How do consumers react to AI-generated green marketing content? - A hybrid analysis using PLS-SEM and text mining

Aug 27, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick

Generative AI is increasingly used to produce marketing content, while retailers adopt green marketing to strengthen corporate image and consumer engagement. This study categorizes three strategies for AI-generated green marketing content and tests consumer reactions through two studies combining PLS-SEM and text mining. Moderate green content enhances pro-environmental perceptions and increases purchase intention, whereas excessive green triggers skepticism related to greenwashing and reduces intention. Perceived experience and agency also positively moderate these effects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research focus and theoretical background

AI-generated marketing content

Green marketing and consumer sustainability values

Consumer reactions to AI-generated green marketing content

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 87 (2025) 104431 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services journal [homepage:](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jretconser)[ www.elsevier.com/locate/jretconser](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jretconser) | How do consumers react to AI-generated green marketing content? A hybrid analysis using PLS-SEM and text mining | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | *
Cheng Zhou , Bing Jiang
Business and Tourism School, Sichuan Agricultural University, 288, Jianshe Road, Chengdu, 611,830, China | | | | | A R T I C L E I N F O | | A B S T R A C T | | | Keywords:
AI-generated green marketing content Perceived pro-environmental Skepticism to greenwashing Perceived experience and agency Green marketing
PLS-SEM and text mining | | In the field of marketing, generative artificial intelligence(AI) is gradually becoming an assistant to human creators, enabling them to efficiently create marketing content based on different marketing objectives. Recently, green marketing has become an important strategy implemented by retailers to enhance their corporate image and consumer engagement. This study imitates human creators’ strategies for creating green marketing content and categorizes three strategies for using AI-generated green marketing content. The results of two studies reveal that moderate green in AI-generated content (compared to non-green content) awakens consumers’ proenvironmental perceptions, consequently increasing their purchase intention. However, excessive green in AIgenerated content (compared to moderate green content) evokes skepticism related to greenwashing, which, in turn, negatively impacts their intention to purchase. Additionally, perceived experience and agency positively moderate the relationships between the different strategies of using AI-generated green marketing content and consumers’ reactions. Our research highlights the importance of using thoughtful approaches to generative AI implementation in the field of green marketing, especially those aimed at reaping economic advantages (e.g., cost efficiency, enhanced consumer engagement, and improved innovation) while maintaining strong consumer relationships. | | 1. Introduction In recent years, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged asa transformative technology capable of creating diverse and innovative content, including text, images, and audio, by learning from existing data patterns (Epstein et al., 2023). One of the key benefits of using generative AI in marketing is cost savings in creative processes (Chaisatitkul et al., 2024). For example, a previous study has shown that creating marketing content using generative AI took less time and required less resources to produce. Furthermore, AI-generated visual content can enhance brand storytelling and make it more visually appealing to customers. In turn, this approach can evoke higher emotional responses, leading to a more significant impact on consumer engagement (Wahid et al., 2023). For retailers, facing different market conditions could lead them to adopt corresponding marketing strategies (Thorpe and Morgan, 2007). In recent years, growing public awareness of environmental issues has driven consumers to seek products and services that align with their values of sustainability (Mukonza and Swarts, 2020). Accordingly, “green marketing,” defined as the promotion of environmentally friendly and sustainable products and services, has become an essential marketing strategy for connecting with eco-conscious consumers (Gelderman et al., 2021). Retailers can adopt different approaches to emphasize the importance of balancing economic, social, and environmental factors in business practices, such as selling eco-friendly products, ensuring sustainable supply chains, and seeking green certifications (Roh et al., 2022). In traditional green marketing, human creators play a leading role in pr

FAQs

How does moderate green content in AI-generated marketing affect consumers?

Moderate green content (vs. non-green content) activates consumers’ pro-environmental perceptions and increases purchase intention.

Why can excessive green content harm purchase intention?

Excessive green (vs. moderate green) evokes skepticism about greenwashing, which negatively impacts purchase intention.

What role do perceived experience and agency play in consumer responses?

Perceived experience and agency positively moderate the relationships between AI-generated green marketing content strategies and consumer reactions.

Aug 27, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick

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