An Analysis of Sustainability and Consumer Buying Behaviour in the Food Retail Industry
Mustonen, Sanni (2020)
Mustonen, Sanni
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020052915349
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020052915349
Tiivistelmä
Sustainability is a trending topic in today’s world. Businesses and consumers are consuming Earth’s resources in a
fast manner and unfortunately, the resources are scarce. Sustainability means enduring into the long-term future.
It refers to the balance between the economic, environmental, and social aspects of the business. Sustainability
has become a competitive advantage for companies, especially in the fast-changing grocery industry. For this reason, it is essential that businesses understand consumers buying behaviour and why consumers choose certain
products.
The purpose of this study was to research young consumers’ interest in and awareness of sustainability and environmental issues. It aimed at discovering how young consumers take sustainability and environmentally friendliness into consideration and if they make conscious choices while shopping for groceries.
In the research part of the thesis, a quantitative research method was used. The research was conducted as an
online questionnaire which was distributed among young consumers based in Europe. The questionnaire was designed to answer the research question and collect recent data on sustainable consumer behaviour in grocery purchasing, targeting the young generation.
The findings of the research showed young consumers are aware of sustainability issues and the impact their
choices have on the environment. Young consumers are generally willing to make an effort to find the best options
for the society and environment although there is still room for improvement in product comparison and the consciousness of the production process of the grocery products.
The limitations of the research are the large research population but the low data quantity. Due to this, the research cannot be fully generalized to represent the whole population.
fast manner and unfortunately, the resources are scarce. Sustainability means enduring into the long-term future.
It refers to the balance between the economic, environmental, and social aspects of the business. Sustainability
has become a competitive advantage for companies, especially in the fast-changing grocery industry. For this reason, it is essential that businesses understand consumers buying behaviour and why consumers choose certain
products.
The purpose of this study was to research young consumers’ interest in and awareness of sustainability and environmental issues. It aimed at discovering how young consumers take sustainability and environmentally friendliness into consideration and if they make conscious choices while shopping for groceries.
In the research part of the thesis, a quantitative research method was used. The research was conducted as an
online questionnaire which was distributed among young consumers based in Europe. The questionnaire was designed to answer the research question and collect recent data on sustainable consumer behaviour in grocery purchasing, targeting the young generation.
The findings of the research showed young consumers are aware of sustainability issues and the impact their
choices have on the environment. Young consumers are generally willing to make an effort to find the best options
for the society and environment although there is still room for improvement in product comparison and the consciousness of the production process of the grocery products.
The limitations of the research are the large research population but the low data quantity. Due to this, the research cannot be fully generalized to represent the whole population.