Sustainability in retail is a much discussed topic these days. Sustainability consists of more than environmental attributes. Economic and social dimensions are crucial for developing a sustainable society. Researchers tend to focus on new phenomena in consumer behaviour. In particular, their tendency to demand sustainability. This paper aims to deepen the analysis of this topic, in particular, to identify the Czech „sustainable segment“. Is the younger generation more interested in sustainability in retail? Is gender a significant variable? What about education level? This paper presents the results of a survey focused on the perception of sustainable retailers and sustainable products by Czech consumers. 997 usability questionnaires from a representative sample of respondents were interpreted using a frequency table and Crosstabs analysis. Environmental education and its concomitant increase in the level of competence are integral to the consumers’ perception of sustainability. The dependence of certain aspects of consumers’ behaviour/perception of sustainability on their education was further examined. Perception of sustainable retailers, association with sustainable product and recognition or purchase of sustainable products were monitored in relation to consumers’ education levels. According to results from the compiled research, the level of education influences perceived attributes of sustainability. Younger people with higher education could be, based on the interpreted data, the „sustainable segment“ of the retail market.
1 Introduction
Sustainability is one of the most widely discussed topics in contemporary business, including in the retail sector. Observance of the principles of sustainability on the part of retailers manifests primarily in behaving sustainably, ensuring a sustainable supply chain and offering sustainable products. Moreover, such adoption of sustainable activities is increasing across the retail management system whether it means in supply chains, strategic management decisions, everyday activities and behaviour of employees. But how do consumers react to retailers’ efforts to be sustainable, and do they prefer sustainable products?
The authors have been interested in the sustainable behaviour of Czech consumers from many points of view for a long time (Jaderná and Ostin 2021; Jaderná and Volfová, 2020). Having conducted research and literature reviews, they deemed it necessary to investigate the influence of sociodemographic characteristics of consumers on their preferences and perception of sustainability. The younger generation is viewed as a green generation. They are determined to save the planet (Ottman 2017). Environmental education of young people is ongoing. Social media, the most frequently used communication channel for young people, frequently feature appeals to environmental action. Another sociodemographic aspect – i.e. gender, is often cited as a factor in sustainable practices, too. In general, women tend to buy sustainable products because of these products’ positive impact on health. Women are more emotional in their decision making by purchasing and accept sustainable marketing communication (Kapoor 2019). In addition to age and gender, one’s education level is determinative. Researchers have observed considerable progress in the incorporation of sustainable development (SD) into the curricula of higher education institutions starting more than 10 years ago (Capdevila et al. 2002). Nowadays, environmental education in every level of education is evident. But the most effective conceptualisation is in higher education institutions where a tendency to improve competences and skills is prevalent. Engineering students confirm more sustainable competences (Segalàs et al. 2010), and competencies are a way of describing desired educational outcomes (Hager and Beckett 1995). The most important competence groups applicable to sustainability and beyond are systems-thinking, anticipatory, normative, strategic and interpersonal competences (Wiek et al. 2011) and since these competences are improved mostly in the higher education system, it is anticipated that one’s level of education will make people more inclined to engage in sustainable behaviour.
Environmental education has been in effect for more than two decades at every level of education. It entails promoting environmental knowledge and enhancing environmentally friendly attitudes and values. However, more than environmental topics are at the core of sustainability. Grange (2017) pointed out the difference between environmental education and education for sustainability. Environmental education works only when it includes environmental topics. The education about sustainability tends to be an integrative concept of environmental education where the ecological dimension of environmental education is more strongly supplemented with social and economic dimensions. The three main pillars contributing to sustainability are the environmental, social and economic. Research has confirmed the presence of said attributes and their recognition by consumers.
This paper is focused on certain aspects of sustainable behaviour/perception of Czech consumers as part of their usual retail purchases. In order to answer questions pertinent to this topic, a survey was used. The results based on the 997 filled-in questionnaires were analysed using statistical processes to confirm the influence of age, gender, and education level on preferences and attitudes. First, the theoretical background of the topics sustainability, customer social responsibility (CSR), green products and green consumers was placed in context. All these topics are connected to sustainability because of their basic nature or on the basis of the triple bottom line (environmental, ecological and social pillar). Answers were interpreted by relative frequencies depending on both gender and age group. A major objective of this paper is to confirm a relationship between education and the perception of sustainable retailers and sustainable products, specifically perceived aspects of sustainability in retail, the first association with sustainable products or their recognition such as the willingness to buy sustainable products were examined.
