Fostering sustainable purchase behavior by blockchain-enabled reviews and QR code traceability: The impact of sustainable marketing on brand love

Abstract

As global environmental challenges intensify, consumers are increasingly seeking brands that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. Hence, companies are integrating blockchain technology and implementing sustainable marketing activities into their business plans. Previous studies have explored blockchain's role in enhancing transparency and trust, emphasizing its potential to drive sustainable marketing and influence eco-friendly purchasing behavior. To examine this potential impact on brand and consumer sustainable purchase behavior, a quantitative method was conducted through an online survey using Google Forms, with 622 respondents across Vietnam, and was analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0. Accordingly, we explore how sustainable marketing activities, supported by blockchain technology and traceability, enhance customer perceptions of the brand and foster brand love. This, in turn, positively influences customers’ intentions to purchase sustainable products. In addition, brand love and perceived quality also play an indispensable part in this relationship. Consequently, this research advances signal theory by integrating blockchain to tackle information asymmetry in sustainable consumption, offering practical applications like improving traceability, verifying reviews, enhancing marketing, and implementing health check-ups to boost product quality and customer engagement in the F&B industry.