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Sustainable Business Oregon

Where sustainability and consumer psychology meet


Sustainability and consumer psychology are tightly intertwined. What, how and why consumers want products depends very much on their motives and desires, and consumer psychologists can, to some extent, influence such thinking in favor of more sustainable choices.

One idea of how to reach consumers is to place social values at the center of consumer decision making. In means-end chain theory — the logic of wanting a product (means) to fulfill a value (end) — should apply.

Consumers want products that have certain attributes. When you ask a consumer why he or she bought a product, the answer usually involves a product attribute. For example, a consumer may buy a brand of toothpaste because it has fluoride. If you follow up with a question about why that attribute is important, the consumer will usually respond by citing a consequence of that attribute. For example, that toothpaste with fluoride can fight cavities. If you continue to ask the consumer questions about why the consequence was important, the response usually links to some core value the consumer holds. For example, fighting cavities is important because you need to have good health to accomplish what you want in life.