the product on that platform”, “When making a purchase on an e-commerce platform, I will check the green product labels”.

3.2. Data Acquisition and Quality Control

First-tier cities in China exhibit higher online shopping penetration [40]. The study employed a quota sampling method, selecting respondents randomly from the Wenjuanxing online survey platform’s sample pool based on the population proportion of the Tier 1 cities of China, making the samples more representative. The Tier 1 cities are selected based on the census data, including 7 major cities in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenzhen, and Tianjin) [41]. A preliminary experiment involving 80 participants was conducted at a university in Beijing. Drawing on pre-experiment results, expert insights, and respondents’ feedback, the questionnaire was refined to enhance its readability and clarity. The official study took place in September 2023, with a recovery period of 20 days. Using rigorous quality control measures—including time limits, random attention screening questions, restrictions on answering equipment and IP—a total of 1207 valid questionnaires were collected.

3.3. Respondents’ Information

The sources of the respondents align with the population distribution of the seven cities, with the gender distribution remaining balanced, as showed in

Table 1. Respondent characteristics.

Group		Number	Percentage
Age	25 and 25−	221	18.31%
	26~40	842	69.76%
	41~50	107	8.86%
	51~60	32	2.65%
	60+	5	0.41%
Gender	Male	497	41.18%
	Female	710	58.82%
Income (yuan/month)	3000 and 3000−	145	12.01%
	3001–5000	125	10.36%
	5001–8000	245	20.30%
	8001–10,000	254	21.04%
	10,001–20,000	340	28.17%
	20,000+	98	8.12%
Education	Primary school	0	0
	Middle high school	10	0.83%
	High school	64	5.30%
	College	901	74.65%
	Postgraduate	232	19.22%
Product	AC	598	49.54%
	Milk	609	50.46%
	Total	1207	100%

. As for age, the majority of respondents are under 40 years old, accounting for over 80%. In terms of income, a significant proportion of respondents belongs to high-income groups, and exhibits relatively high educational levels, which is consistent with the characteristics of younger online consumers [40].

3.4. Model Reliability and Validity

The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was applied for data analysis. Compared with the traditional covariance-based structural equation (CB-SEM) method, this method is more suitable for theoretical exploratory analysis [42]. The TCV model was extended by including a new variable of e-commerce product information in this research. Therefore, PLS-SEM is a more suitable data analysis method. Based on respondents’ responses to the “consumer choice” items, data were divided into online scenarios and offline scenarios for analysis.

The scales used in this study exhibited good validity and reliability. Each question item exhibited a factor loading greater than or very close to the threshold of 0.7, which indicated a good reliability. The Cronbach’s alpha was larger than 0.60, the comprehensive reliability (CR) was larger than 0.70, and the average extraction (AVE) was larger than the minimum threshold of 0.50. Therefore, the scale has good internal consistency and convergent validity [43], as showed in

Table 2. Reliability and validity test.

Item	Organic Milk				Energy-Efficient AC
	Loadings	Cronbach’s Alpha	CR	AVE	Loadings	Cronbach’s Alpha	CR	AVE
CV1	0.83	0.71	0.84	0.63	0.82	0.71	0.84	0.63
CV2	0.74				0.73
CV3	0.82				0.82
EPV1	0.82	0.73	0.84	0.64	0.86	0.84	0.90	0.75
EPV2	0.83				0.89
EPV3	0.76				0.86
EV1	0.78	0.69	0.83	0.61	0.77	0.68	0.82	0.61
EV2	0.80				0.80
EV3	0.77				0.78
FV1	0.70	0.78	0.85	0.53	0.67	0.78	0.85	0.52
FV2	0.71				0.68
FV3	0.70				0.66
FV4	0.76				0.79
FV5	0.77				0.81
SV1	0.91	0.84	0.90	0.75	0.88	0.80	0.88	0.71
SV2	0.88				0.86
SV3	0.81				0.79

Note: FV is functional value, EV is emotional value, CV is situational value, SV is social value, EPV is epistemic value.

.

The Fornell–Larcker index showed that there is good discriminant validity between the dimensions, and the number on the diagonal is larger than other values in the same column as showed in

Table 3. Fornell–Larcker criterion.

		CV	EV	EPV	FV	SV
Organic milk	CV	0.796
	EV	0.356	0.783
	EPV	0.178	0.059	0.802
	FV	0.404	0.360	0.158	0.729
	SV	0.090	0.080	0.304	0.182	0.869
		CV	EV	EPV	FV	SV
Energy-efficient AC	CV	0.793
	EV	0.371	0.782
	EPV	0.241	0.194	0.867
	FV	0.415	0.395	0.241	0.724
	SV	0.129	0.054	0.157	0.144	0.843

Note: FV is functional value, EV is emotional value, CV is situational value, SV is social value, EPV is epistemic value.

.

