Addressing the Purchase and Consumption of Sustainable Products
The campaign towards embracing sustainable products’ purchase and use has gained considerable support from scholars and various industry players. Despite consumers having a positive attitude towards sustainable products, they do not buy or consume them due to; their ego defense and self-concept about the product valuethat hinder sustainable products’ purchase and consumption.
Research efforts have been applied in understanding behavior gaps among consumers for sustainable products like clothing and groceries (Jacobs et al., pp.1158). Consumers’ purchasing behavior of sustainable products is informed by common heuristics such as after purchase product likability, which makes consumers question if the product is likeable or not. While consumers’ social status signaling and feelings make consumers question if the product matches their status signal in society or affects their feelings. These barriers influence purchases even when consumers show a positive attitude towards sustainable products.
Consumer ego defense and self-concept contributes to the altered purchasing behavior from a positive attitude towards sustainable products. Consumers’ self-concept on product value significant change in purchasing behavior, as seen in the value-attitude- behavior hierarchy across various industries, especially the clothing industry (Jacobs et al. pp1168). Consumer ego defence creates negative perception of the sustainable products’ values regarding their quality, durability, and accessibility. This impacts the consumer purchasing behavior of the products even though they show a positive attitude towards them.
Additionally, derailed change in purchase behavior can be drawn to individual consumers’ biased perception of sustainable products’ value. Consumers’ purchase behavior is convinced by their biased perception of sustainable products’ value regardless of having a positive attitude towards sustainable products. For instance, Jacobs et al. suggest that the current clothing industry identifies the call for sustainable clothing durability over their fashion value (1169). Another barrier that hinders purchasing behavior is buying patterns triggered by social influence even when they show a positive attitude. For instance, negative peer pressure on the value of sustainable products can change the buying pattern by a consumer who has a positive attitude towards the products.
Recommendation
I recommend that mAD.Co should emphasize more information on sustainable products’ value, specifically their accessibility, quality, and durability in its future advertising message. This advertising information will demystify consumers’ negative self-concept, uninformed heuristics, and biased perception about the sustainable products. When the advertising content acts on these barriers, consumers’ purchasing behavior will match their positive attitude towards sustainable products.
Work cited
Jacobs, Kathleen et al. “Green Thinking But Thoughtless Buying? An Empirical Extension Of The Value-Attitude-Behavior Hierarchy In Sustainable Clothing”. Journal Of Cleaner Production, vol 203, 2018, pp. 1155-1169. Elsevier BV, DOI:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.320.