Nudging sustainable fashion choices: An experimental investigation on generation Z fashion consumers

Despite the growing cognizance of Generation Z (Gen Z) fashion consumers about the externalities of fast fashion, an attitude-behaviour gap persists in their willingness to pay for sustainable fashion. This study uses dual-processing theory to examine how nudging communications in online fashion retail influence Gen Z's sustainable fashion choices and willingness to pay. It also explores how Gen Z's fashion-related knowledge and involvement and ecological consciousness moderate the effects of nudging. The study used a vignette-based experiment with dummy webpages from a leading Indian online fashion store to test nudging effects on sustainable fashion brands. The subjects were 252 Gen Z fashion consumers from India. The findings revealed a significant association between nudging conditions with participants' fashion choices with verbal nudges having a stronger influence than visual nudges. Moderation tests indicated that verbal nudging is more effective for those with high environmental orientation and high fashion familiarity.