Cognitive and normative drivers of sustainable consumption among young consumers in smart retailing environments

Rachit Shrivastava, Emil Velinov and Tomas Kincl

Social Responsibility Journal, 2026, 1-19

Abstract: PurposeThis study aims to examine how smart retail technology (SRT) influences sustainable consumption practices (SCP) by integrating the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory. Specifically, it investigates the mediating roles of trust and customer engagement in explaining the cognitive and normative mechanisms through which smart retail technology (SRT) promotes sustainable consumer behaviour.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted among metropolitan young consumers in India. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. Smart Retail Technology was operationalised as a reflective higher-order construct comprising Human–Machine Interaction, Smart System Quality, Self-Service Quality and Product Content Quality. Reliability, validity and structural relationships were assessed using established PLS-SEM procedures.FindingsThe results specify that smart retail technology (SRT) positively influences both trust and customer engagement, which in turn significantly enhances sustainable consumption intention. Trust signifies the cognitive pathway explained by ELM, whereas customer engagement shows the normative pathway proposed by VBN. Thus, the finding of the study demonstrates that integrating these complementary mechanisms delivers a more inclusive explanation of sustainable consumer intention in technology-enabled retail environments.Originality/valueThis study extends the smart retail and sustainable consumer intention literature by operationalising the integration of ELM and VBN within a unified framework and by establishing clear theoretical boundaries between trust and customer engagement as distinct mediating mechanisms. The findings offer actionable insights for retailers, developers and policymakers seeking to leverage smart retail technologies to support sustainability.

Keywords: Smart retail technology (SRT); Sustainable consumption intention (SCI); Customer engagement; Trust; Omnichannel retail; Young consumer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:srjpps:srj-04-2026-0417

DOI: 10.1108/SRJ-04-2026-0417

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