For the milk group and the AC group, the q² of consumer choice is 0.313 and 0.275, respectively, which are greater than zero, indicating that the model has good prediction accuracy. The R² values of the model are 0.514 and 0.540 for the milk and AC group, respectively, suggesting a medium-level explanatory power of the theoretical model for consumers’ choice. In conclusion, the data have good quality, the scale has good reliability and validity, and the model has a good explanatory power.

4. Results

4.1. Structural Equation Results

The analysis results of consumers’ online and offline choice behavior are shown in

Table 4. Determinants of consumers’ offline choice behavior.

Path	Model 1 (Organic Milk)			Model 2 (Energy-Efficient AC)
	β	Sample Mean	p-Value	β	Sample Mean	p-Value
CV->CC	0.467	0.465	0.000 ***	0.472	0.470	0.000 ***
EV->CC	0.243	0.243	0.000 ***	0.196	0.196	0.000 ***
EPV->CC	0.069	0.071	0.050 *	0.195	0.196	0.000 ***
FV->CC	0.179	0.181	0.000 ***	0.158	0.161	0.000 ***
SV->CC	0.046	0.047	0.148 n.s.	−0.028	−0.022	0.323 n.s.

Note: *, ***, and n.s. represent p < 0.05, p < 0.001, and not significant, respectively, CC is consumer choice.

and

Table 5. Determinants of consumers’ online choice behavior.

Path	Model 1 (Organic Milk)			Model 2 (Energy-Efficient AC)
	β	Sample Mean	p-Value	β	Sample Mean	p-Value
CV->CC	0.485	0.482	0.000 ***	0.479	0.476	0.000 ***
EV->CC	0.201	0.200	0.000 ***	0.171	0.170	0.000 ***
EPV->CC	0.055	0.058	0.175 n.s.	0.182	0.183	0.000 ***
FV->CC	0.179	0.182	0.000 ***	0.167	0.169	0.000 ***
SV->CC	0.056	0.057	0.074 n.s.	−0.018	−0.012	0.509 n.s.

Note: ***, and n.s. represent p < 0.001, and not significant, respectively, CC is consumer choice.

. In the offline contexts, the conditional value, emotional value, epistemic value, and functional value of green products all have a positive and significant impact on consumers’ choice of green products when purchasing organic milk. Meanwhile, these four values also positively and significantly impact consumers’ choice of energy-efficient AC. However, the influence of social value remains insignificant in the results. This indicates that if consumers attach higher functional, emotional, conditional, and epistemic value to green products in the offline setting, they are more likely to choose green alternatives over general products. Therefore, in the offline context, H1, H2, H3, and H5 are supported for both organic milk and energy-efficient AC. H4 is rejected for both product categories.

In the online shopping context, functional value, conditional value, and emotional value exhibit significantly positive effects on consumers’ choice of organic milk, while epistemic value and social value showed no significant influences. In addition to social value, the other four value dimensions have positive effects on consumers’ choice of energy-saving AC. In the online context, if consumers attach higher functional, emotional, and conditional value to green products, they are more likely to choose green alternatives; therefore, H1, H2, and H3 are supported for organic milk, and H4 and H5 are rejected. For energy-efficient AC, H1–H3 and H5 are supported, while H4 is rejected.

4.2. Differentiated Analysis of the Consumption Value of Different Product Types

This study used importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) and multigroup analysis (MGA) to compare the influencing factors of consumer choices across product types.

4.2.1. IPMA Analysis

First, an IPMA analysis was conducted to examine the contribution and importance of different values to consumers’ purchase choices. As shown in Figure 2, for a certain category of product, there are no significant differences in the importance and performance of the four values across both channels. For milk, the importance ranking is conditional value > emotional value > functional value > epistemic value in both online and offline choices. For AC, the importance ranking is conditional value > epistemic value > emotional value > functional value in both online and offline choices. Therefore, when consumers make green purchases, conditional value plays a critical role. Particularly in the online shopping context, conditional value is located in the upper-right quadrant of the map, indicating it has both the highest importance and performance. Thus, e-commerce platforms promoting green products should emphasize contextual attributes, such as offering special subsidies for green products and highlighting the current environmental degradation to raise consumers’ awareness of environmental issues.

However, the distribution of the four value factors differs across two product types. Notably, compared to organic milk, epistemic value shifts toward the lower-right quadrant in the map for energy-efficient AC, further confirming that information-related factors hold significant potential in driving green durable goods consumption.

4.2.2. MGA Analysis

MGA can test whether there are significant differences in group-specific parameter estimates between two datasets. The MGA results in this study are based on nonparametric significance tests derived from PLS-SEM bootstrapping results. As

Table 6. MGA analysis of consumption values across product categories.

