The Consumers’ Choice- Convenience Or Sustainability

Brands across every sector, be it KFC or Louis Vuitton, are racing to prove their eco-credentials. While this corporate push is essential for combating the climate crisis, marketers are hitting a major roadblock and they are overestimating how much the average consumer is willing to sacrifice for the planet.

While shoppers genuinely care about the Earth, price and convenience still reign supreme at the checkout counter.

The Green Gap

Recent global research from Getty Images that surveyed 10,000 people, exposes a massive disconnect between consumer intent and actual buying behavior. 81% of people see themselves as eco-friendly, but only 50% actually restrict their purchases to eco-friendly brands. 92% believe our current actions will heavily impact the future, yet 48% admit that convenience ultimately trumps sustainability when making a purchase. 

In the UK, 84% of consumers say being eco-friendly is important, but 68% cannot name a single environmentally friendly brand. Only consumers who identify as passionate about sustainability are willing to pay extra for green products, and even then, they will only top out at a 15% premium.

The Dual Challenge for Marketers

Marketers are currently trapped in a bubble, facing two distinct hurdles which are the cost crisis, creating truly sustainable products without driving up the price point consumers expect, and the reach crisis, breaking out of the eco-warrior niche to appeal to the mass market. Consumers will not go out of their way to buy eco-friendly brands. Therefore, marketers must do the heavy lifting to bridge the gap between sustainability and convenience.

Brands Must Push Forward Anyway

Rather than letting these statistics discourage them, marketers should view them as a call to action. True sustainability drives the entire business ecosystem. Brands have the power to educate. For example, Iceland’s partnership with Greenpeace didn’t just boost the supermarket’s reputation; it actively raised public awareness about the dangers of palm oil. Brands must look at social issues, like plastic pollution, obesity, and climate change, rather than viewing them in silos. Sustainability is now an important tool for attracting top-tier talent and securing investors, who increasingly look at metrics like the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Sustainability is undeniably vital for product development, talent recruitment, and investor relations. However, marketers still have a long way to go to convince the everyday consumer to choose the planet over personal convenience.

The ultimate goal for brands should be to design a future where consumers don’t have to choose.

References

https://www.marketingweek.com/brands-sustainability-convenience/