Words or Actions? : A quantitative study of sustainability communication and perceived brand trust among young consumers in the Swedish furniture market

Sammanfattning

Purpose: This study aims to examine how sustainability communication on corporate websites influences perceived brand trust among consumers in their 20s, within the Swedish furniture industry. More specifically, focusing on how message clarity, exaggeration and vagueness affect perceived brand trust, and further examining the moderating role of consumer skepticism. Theoretical background: This study is based on a theoretical framework showcasing a combination of signaling theory, the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), greenwashing and greenblushing. Combined, these theories emphasize how sustainability message characteristics function as signals that consumers interpret differently depending on perceived credibility, information processing and skepticism. The framework contributes to a deeper understanding of how sustainability communication influences perceived brand trust within digital environments. Method: The study adopted a quantitative research method with a deductive approach, based on a positivist research philosophy. Furthermore, data was collected through an online questionnaire. Combined, 103 responses were gathered and further analyzed through Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation coefficient, Multicollinearity and Hierarchical regression analysis, all conducted in SPSS. This to ensure validity and reliability, while furthermore testing the independent, dependent and moderating variables’ relationships. Result & Conclusion: The results demonstrated that vagueness was the only independent variable showing a statistically significant relationship with perceived brand trust. However, contrary to the proposed hypothesis and previous research, the relationship was positive rather than negative. Exaggeration and message clarity did not demonstrate statistically significant relationships with perceived brand trust, consumer skepticism, however, showed a direct significant relationship rather than a moderating effect. The findings suggest that SC may function differently within digital furniture environments than previous literature has indicated. Furthermore, the study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how younger consumers, in the Swedish furniture market, interpret SC and form perceptions of brand trust in online contexts.