Green packaging for the future: The impact of color saturation and front-of-package claims on young consumers’ perceptions and purchase intentions in social commerce

Abstract

In today’s eco-conscious marketplace, packaging design is not only an aesthetic choice but also a strategic imperative to convey cleanliness and environmental friendliness to customers. This study investigates how green packaging elements, notably color saturation levels and green messaging, shape young consumers’ perceptions of the product’s sustainability and influence their purchase intentions. The study tested four milk packaging options using a mixed experimental design with a sample size of n = 414. The results reveal that low-saturation colors definitively, though minutely, increase perceived product sustainability (PPS) when compared to higher-saturated colors.“Furthermore, trust in social commerce was found to positively moderate the relationship between green satisfaction and green purchasing intention, amplifying the impact of consumer satisfaction on purchase decisions. The results from the survey highlight the importance of packaging design in food and beverage products and provide actionable insights for companies and marketers to optimize eco-conscious packaging strategies, particularly in the dynamic and rapidly growing presence of online commerce