2 Sustainability
Increasing consumption, greater food wastage (Hazuchova et al. 2020) and environmental devastation have all made sustainable development a key concern for today’s generation. According to the European Union, sustainable development is defined as „meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs“ (Verma 2019). Official sustainability legislation has also been introduced at international, regional and local levels: this includes the Kyoto Protocol or the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (Newell 2009). In recent years, the business sector had increasingly gotten on board, thus improving society’s prospects of achieving sustainable development since, as the motor of the economy, companies are in a unique position to implement change (Bansal and Bogner 2002). Having said that, sustainability entails private companies not only pursuing profit from goods and services or economic value but actively mitigating the various social and environmental problems that might be caused by their actions (Hahn and Scheermesser 2006).
Many business areas have placed an emphasis on sustainability, a fact reflected in retailers who pursue the benefits of economic activity and the principles of sustainable development as a core value in practice (Ferraz et al. 2021). Since retail is the link between wholesalers and consumers, retail is in a unique position to protect the environment because it interacts with both of the other layers of the consumer economy (Wiese et al. 2015). In other words, for retailers to be successful, they must find a balance between stakeholder expectations and market demand. Retailer practice is located between subsequent and previous actions and forms a link between consumption, the environment and systemic rationalities (Maignan and Ferrell 2005).
Though the definition of this term is varied, there are some common elements that might be found in each given definition. Sustainability, at its core, involves meeting the needs of the current generation without threatening the needs of the future generations. It is the ability to exist without disruption (Magee et al. 2013). Yet no definition is as accepted as the aforementioned triple bottom line (TBL) model developed by (Elkington 2002). In the TBL model, Elkington defined three pillars for incorporating sustainability into the business environment. The model describes economic, environmental and social pillars, their close connection and many interdependencies. Sustainability gained prominence in every aspect of the business procedure. Most importantly, it has become a key to success in retail. Retailers now must incorporate elements of sustainability into every part of their business process. Of the TBL pillars, it is the economic one that they are especially dependent upon. Consequently, sustainability is becoming core to a company’s mission, vision and strategy (Ferraz et al. 2021).
Since retailers are a link between customers and companies, there is huge potential on their side to protect as much of the environment as possible (Grant 2022). Sustainability represents hope for future generations. Sustainable retail processes might lead to defending our natural resources (Wiese et al. 2012). One of the key retail activities is to support sustainable green thinking among customers. Retailers have a big impact on a customer’s purchasing decision (Arvidsson 2011). Furthermore, they have the power to change things by applying pressure on their suppliers, and this pressure is usually a demand for new sustainable business models together with promoting sustainable green purchase behaviour (Durieu 2003). Saving and defending the planet’s resources is an issue in which a retailer might eventually benefit. Given the current generation’s enthusiasm for environmental issues, there is an increase in demand for sustainable products and trends such as customer social responsibility (CSR). CSR, which is usually defined by a given company, is assuming an important role in strategies as it gives an opportunity to retailers to create a connection between economic and ethical values (Arvidsson 2011). One area where retailers use CSR initiatives to achieve such ends is evident with regards to brand images (Lu et al. 2020). Furthermore, the growing trend of online purchases support the increasing importance of CSR activities where CSR represents a competitive advantage in e-commerce in the Czech Republic. It supports the creation of sustainable corporate development through the use of ethical codes and a transparent corporate policy (Bartók 2018). An additional area where the impact of CSR is noticeable is in personal management where employees acknowledge CSR efforts, which in turn strengthens employee loyalty (Shen et al. 2020). Thus, CSR based on sustainable and ethical principles can become integral to a brand’s image (Kumar and Christodoulopoulou 2014).
3 Green product for green consumers
Green consumer’s evaluate three characteristics when purchasing a product: the price, quality and fact that the product or brand adheres to environmental principles (Pagán et al. 2019). Shared corporate responsibility for the environment can lead to the green product being purchased in the short term and adopting green behaviour as a lifestyle in the long term (He et al. 2021). In the early days of burgeoning environmental awareness, companies decided to offer green products at higher prices, motivated primarily by profit. However, many of these companies erred in the eyes of these ecological consumers because their practice and products were not as green as they said. In marketing theory, people make purchases not only based on quality, materials and brand but are willing to pay premium prices in exchange for a product with benefits regarding the social and natural environment. Unfortunately, situations arise where a company meets the minimum standards of eco-friendliness or pursues customers by stating they are green even though they are not. Their greenness is usually only a marketing strategy, and the products and activities continue to be based on unsustainable methods and consumption. This phenomenon is called green-washing, and it is usually caused by the lack of information on the customers’ side (Polonsky and Rosenberger 2001).