	Path	Path-Diff (AC vs.–Milk)	p-Value Original 1-Tailed (AC vs. Milk)	p-Value New (AC vs. Milk)
Online	CV->CC	−0.006	0.540	0.920 n.s.
	EV->CC	−0.030	0.741	0.518 n.s.
	EPV->CC	0.127	0.017	0.035 *
	FV->CC	−0.012	0.578	0.844 n.s.
	SV->CC	−0.075	0.960	0.079 n.s.
Offline	CV->CC	0.005	0.468	0.937 n.s
	EV->CC	−0.047	0.856	0.287 n.s
	EPV->CC	0.125	0.008	0.016 *
	FV->CC	−0.021	0.63	0.739 n.s
	SV->CC	−0.074	0.959	0.082 n.s

Note: *, and n.s. represent p < 0.05 and not significant, respectively.

shows, a significant divergence between the two groups in the epistemic value dimension is observed (β_online = 0.127 *, β_offline = 0.125 *). This result indicates that epistemic value’s impact on consumers’ choice of energy-efficient AC is larger than its impact on their purchase of organic milk. The MGA findings align with the IPMA results, further confirming that epistemic value factors (particularly product environmental information) play a more significant role in consumers’ purchases of durable goods. Thus, hypothesis H6 is supported.

Additionally, based on the structural equation path coefficients, social value has no significant impact on consumers’ purchases of durable goods or FMCGs. MGA analysis further confirms that social value exerts no greater influence on consumers’ green choices for durable goods than it does for FMCGs. Therefore, hypothesis H7 is not supported.

4.3. Mediating Effect of Consumption Values

Taking consumption value as the mediating variable of information influencing consumer choice, the results of the mediating effects are shown in

Table 7. Mediating effect of consumption value on the influence of e-commerce product information on consumer choice.

Product	Path	β	Std.	p-Values	Significance
Organic milk	INF->CV->CC	0.068	0.023	0.003	**
	INF->EPV->CC	0.033	0.032	0.302	n.s.
	INF->EV->CC	0.008	0.008	0.300	n.s.
	INF->FV->CC	0.014	0.009	0.120	n.s.
AC	INF->CV-> CC	0.075	0.024	0.002	**
	INF->EPV->CC	0.043	0.014	0.003	**
	INF->EV->CC	0.009	0.008	0.229	n.s.
	INF->FV->CC	0.024	0.010	0.019	*

Note: INF = product environmental information; *, **, and n.s. represent p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and not significant, respectively.

.

As shown in Table 7 and Figure 3, during online shopping, conditional value exhibits a significant mediating effect (β = 0.068 **) in the pathway where e-commerce platform product information promotes consumers’ choice of organic milk.

As shown in Table 7 and Figure 4, during online shopping, conditional value (β = 0.075 ***), epistemic value (β = 0.043 ***), and functional value (β = 0.024 ***) of energy-efficient AC exhibit significant mediating effects in the pathway where e-commerce product environmental information promotes consumer choices.

The results indicate that sufficient information in the e-commerce context can effectively influence consumers’ perception of situational factors of organic milk, as well as functional, epistemic, and conditional values of energy-efficient AC, therefore enhancing the possibility of their choosing green products. Therefore, hypothesis H8 is supported.

4.4. Heterogeneity Analysis Based on Consumer Characteristics

Consumers vary by demographic factors which influence individual intentions and behaviors. Therefore, moderating effect analysis is performed, using age, income, gender, and education as moderators, to analyze how these variables affect consumer choice pathways across different groups [44]. The heterogeneity analysis revealed that income presents a differential impact on organic milk purchases, while consumers’ education level shows a differentiated influence on their choices of energy-efficient air conditioners.

4.4.1. Income Analysis

Income exhibits a significantly positive moderating effect on how conditional value affects consumers’ online choices of organic milk (β = 0.083 ***), as shown in Figure 5. Specifically, when selecting milk on e-commerce platforms, higher-income consumers place greater emphasis on conditional value, making them more likely to choose organic milk over similar products. Moreover, organic milk generally falls into a higher price category than conventional milk; therefore, consumers with higher dispensable income may exhibit higher willingness to spend extra on organic alternatives.

4.4.2. Education Analysis

Education level has a significant and positive moderating effect on how functional value influences consumers’ choices of energy-efficient AC on e-commerce platforms (β = 0.082 ***), as shown in Figure 6. Specifically, when purchasing AC on e-commerce platforms, consumers with higher education levels place greater emphasis on the functional value of products, making them more likely to choose energy-efficient AC over similar products based on quality-related considerations.

