Milk and meat produced according to animal welfare standards, bread from a regional bakery, coffee and chocolate harvested under fair conditions, clothing produced without child labor and with respect for the environment. A large number of consumers say that these criteria are important to them when shopping. However, when reaching for something on the shelf, consumers often behave very differently, as a study by the Institute for Sales, Trade and Marketing (IHaM) at the Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz shows. 1,000 participants were surveyed online.
Almost half of respondents (47 percent) said that their attitude and purchasing behavior do not match. Consumers were also asked how they assess the purchasing behavior of their fellow people: 72 percent assume that attitude and actual purchasing behavior differ from one another.
Price remains the key purchasing argument
47 percent of Austrians say that regionality is important to them, but ultimately price is more important. 66 percent assume this behavior of other people. The same pattern can be seen when buying organic products: 47 percent say that in principle they would prefer organically produced goods, but in reality they buy conventionally produced products. Similar values are also found when buying environmentally friendly products.
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49 percent say that although they prefer branded products, they still choose private labels when shopping.
“The study shows that the topics of organic, regional and fair production have become part of people’s minds,” says IHaM board member Christoph Teller. However, purchases are not always made according to these principles. In the current situation, there is often no other option: many consumers have to go for cheaper products due to the increased cost of living. This is a case of justified hypocrisy. Mman is deliberately not raising the index finger. “Many do not want to spend the money, are skeptical of the company or the trade, do not want to give up convenience or do not have the corresponding goods available,” says Teller, who also wants to use the study to provide an impetus for a discussion: “Because as much as quality is important to us, at the end of the day it is often the price that decides.” Customers have a lot of power: “They can change things. If they only buy organic or regional goods, these will be the only ones to buy.” The same applies to the Chinese online retailers who have recently been frequently criticized: “It is not Temu that is the problem, but the people who shop there.”