A sustainable green product should have minimal environmental impact or, at least, significantly less of one than a traditional product. In reality, it is impossible to create a 100% pure green product because of the need of energy and necessity of waste during the production process of every product (Brydges 2021). Given this consideration, a product is ecological when its environmental performance during production, usage and disposal is improved and less harmful in comparison to other competitive products. Specifically, this means that green products are not dangerous to people and nature, do not harm animals and do not create waste (Polonsky 2011). The greenness of a product is considered in three aspects: constituent materials, energy use and pollution generated. In each sphere, the environmental impact is minimised or potentially reduced (Dangelico and Pontrandolfo 2010). Baker and Hart (2016) further developed the characterisation of a green product and split the defining criteria into two categories. The first concerned the social and ecological impacts of a product. In this category, the product must be able to be repaired without the need of purchasing a replacement. After that, the product must be reusable, recyclable and/or re-manufacturable. A second category includes attributes connected to processes. There has to be no significant harm to the environment during the whole life-cycle of the product development and its usage (Gmelin and Seuring 2014).
A green consumer is one who applies these green attitudes and adapts their shopping behaviour accordingly (Vieira et al. 2019). It can also be argued that green consumers exhibit a degree of social responsibility. Therefore, it stands to reason that consumers who place greater value on the ecology and protection of the environment automatically place greater emphasis on protecting natural resources (Shiel et al. 2019). The result of this behaviour is environmental friendliness. To assess environmental friendliness, the customer considers, for example, the following areas: protection of soil quality, pastures and forests, prevention of air pollution, care in the production and energy consumption, waste and hazardous substance management or animal protection (Moisander 2007). According to the marketing company Roper Starch Worldwide, consumers can be divided, with regards to environmental friendliness, into the following groups – truly green, partly green, occasionally green, unbelieving and impartial. (Ginsberg and Bloom 2004) offers an overlapping taxonomy of consumers also comprising five categories. The first category is True Blue Greens: their environmental awareness is high, and their purchase decision is affected by the ability to create a change in unsustainable consumption. They are disgusted by non-green products. The second category is Greenback Greens. In comparison to the previous category, they are not activists; however, they still prefer green products. The third category is Sprouts, who are aware of environmental issues. However, their decision is usually affected by the product’s price. The fourth category, Grousers, do not see a possibility of making a change and sometimes are called non-believers. They think that their decision cannot make a significant change and, furthermore, are not concerned with environmental issues. The last category, Basic Browns, do not care about the environment at all. The aforementioned segmentation of green consumers is based on different sociodemographic variables apart from age. Researchers usually demonstrate causality between age or gender and sustainable consumer behaviour. However, education level is a very significant aspect (Kopnina 2012), too as evinced in the connection between education level and recycling behaviour (Jaderná et al. 2018). Extrapolating further, it would follow that education level is an equally important segment of consumer behaviour vis-à-vis recognition of sustainable principles.
The paper is focused on the specific research questions below:
Does education influence a number of sustainable aspects, considered by consumers in sustainable retail or sustainable products?
Does education influence recognition of sustainable products?
Does education influence a preference for buying sustainable products?
4 Methodology
Identification of the specifics of the „sustainability segment“ are based on the results of marketing research that was part of grant SGS/2019/01 Jaderná at the Department of Marketing and Management at SKODA AUTO University. The research chiefly addressed gaps in information that became apparent following the literature review and secondary data analysis. The major objective of the mentioned research is consumers’ perception of sustainable retail companies and sustainable products in consumers’ typical purchases.
The survey was organised in cooperation with researchers, students and the research company Behavio Labs in 2020 (May-September). A final questionnaire was distributed to the household panel on the Trendaro online platform. 997 questionnaires from Czech consumers were processed by Behavio Labs, and the sample is representative, and the data are reliable, valid and can be generalised for the Czech population.
