Plastic looms large on many consumers’ minds, with sustainable shopping a growing trend. But how can marketers tap into this growing sentiment and drive more sustainable behaviors?
Harnessing shopper psychology is one way to do this. For example, telling shoppers that others are buying eco-friendly products increases their likelihood of doing so themselves.
Social Proof
People are more likely to follow through on sustainable behavior when they see others doing so. Cues at the product level highlighting sustainability-related behaviors of consumers deemed similar to them can help bring sustainable actions into the realm of normal and acceptable. Stickers on products claiming they’re ‘most popular’ increase sales, and signs in stores promoting environmentally friendly habits like using shopping bags made without plastic New York have a similar effect.
While positive social proof can encourage shoppers to shop sustainably, it’s important to remember that negative spillover can also occur: when consumers feel rewarded for ethical action, they may permit themselves to behave less virtuously in the future. This phenomenon is known as licensing and is often observed in experiments where participants perform prosocial behaviors.
To avoid the dangers of plastic pollution, marketers must focus on creating attractive, attainable, and sustainable shopping habits.
The Immediacy of Satisfaction
Every dollar spent casts a vote for or against the planet’s future. Sustainable shopping practices ensure those votes don’t support exploiting people or the environment.
Many people shop sustainably because they want to do their part to stop climate change. But this is often a trade-off. Consumers’ sustainability intentions clash with their desire to get the most out of a product; they can feel frustrated.
One way to overcome this frustration is to cultivate hope and pride in sustainable consumption. For instance, when people in a study were praised weekly for their energy-saving habits, they saved more than a control group that didn’t receive this recognition. In addition, positive spillover can also increase sustainable behavior: When consumers see that others are following a pro-environmental path, they may feel “licensed” to act likewise. It is called the reciprocity effect. For example, when researchers told online shoppers that their peers were buying eco-friendly products, 65% made at least one such purchase.
The Trade-Off Between Short-Term and Long-Term Benefits
Many want to buy environmentally sustainable products as people become more aware of climate change and its effects. They may turn to plant-based foods, switch to electric cars, or choose natural beauty and wellness products. But they also may be drawn to companies with ethically produced plastics, which are made without chemicals such as flame retardants and formaldehyde that can disrupt endocrine functions and cause fetal development problems.
However, the up-front costs of sustainable products can put them out of reach for some consumers. One solution is to help shoppers see the benefits of their sustainable purchases more clearly. For example, a recent study showed that telling online shoppers that their peers were buying eco-friendly products led to 65% more making at least one green purchase. In addition, providing information about future energy savings can increase the likelihood that consumers will opt for an energy-efficient product.
The Attitude-Behavior Gap
Whether buying secondhand clothes, choosing organic produce, or supporting fashion brands committed to using less water and paying their workers a fair wage, sustainable shopping is all about aligning what you buy with your values. Research shows that the more an individual feels their buying choices reflect their values, the more likely they are to shop sustainably.
However, reports reveal a gap between shopper attitudes toward sustainability and their supermarket purchasing behavior. In many cases, the reasons for this gap are psychological and behavioral.
Harnessing social influence is one of the best ways to close this gap, with research suggesting that people who feel pressured by what others are doing are more apt to follow suit. For example, telling online shoppers that their peers are buying eco-friendly products can increase purchase intent by 65%; showing buffet diners that the norm is to take only one plate of food at a time can decrease buffet waste by 20.5%.
