The Impact of Digital Transformation on Consumer Green Purchase Intentions: Evidence from Gen Z in the Nigerian Retail Sector

Abstract

The digital transformation is still transforming the consumer behaviour of consumers around the world, but little has been done to determine how Generation Z consumers impact on sustainability driven decisions in emerging economies. This paper focuses on exploring the role of the main constructs of digital transformation such as perceived transparency, brand trust, influencer influence, social media use, eco-literacy, the use of AR/VR, and eco-knowledge in influencing green purchase intentions in the Nigerian retail market among Gen Z consumers. The quantitative research design was used, and 1,000 Gen Z participants were surveyed on the basis of the structured online questionnaire. To evaluate the measurement as well as structural models, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used. The results show that brand trust is a significant positive effect of the perceived transparency that positively modulates the green purchase intention. Influencer influence was also found to be a good predictor especially among the respondents who had a high rate of social media use. Digital literacy and eco-knowledge had considerable positive impacts on sustainability-oriented behaviour indicating the importance of environmental awareness and technological competence. Conversely, the impact of AR/VR engagement on green purchase intention was not significant and direct, which indicates that the adoption of immersive technologies in the Nigerian retail environment is in its early phases. Further multi-group analysis revealed gender variations as the female respondents were more susceptible to influencer-based sustainability cues. Generally, the research paper offers empirical data that transparency tools, influencer networks, and digital competencies are key in determining the green consumption among Gen Zs in Nigeria. The insights can be useful to retailers, marketers, and policymakers interested in ensuring sustainability by promoting digitally enabled strategies.