Upon collection of the completed questionnaires, the responses were transferred to Microsoft Excel for transcoding into statistically measurable quantities. This file was then statistically evaluated in IBM SPSS Statistics. Data were analysed by frequency analysis and, to obtain more valid results, on the basis of Crosstabs analysis. Responses of both genders and people in different age groups were interpreted using relative frequencies. Statistical tests were provided to confirm dependence of selected aspects of sustainable behaviour/perception by Czech consumers on education level.
The paper is focused on the specific research questions below:
Does education influence a number of sustainable aspects, considered by consumers in sustainable retail or sustainable products?
Does education influence recognition of sustainable products?
Does education influence a preference for buying sustainable products?
Researchers were mostly interested in influence of education on the perception of certain sustainable aspects in retail. Therefore, Pearson’s chi-squared test of good agreement was used to detect basic relationships and connections, at the level of descriptive statistics, using contingency tables. Only relationships between variables with p-value of the chi-square (Asymp.sig) less than 0.05 were further monitored. If a value lower than 0.05 is reached between two variables, it can be said that there exists a certain relationship between them. Adjusted residuals were interpreted. An adjusted residual that is more than 2 indicates that the number of cases in that cell is significantly larger. On the other hand, an adjusted residual that is less than -2.0 indicates that the number of cases in that cell is significantly smaller. After the statistical processes, the results were connected in the context of perception of sustainability by Czech consumers and satisfied the segment of green consumer.
5 Sustainability of retail products
The interpretation of results starts with the frequency tables, followed by the dependence on education level. The frequency tables show relative frequencies of answers on these questions:
1. What does mean sustainability in retail for you?
2. What is your first association with sustainable product?
3. Do you buy sustainable products?
4. How do you identify sustainable products?
Second, every aspect of sustainable behaviour has been assessed against the dependence on education level, using Pearson Chi-square test.
5.1 Sustainable retailer
Table 1 presents relative frequencies of answers, according to gender (men, women), and age categories. The difference in answers by both genders was not identified. Respondents in the age range of 18-34 are more interested in the aspect of eco production by retailers. Age is significant for need for eco-friendly suppliers. Younger generations tend to feel this aspect as crucial.
| Sustainable retailer | men | women | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-54 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| natural sources | 36% | 36% | 37% | 44% | 41% | 32% | 26% | 28% |
| eco suppliers | 25% | 26% | 38% | 35% | 27% | 20% | 17% | 12% |
| eco production | 51% | 52% | 70% | 64% | 48% | 45% | 41% | 44% |
| public efforts | 16% | 18% | 26% | 18% | 19% | 15% | 10% | 17% |
| sustainable behaviour employees | 29% | 33% | 39% | 33% | 33% | 28% | 26% | 26% |
| sustainable behaviour customers | 34% | 42% | 54% | 45% | 39% | 37% | 25% | 30% |
Table 1: Perception of sustainable retailer by gender, age
Source: Authors
This part presents data interpreted by Pearson’s chi-squared test. Table 2 shows the dependence of some perceived sustainable aspects on the education of respondents. Czech consumers with higher education perceive the sustainability of retailers in the sustainable behaviour of their employees (000), usage of natural sources (000), sustainable behaviour toward customers (0.012), ecological production (000) and ecological suppliers (0.002). Numbers in brackets indicate the p-value of the chi-squared test. These values are under the confidence interval (< 0.05). Only the value connected to public efforts by activities is 0.118. The dependence on education is not confirmed by this aspect.
| Variable | Value | df | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| sustainable behaviour employees | 28.522a | 6 | 0.000 |
| natural sources | 30.438a | 6 | 0.000 |
| sustainable behaviour customers | 16.443a | 6 | 0.012 |
| public efforts | 10.153a | 6 | 0.118 |
| eco production | 83.803a | 6 | 0.000 |
| eco suppliers | 20.496a | 6 | 0.002 |
Table 2: Pearson’s chi-squared test – sustainability of retailers
Source: Authors
The analysis of adjusted residuals has shown the largest relationship for the aspect of ecological production (7.7), sustainable behaviour toward employees and usage of natural sources (both 4.3), ecological suppliers (2.7), sustainable behaviour toward customers (2.6). A value above 2.5 indicates an extremely close relationship, and there is a 95% probability the answer is not random. On the other hand, values for consumers with a low level of education show the opposite effect, most of all for ecological production (-7 by high school w/o graduation).
