Perceived Green Marketing and Perceived Msme Sustainability Impact: TheRole of Consumer Behavior and Market Disruption

In the bustling cities of Indonesia, a quiet shift is reshaping how people dress and how they view the world around them. For decades, the fashion industry has been driven by the constant cycle of buying new clothes and discarding the old, a pattern that leaves a heavy footprint on the planet. Recently, however, a different approach has gained traction: the thrift store. These shops sell secondhand clothing, offering a way to extend the life of garments and reduce waste. This movement is not just about saving money; it is rooted in a growing belief that choosing used items is an act of environmental care. When businesses highlight these eco-friendly benefits through their advertising and messaging, they are engaging in what experts call green marketing. But the story does not end with a single purchase. When many people decide to buy used clothes instead of new ones, they are not just changing their own wardrobes; they are altering the entire market. This shift can feel like a disruption to the established order, challenging local businesses that rely on selling new products. The question researchers wanted to answer was how these individual choices, sparked by green marketing, ripple out to change how people see the health and future of small local businesses.

A team of researchers from universities in Indonesia set out to trace this exact path. They focused on five major cities—Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Makassar—surveying 500 people who had experience buying thrift products. The goal was to understand the chain of events that starts with a marketing message and ends with a perception of how local businesses are faring. The researchers found that when consumers see thrift stores communicating clear, trustworthy messages about protecting the environment, they begin to see real value in those products. This is not just a feeling of liking the clothes; it is a genuine belief that buying them helps the planet. This sense of environmental value is the first crucial step. Once people feel that their purchase is doing good, they start to notice that the fashion world itself is changing. They begin to perceive that the market is being disrupted, with prices shifting, demand moving away from new items, and competition intensifying.

This perception of a changing market acts as a powerful trigger for behavior. When people feel that the fashion landscape is transforming, they are more likely to switch their habits, moving away from buying new clothes and toward thrifted alternatives. The study showed that this switch is not a minor adjustment but a significant change in how people shop. As more consumers make this switch, a new perception emerges regarding the impact on local small businesses, known as MSMEs. These are the micro, small, and medium enterprises that form the backbone of the local fashion economy. The researchers discovered that when consumers switch to thrift products, they begin to believe that these local businesses are facing a tougher road. They perceive that the revenue of these small shops might be shrinking, that growth could become harder, and that long-term survival might be at risk. It is important to note that this is a perception held by the shoppers, not necessarily a confirmed measurement of the businesses' actual bank accounts or operational status. It is how the consumers interpret the consequences of their own choices.

The most striking finding of the research is that these steps are deeply connected in a single, flowing sequence. The influence of green marketing does not jump directly to the final outcome. Instead, it travels through a chain: the marketing creates a sense of environmental value, which leads to a feeling of market disruption, which encourages the switch to thrift, which finally shapes the view of local business sustainability. The data showed that this entire chain is strong and statistically significant. In other words, the way a thrift store talks about the environment directly influences how a consumer sees the future of their local economy, but only because that consumer first feels the value of the environment, then senses the market changing, and then changes their own behavior. The study suggests that there is a complex trade-off at play here. While buying used clothes is seen as a win for the planet, it is simultaneously perceived by shoppers as a challenge for the small businesses that sell new clothes.

This research offers a clear picture of the modern consumer's mind. It shows that people are not just buying a shirt; they are participating in a larger economic and environmental narrative. The study does not claim that thrift stores are objectively destroying local businesses, nor does it say they are saving the world single-handedly. Instead, it reveals how the perception of these outcomes is formed. The findings suggest that for local businesses to thrive in this new environment, they cannot ignore these shifting perceptions. They may need to adapt by embracing their own green branding, adopting circular practices, or finding ways to differentiate their products. Ultimately, the study highlights that the journey from a marketing message to a perception of economic impact is a long one, paved with changing values and shifting habits. It reminds us that in the world of sustainable consumption, every choice a shopper makes is part of a larger story about how markets evolve and how communities adapt.