Blockchain technology as a driver for sustainability? A consumer purchase intention perspective

Purpose: Blockchain-based traceability labels is increasingly adopted in supply chain, yet there is little empirical research to examine effectiveness from consumer perspective. Can blockchain technology motivate consumers to purchase sustainable products? Drawing on signaling theory, this paper answers this question by comparing the effect of blockchain-based traceability labels with certification-based labels on consumer purchase intention of sustainable products. We further investigate consumers’ perception of sustainability level as a mediating variable and social enterprise as a boundary condition. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses three online between-subject experiments with a total of 750 participants. The proposed hypotheses are tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) as well as mediation analysis based on PROCESS macro. Findings: The results suggest that (1) blockchain-based traceability labels lead to greater consumer purchase intention of sustainable products than certification-based labels; (2) such a positive effect of blockchain-based traceability labels occurs as consumers perceive a higher sustainability level; (3) however, the effect is attenuated when the company is a social enterprise. Originality/value: This study contributes to the operations and supply chain management (OSCM) literature by studying the effectiveness of blockchain-based traceability labels from the overlooked yet emerging perspective of consumers. We provide a theoretical explanation and empirical evidence of how blockchain-based traceability labels influence consumer purchase intention during sustainable consumption compared with certification-based labels. We thus additionally contribute to the extant research on the intersection of blockchain and sustainability. Moreover, the incorporation of social enterprise as a moderator enriches the application of signaling theory on the context of sustainability signaling.