The Purchase Paralysis Paradox : When Greenwashing Backfires in Gamified Choice

Authors

  •   Sridevi Gopakumar Assistant Professor (Corresponding Author), Department of Management Studies, M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women (Autonomous), Chennai, Tamil Nadu ORCID logo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6704-6183
  •   Madhava Priya Dananjayan Associate Professor, Department of Business Administration, Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai, Tamil Nadu ORCID logo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3146-7653
  •   Noor Azlinna Azizan Associate Professor of Management, SolBridge International School of Business, Daejeon, South Korea

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2026/v56/i6/176017

Keywords:

gamification, greenwashing, assortment size, decision paralysis, purchase intention, consumer skepticism.
Publication Chronology: Paper Submission Date : September 20, 2025 ; Paper sent back for Revision : March 17, 2026 ; Paper Acceptance Date : April 10, 2026 ; Paper Published Online : June 15, 2026

Abstract

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to clarify why sustainable intentions often failed at the moment of choice, examining how assortment complexity and partially credible claims shifted consumers from motivated green buying to skeptical avoidance in digital shopping environments.

Methodology : In a 2 × 2 between-subjects gamified online experiment (N = 700), participants were instructed to choose from small (3 stock-keeping units [SKUs]) or large (9 SKUs) green product assortments with either credible or mixed-authenticity claims. Behavioral metrics (decision time, abandonment, and confidence) and post-choice evaluations (decision fatigue, perceived greenwashing, and purchase intention) were collected to evaluate the hypothesized process.

Findings : Larger assortments increased mental effort, slowed decisions, reduced confidence, and led to more abandonment. Mixed claims raised perceived greenwashing (PGW), which significantly decreased willingness to buy. A serial pathway was supported, showing that assortment size increased fatigue, which then heightened greenwashing concerns and suppressed purchase intention.

Practical Implications : Sustainable marketing could fail when consumers are overloaded with options or when environmental claims are unclear. Simplifying choice and strengthening credibility might prevent hesitation and support sustainable consumption.

Originality : This research provided behavioral evidence that greenwashing not only harmed trust but also made sustainable shopping harder by increasing cognitive load in digital environments.

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Published

2026-06-15

How to Cite

Gopakumar, S., Dananjayan, M. P., & Azizan, N. A. (2026). The Purchase Paralysis Paradox : When Greenwashing Backfires in Gamified Choice. Indian Journal of Marketing, 56(6), 24–42. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2026/v56/i6/176017

Issue

Volume 56, Issue 6, June 2026

Section

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