5. Discussion

5.1. Results Analysis

From a product categories perspective, when consumers purchase durable goods like air conditioners through online or offline channels, the influencing value factors show little difference. All four value factors except social value have significant impacts in both scenarios. However, for FMCGs like organic milk, epistemic value shows different influences across channels. Epistemic value affects consumer choices in offline shopping (β_offline = 0.069 *) but not in online contexts (β_online = 0.055 n.s.). Previous studies had similar conclusions, indicating epistemic value has limited effect on food purchases in online environments [10]. These low-priced, frequently purchased items often involve established shopping habits [29]. Consumers tend to rely on familiar brands and past experiences rather than carefully reviewing product information. Particularly in online shopping, features like “Reorder” and keyword search make it easier for consumers to purchase based on habitual needs [45]. Therefore, the influence of product information becomes less noticeable in online settings.

In terms of purchase scenarios, the epistemic value shows a greater influence on consumers’ choice of energy-efficient AC than organic milk, in both online and offline contexts. At the same time, social value does not significantly affect consumers’ choice of green products. Similar findings have been documented in previous studies [8]. Consumers tend to think purchasing of products such as organic milk and energy-saving AC is a personal choice rather than a behavior involved with social status like purchasing luxury goods. Especially in the online shopping context, purchasing behavior offers greater privacy through a virtual shopping context. It does not involve comparisons with peers’ actions nor social expectations from surroundings [9,46]. Therefore, such characteristics weaken the role of social value in influencing consumers’ green choices.

In terms of mediating mechanisms, results indicate that displaying product information—such as subsidies or discounts for organic milk, or highlighting organic farms’ efforts in farmland protection and reducing carbon emissions amid environmental degradation—can create more specific shopping contexts for consumers, effectively encouraging them to choose organic milk. These findings are consistent with existing research [10] and further explore the mechanisms through which product environmental information influences consumer decisions. Compared to organic milk, product environmental information can encourage consumers to purchase energy-efficient AC through multiple channels. These results align with existing research on how consumption values influence consumer choices for appliances [9]. Therefore, when presenting product information for energy-efficient air conditioners, efforts should focus on these three aspects to attract consumers. Specifically, this includes highlighting the performance and quality advantages of energy-efficient appliances, showcasing dedicated subsidies or discounts, emphasizing certifications like energy-saving labels or green appliance labels, and providing more detailed product information [47].

5.2. Implications

This study contributes to theory by expanding the TCV framework. In theoretical applications, it examines key consumption values influencing consumer purchases of green durable goods versus FMCGs, comparing these differences across online and offline shopping contexts. Furthermore, it introduces e-commerce product environmental information as a novel factor, exploring its impact on consumer decisions through the mediating effects of consumption values.

The findings offer practical insights for producers and e-commerce platforms promoting green products. Given the greater influence of informational factors on green durable goods consumption, promoting such products should prioritize providing detailed information about product quality and specifications, such as energy-saving parameters to better help consumers in acknowledging both personal (i.e., how much in electricity-related bills saved) and environmental outcomes (how much carbon dioxide emissions reduced) of their green purchases. For green FMCGs, however, the priority should be highlighting contextual factors such as limited-time or online-only green subsidies to attract consumers, using price advantages to stimulate purchases.

5.3. Limitations and Future Research Directions

This study has certain limitations. First, the research samples primarily focus on consumers in major large cities in China, making the findings potentially less applicable to those in smaller cities. Future research could expand the sample to include a broader range of samples and test the applicability of the theoretical model. Second, this study has adopted a few countermeasures to improve the data quality; however, the study relies on self-reported data collected through a questionnaire on an online survey platform, which may cause self-declaration bias and platform-related bias. In the future, collaborating with e-commerce platforms to analyze real sales data could enhance the practical values of the research results. Third, due to the nature of the equation modeling method, the possible correlations between demographic factors can hardly be explored (e.g., higher education may lead to higher income). Future research with an alternative analysis method may consider conducting a heterogeneity analysis which includes a cross-analysis between the factors.

6. Conclusions

This study, grounded in the TCV framework, examines the factors influencing consumers’ purchases of green durable goods and green FMCGs, while providing a theoretical analysis of how product environmental information shapes consumer decision-making. The findings reveal that the determinants of consumer decisions differ across product categories. Notably, epistemic value is most strongly linked to product environmental information, playing a more significant role in driving green purchasing decisions for durable goods than for FMCGs. This suggests that intervention strategies leveraging product environmental information are more effective in driving green consumption for durable goods compared to FMCGs.

The mediating effect analysis indicates that in online FMCG shopping, product environmental information motivates consumers to choose green products via the mediating role of conditional value. In contrast, for online purchases of durable goods, product environmental information influences consumer choices through multiple mediating pathways, including functional value, conditional value, and epistemic value. The results indicate that e-commerce practitioners can adopt targeted marketing strategies, presenting different information to more effectively promote green durables and FMCGs.

Heterogeneity analysis reveals that higher-income consumers are more inclined to choose organic milk when exposed to product environmental information emphasizing conditional value. In contrast, consumers with higher education levels respond more strongly to product environmental information highlighting quality-related signals, prompting a preference for energy-efficient AC.