Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/165618
FROM THE PUBLISHER Peer Pressure and the Ethical Consumer L ike many, I think of myself as an ethical consumer. I try to effect change by shopping at stores that support my causes and buying products from manufacturers that seem to be on my wavelength. Patagonia is the first brand I remember selecting for reasons other than product attributes and it is still my go-to for outerwear after 25 years. As it has become easier to make similar decisions about food, my wife and I have made an effort to fill our cupboards with ethical choices. The specialty food consumer seems to feel the same way. In 2012's Today's Specialty Food Consumer report, 82 percent of specialty food consumers claimed they "believe that it is important to purchase foods that are produced under sustainable conditions." That stat is a full 11 points higher than what all consumers reported. Sixty-six percent said they "actively support companies that practice sustainable manufacturing and retailing practices." But when asked about their shopping habits, only 25 percent said they purchase sustainable foods. The disparity between what consumers say they'll do and what actually happens at the register becomes a challenge when trying to serve the needs of a bunch of confused people. Timothy Devinney, noted big brain and co-author of The Myth of the Ethical Consumer, argues that consumers are influenced "by their social concerns, in the same way that they are influenced by other aspects of the consumption landscape: price, branding, taste positioning and the context within which consumption occurs." In other words, you can't simply rely on a consumer making a purchase because of ethics; it has to tick all the other boxes too. That's nothing new. Grape Nuts notwithstanding, healthy food didn't move into the mainstream until it also tasted good. What is interesting is Devinney's attempt to understand how the social context affects a consumer's decision-making when it comes to ethical purchases. In an experiment at a coffee shop, Devinney measured the factors that influenced customers' purchase of fair trade coffee. A sign offering fair trade coffee at no extra cost had little impact, with less than 1 percent selecting the option. The second scenario was more persuasive: 30 percent of customers chose fair trade coffee when the clerk also reminded customers that there was no extra cost. The third group had both prompts, but also added another person standing beside the customer—the social pressure part—and purchases jumped to 70 percent. "His or her decision was based entirely on the context we had created," says Devinney. Clearly sometimes we need a nudge from the herd to do the right thing. While it would be nice to think that altruism is driving the rise of the ethical consumer, nothing is ever that simple. Is my slavish following of a do-good outerwear brand a bit of a pose? Maybe so, but I don't think the store is complaining. We are in this together. Matt Thomas Publisher, Specialty Food Magazine mthomas@specialtyfood.com facebook.com/craftcarejoy HAVE A COMMENT? Visit specialtyfood.com/mthomas/peerpressure. SEPTEMBER 2013 5