A Study on Consumer Behaviour

and Sustainability
Anushka Vaidya
Archiman Singh
Siddhesh Asatkar
Introduction

In recent years the way Indian consumers are spending money has changed.
The disposable income of the consumers has increased in which has led to an
increase in their purchasing power.
The penetration of internet and e commerce as well as rapid urbanization is
constantly influencing the buying behaviour of the consumers.

But at the same time, the world is facing many environmental problems, and
people are responsible for most of them. Most consumers want to engage in
sustainable practices in a way to not compromise the environment.
Objective

The main objective of this study is to understand the consumer buying and
decision making pattern, factors that influence this pattern and how they
respond to goods and services that are environmental friendly.

The study also aims at understanding how sustainable practices can be

mainstreamed and induced in the consumers buying behaviour.
Consumer Behaviour

The study of pattern of consumers in terms of buying, usage and disposal of

goods and services.

Consumer behaviour also studies the emotional, mental and behavioural

responses that lead to consumer decision making preceding or following such
activities.
Factors affecting consumer behaviour

• Psychological
• Social
• Cultural
• Personal
• Economic
Psychological Factors:
The human psychology plays a crucial role in designing the consumer’s
preferences and likes or dislikes for a particular product and services. Some
of the important psychological factors are:
• Motivation
• Perception
• Learning
• Attitudes and Beliefs
Social:
Since the man is a social animal who likes to be acceptable by all tries to
imitate the behaviours that are socially acceptable.  Hence, the social factors
influence the buying behaviour of an individual to a great extent. Some of the
social factors are:
• Family
• Reference Groups
• Roles and status
Cultural:
It is believed that an individual learns the set of values, perceptions,
behaviours, and preferences at a very early stage of his childhood from the
people especially, the family and the other key institutions which were
around during his developmental stage. Thus, the behavioural patterns are
developed from the culture where he or she is brought up. Several cultural
factors are:
• Culture
• Subculture
• Social Class
Personal:
There are several factors personal to the individuals that influence their
buying decisions. Some of them are:
• Age
• Income
• Occupation
• Lifestyle
Economic:
The economic factors have a significant influence on the buying decision of
an individual. These are:
• Personal Income
• Family Income
• Income Expectations
• Consumer Credit
• Liquid Assets of the Consumer
• Savings
Present Trends in Marketing Strategies
• Online Buying:

The Indian consumers are actively moving towards purchasing goods and
services online with the evolution of technology. This is presently the most
suitable marketing strategy.

• Impact of Celebrities:

Today increasing the use of the visual media becoming more popular the use
of celebrities in the TV media has increased. Consumers like advertisements
more if they are admirers of the celebrities in the advertisements. Celebrities
may also help reposition products.
Dynamic Life Style:
The Indian consumers have become much more open-minded and
experimental in their perspective. There is now an exponential growth of
western trend reaching the Indian consumer by way of the media and Indians
working abroad. Foreign brands have gained wide consumer acceptance in
India, they include items such as; Beverages, Packed food, Ready to eat
food , Precooked food, Canned food, Personal care products , Audio/video
products, Garment and apparel, Footwear , Sportswear, Toys and Gift items .
Green Products:
The environmental awareness in India has started affecting marketing of
products based upon their eco-friendliness or green products. In general,
Indian consumers are likely to purchase environmentally responsible
products and packs. Consumers in India are taking lead in prompting
manufacturers to adopt technologies to produce eco-friendly products or
green products.
Consumer Behaviour and Sustainability

Sustainable Consumer Behaviour is the consumer’s behaviour towards

improving social and environmental performance as well as meeting their
needs. It studies why and how consumers incorporate or not the sustainability
practises in their buying behaviour.
It also studies what products a consumer wishes to buy or not, and how they
use and dispose these products.
Why is it Important to Adopt Sustainable Practises?

In terms of impact, physical products account for 60 per cent of Earth’s greenhouse gas

emissions, roughly two thirds of deforestation, and over 70 per cent of child labour. In

other words, consumer goods have a massive environmental footprint- the impact of

climate change and the fragility of Earth’s ecosystems are ever more apparent.

As the realities of climate change become more and more apparent, a commitment to

sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have for the companies of the world — it’s a business

imperative, especially in the eyes of consumers.

Consumer behaviour and expectations are changing rapidly, with consumers demanding

that businesses large and small commit to more sustainable business practices.
Therefore, sustainability is important for many reasons including:
• Environmental Quality
• Growth
• Healthcare
Consumer Attitude Toward Sustainability
Though the number of consumers sharing a common concern towards
sustainability has increased over time, sustainable brands have often faced
limited marketplace acceptance.
Previous studies have clearly shown that even though individuals understand
the seriousness of environmental issues, their environmental attitudes do not
necessarily lead to green purchasing.
Even consumers with the highest level of environmental consciousness do
not always purchase green products; their choice of products depends on both
ecological perspectives as well as their evaluation of the various product
attributes. 
Barriers to Sustainable Consumption
Most frequent consumers' barriers to sustainable consumption are:
• Lack of information and awareness
• Lack of trust in claims
• Habits
• Lack of quality and/or functionality
• Poor availability
• Price
Ways to shift Consumers towards Sustainable Behaviour

• Social Influence:
Consumers are often impacted by the presence, behaviours, and expectations
of others. Social factors are one of the most influential factors in terms of
effecting sustainable consumer behaviour change.
• Habit:
Because many common habits are unsustainable, habit change is a critical
component of sustainable behavior change. Actions that encourage repetition,
such as making sustainable actions easy and utilizing prompts, incentives, and
feedback, can strengthen positive habits.
• Individual self:

Sustainability can appear more attractive when the personal benefits such as
health or product quality are highlighted. Emphasizing self-efficacy also
works. When people know their actions matter, they make greener choices

• Feelings and cognitions:

Consumers seek out positive emotions such as happiness, pride and the warm
glow that comes from doing good. If the sustainable option is fun, people
will naturally want to do it.
Scope of Sustainable Practices in India

As we see that many Indian consumers are more green product oriented it
gives a great scope for the green market to expand. Organizations in India
have identified the need of the consumers, they are realizing the need for
adoption of an ecological marketing as they are aware that consumers are
demanding products that are not only safe for them to consume but should
also be same to the environment. Conscious and green customers prefer the
organizations that provide environmentally safe products. Companies
nowadays have taken green marketing as a competitive advantage.
Conclusion

The things to rejoice is that the corporate as well as the consumers are
becoming more and more concerned about their roles in building a green
environment.
Creating more awareness and developing products keeping in mind the
barriers faces by companies towards sustainable consumption could help in
promoting green development further to reduce adverse environmental
effects and induce a sense of responsibility among consumers for developing
sustainable behaviour towards buying, usage and disposal of good and
services.
References

• https://www.ijsr.in/upload/414082048Chapter_19.pdf
• http://theconversation.com/5-ways-to-shift-consumers-towards-
sustainable-behaviour-120883
• https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022242919825649
• https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Impacts-of-population-on-sustainable-
development_fig4_278622879
• https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/769e/3b07a63201455d1aa0ecf123ba2578
64acfa.pdf
THANK YOU