| Sustainable retailer | basic | high school w/o grad. | high school with grad. | grammar school | follow-up with grad. | follow-up study | university | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sustainable behaviour employees | count | 9 | 108 | 93 | 38 | 4 | 9 | 121 |
| adjusted residual | -3.1 | -2.3 | -0.1 | 0.4 | -1.3 | 0.1 | 4.3 | |
| natural sources | count | 12 | 89 | 86 | 41 | 6 | 9 | 115 |
| adjusted residual | -1.9 | -3.9 | -0.3 | 1.6 | -0.1 | 0.3 | 4.3 | |
| sustainable behaviour customers | count | 13 | 77 | 85 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 91 |
| adjusted residual | -0.9 | -3.4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0.9 | -0.5 | 2.6 | |
| public efforts | count | 12 | 41 | 42 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 53 |
| public efforts | adjusted residual | 1.2 | -2.7 | -0.1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 |
| eco production | count | 22 | 116 | 125 | 57 | 7 | 10 | 177 |
| eco production | adjusted residual | -1.2 | -7 | -0.2 | 1.9 | -0.9 | -0.8 | 7.7 |
| eco suppliers | count | 12 | 65 | 59 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 78 |
| eco suppliers | adjusted residual | -0.3 | -2.8 | -0.6 | 2 | 1.5 | -1.9 | 2.7 |
Table 3: Education + sustainable retailer
Source: Authors
5.2 Sustainable product
Answers to a question about the first association of a sustainable product were of local origin, higher quality of products, products without negative impact on health, ecological products and products that supported human rights. Answers in connection with sociodemographic variables were interpreted. No significant differences in answers were confirmed. Only the decreasing trend to perceive sustainable product as eco-friendly as the respondent increased with age.
| First association to sustainable product | men | women | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eco-friendly | 45% | 43% | 46% | 55% | 48% | 36% | 38% | 36% |
| human rights supported | 5% | 5% | 8% | 4% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 5% |
| high quality | 7% | 5% | 6% | 5% | 4% | 6% | 8% | 11% |
| local | 9% | 7% | 8% | 6% | 10% | 7% | 6% | 7% |
| healthy | 22% | 28% | 26% | 22% | 22% | 32% | 25% | 23% |
Table 4: First association to sustainable products by gender, age
Source: Authors
Table 5 shows absolute and relative frequencies of answers. The most frequent answer was ecological friendliness (440 respondents, 44% from all respondents). Therefore, attention will be paid to this aspect. The connection between an ecological product and its dependence on education will be tested.
| absol. freq. | relat. freq. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| sustainable product | local | 76 | |
| 8% | |||
| high quality | 61 | ||
| 6% | |||
| healthy | 251 | ||
| 25% | |||
| eco-friendly | 440 | ||
| 44% | |||
| human rights supported | 53 | ||
| 5% |
Table 5: Absolute/relative frequency – sustainable product
Source: Authors
Table 6 presents an adjusted residual of the most frequent association of a sustainable product – ecological friendliness of the products. An extremely large dependence is confirmed by the adjusted residual value 5.2. A value above 2.5 indicates an extremely large relationship between variables. On the other hand, adjusted residuals by customers with the lowest level of education report extremely negative values. Values above 2.5 confirm that the answer is not random in 95% of cases.
| Sustainable product | basic | high school w/o grad. | high school with grad. | grammar school | follow-up with grad. | follow-up study | university | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| local | count | 5 | 31 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| local | adjusted residual | 0.6 | 1.7 | 0.2 | -0.4 | -1.2 | -0.6 | -1.5 |
| high quality | count | 7 | 27 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| high quality | adjusted residual | 2.3 | 2 | 0.3 | -1.7 | -1.1 | -0.4 | -2.1 |
| healthy | count | 9 | 86 | 68 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 58 |
| healthy | adjusted residual | -1.3 | 0.7 | 1.1 | -1.2 | 1 | -0.4 | -0.5 |
| eco-friendly | count | 12 | 115 | 103 | 47 | 9 | 12 | 142 |
| eco-friendly | adjusted residual | -3 | -3.9 | -0.8 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 5.2 |
| human rights supported | count | 7 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| human rights supported | adjusted residual | 2.7 | -0.4 | -2 | 2.9 | -1 | -0.2 | -0.6 |
Table 6: Education + sustainable product
Source: Authors
5.3 Buying of sustainable product
The researchers were interested in the preferences of different genders and age groups with regards to purchasing sustainable products. More than 64% of men and women surveyed buy sustainable products at least sometimes. The tendency to search for these products is identifiable more buy younger generations.
