An investigation into whether sustainability policy influences consumer purchasing behaviour within UK supermarkets

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this research is to investigate consumer perceptions towards Sustainability within UK supermarkets and to identify whether or not a relationship exists between Sustainability policy and consumer purchasing behaviour. Design and Methodological Approach: This investigation uses a cross - sectional research approach with a mixed methods research paradigm, utilising online questionnaires and semi structured interviews as tools of data collection. A non - probability sample of sixty respondents was used for the questionnaire and a probability sample of five interviewees, three young professionals and two professionals with greater experience were selected. The collected data Findings: The result of the data analysis suggested that there is a relationship between Sustainability policy and consumer purchasing behaviour within supermarkets. Despite four themes established after the process of triangulation, it is evident that Sustainability has an impact on consumers and their purchasing behaviour. The findings indicate that consumers are very concerned about the environment and particularly the long term health of the planet. On the other hand, the findings also identified Greenwashing as an issue, stating that Sustainability is commonly exploited to better an organisation's brand image. Research Limitations: Social desirability bias could possibly have been an issue throughout the data collection process, throughout the interview and questionnaire processes, as respondents may have given answers purely because they thought that's what the researcher wanted them to say. Also, due to the nature of the questions asked, the researcher was unable to create a participant involvement profile, which would have helped greatly in the data analysis process.