The Influence of Customer Attitudes towards Sustainability on the Customer Journey: An Analysis of the Potential Impact of Marketing Channels on Consideration and Purchase of Skincare Products.

Abstract As markets are becoming more and more competitive and consumers have an abundance of information about products available at the tips of their fingers, marketing professionals must carefully decide which information channels to prioritise. Additionally, the trends of being “sustainable” and “eco-friendly” are becoming increasingly popular. The concept of customer journey is also widely researched, proving to be a valuable tool for identifying the need and desires of the consumer and guiding them down the path to purchase a product or service. However, the studies surrounding how this journey should differ for a consumer focused on sustainability compared to a consumer with little interest in the subject, is limited. This study is an initial attempt to investigate the relationship between two phases of the customer journey (i.e., consideration and purchase) and the chosen information channels regarding sustainability. Data for this study were collected with the help of a self-reported questionnaire. The survey was mostly distributed through social media channels. By conducting a regression analysis on the results of the survey, the data supports our theory that there may be a relationship between the two chosen phases of the customer journey (i.e., consideration and purchase) and common communication channels. The general findings in our analysis indicate that respondents with an interest in sustainability have higher values for the consideration stage than respondents with a lower interest in sustainability. For the purchase stage we found opposite to be true. For either group the most influential channels of communication for the consideration phase were Reviews and Word-of-Mouth. As for the purchase stage, both sustainable and non-sustainable groups showed the highest values for Physical Store as their purchase channel of choice. Results obtained in this thesis provide insights into the factors that influence consumer behaviour in relation to interest in sustainability and the stages of the customer journey. The results of our research can benefit marketing professionals wishing to increase the efficiency of their advertising and may prompt further studies of the concepts presented within this thesis

The Influence of Customer Attitudes towards Sustainability on the Customer Journey: An Analysis of the Potential Impact of Marketing Channels on Consideration and Purchase of Skincare Products

As markets are becoming more and more competitive and consumers have an abundance of information about products available at the tips of their fingers, marketing professionals must carefully decide which information channels to prioritise. Additionally, the trends of being “sustainable” and “eco-friendly” are becoming increasingly popular. The concept of customer journey is also widely researched, proving to be a valuable tool for identifying the need and desires of the consumer and guiding them down the path to purchase a product or service. However, the studies surrounding how this journey should differ for a consumer focused on sustainability compared to a consumer with little interest in the subject, is limited. This study is an initial attempt to investigate the relationship between two phases of the customer journey (i.e., consideration and purchase) and the chosen information channels regarding sustainability. Data for this study were collected with the help of a self-reported questionnaire. The survey was mostly distributed through social media channels. By conducting a regression analysis on the results of the survey, the data supports our theory that there may be a relationship between the two chosen phases of the customer journey (i.e., consideration and purchase) and common communication channels. The general findings in our analysis indicate that respondents with an interest in sustainability have higher values for the consideration stage than respondents with a lower interest in sustainability. For the purchase stage we found opposite to be true. For either group the most influential channels of communication for the consideration phase were Reviews and Word-of-Mouth. As for the purchase stage, both sustainable and nonsustainable groups showed the highest values for Physical Store as their purchase channel of choice. Results obtained in this thesis provide insights into the factors that influence consumer behaviour in relation to interest in sustainability and the stages of the customer journey. The results of our research can benefit marketing professionals wishing to increase the efficiency of their advertising and may prompt further studies of the concepts presented within this thesis.As markets are becoming more and more competitive and consumers have an abundance of information about products available at the tips of their fingers, marketing professionals must carefully decide which information channels to prioritise. Additionally, the trends of being “sustainable” and “eco-friendly” are becoming increasingly popular. The concept of customer journey is also widely researched, proving to be a valuable tool for identifying the need and desires of the consumer and guiding them down the path to purchase a product or service. However, the studies surrounding how this journey should differ for a consumer focused on sustainability compared to a consumer with little interest in the subject, is limited. This study is an initial attempt to investigate the relationship between two phases of the customer journey (i.e., consideration and purchase) and the chosen information channels regarding sustainability. Data for this study were collected with the help of a self-reported questionnaire. The survey was mostly distributed through social media channels. By conducting a regression analysis on the results of the survey, the data supports our theory that there may be a relationship between the two chosen phases of the customer journey (i.e., consideration and purchase) and common communication channels. The general findings in our analysis indicate that respondents with an interest in sustainability have higher values for the consideration stage than respondents with a lower interest in sustainability. For the purchase stage we found opposite to be true. For either group the most influential channels of communication for the consideration phase were Reviews and Word-of-Mouth. As for the purchase stage, both sustainable and nonsustainable groups showed the highest values for Physical Store as their purchase channel of choice. Results obtained in this thesis provide insights into the factors that influence consumer behaviour in relation to interest in sustainability and the stages of the customer journey. The results of our research can benefit marketing professionals wishing to increase the efficiency of their advertising and may prompt further studies of the concepts presented within this thesis