| Buying sustainable products | men | women | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, I search for them. | 10% | 12% | 14% | 13% | 11% | 11% | 7% | 8% |
| Sometimes. | 54% | 63% | 68% | 63% | 60% | 53% | 50% | 57% |
| I do not care about it. | 36% | 26% | 18% | 24% | 29% | 36% | 43% | 35% |
Table 7: Buying sustainable products by gender and age
Source: Authors
The researchers were interested in the purchasing of a sustainable product and dependence on the level of education. Table 8 confirms dependence. P-value of the chi-squared test is in the confidence interval (P ≤ 0.05).
| Value | df | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| pearson chi-square | 21.052a | 12 | 0.05 |
Table 8: Pearson’s chi-squared test – buying sustainable product
Source: Authors
Pearson’s chi-squared test confirmed dependence of buying sustainable products on a level of education. But do consumers with a higher level of education buy sustainable products or not? The answer is not unambiguous. Table 9 shows adjusted residuals that indicate considerable dependence on the level of education because of the answer „sometimes“. In addition, the adjusted residual due to the answer „no“ is negative. It means that consumers with a high education level reject sustainable products less than consumers with a low education level. Adjusted residual of an answer „yes“ does not confirm a preference for a sustainable product by highly educated consumers. But an extremely large positive value of the answer „sometimes“, and large negative value of the answer „no“ confirm dependence on the education level of consumers for buying a sustainable product.
| basic | high school w/o grad. | high school with grad. | grammar school. | follow-up with grad. | follow-up study | university | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| buying sustainable products | yes | count | 4 | 37 | 31 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 21 |
| adjusted residual | -0.7 | 0.4 | 1.1 | -0.1 | 0.9 | -0.3 | -1.2 | ||
| sometimes | count | 24 | 173 | 142 | 61 | 11 | 11 | 160 | |
| adjusted residual | -1.7 | -2.3 | -0.2 | 1.3 | 0.5 | -1 | 2.8 | ||
| no | count | 23 | 115 | 72 | 23 | 3 | 10 | 61 | |
| no | adjusted residual | 2.3 | 2.2 | -0.5 | -1.4 | -1.2 | 1.3 | -2.2 |
Table 9: Education + buying sustainable product
Source: Authors
5.4 Identification of sustainable products
More than 70% of respondents buy at least sometimes sustainable products. How do they recognise them? Table 10 shows relative frequencies by genders, and age groups. Certificates and packaging are important for younger generation more than older. Both genders prefer certificates, as an aspect of identification.
| Identification of sustainable products | men | women | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| certificate | 51% | 59% | 69% | 67% | 51% | 55% | 45% | 43% |
| packaging | 38% | 42% | 62% | 53% | 35% | 35% | 23% | 35% |
| ingredients | 32% | 39% | 46% | 40% | 35% | 30% | 27% | 36% |
| quality | 16% | 18% | 21% | 21% | 16% | 16% | 12% | 16% |
| marketing | 8% | 7% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 8% | 4% | 5% |
Table 10: Identification of sustainable products by gender, age
Source: Authors
Pearson’s chi-squared test was applied to confirm the influence of education level on the awareness of sustainable products and which aspects are or are not significant for highly educated consumers. Respondents could answer: 1. I know it from an advertisement; 2. They have a certificate; 3. According to quality; 4. From ingredients; 5. According to packaging. P-values indicate dependence of a certificate (000), ingredients (000) and packaging (000) on education level of respondents. These free aspects of recognising were analysed by adjusted residuals.
| Value | df | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| marketing | 12.014a | 6 | 0.062 |
| certificate | 102.502a | 6 | 0 |
| quality | 4.104a | 6 | 0.663 |
| ingredients | 28.044a | 6 | 0 |
| packaging | 26.828a | 6 | 0 |
Table 11: Pearson’s chi-squared test – identification of sustainable product
Source: Authors
P-values in Table 12 indicate 3 important relationships between education and awareness of a sustainable product. Attention in Table 6 is paid to the following aspects – certificate, ingredients and packaging. Adjusted residuals of the certificate is 8.3; ingredients 3.8, and packaging 3.7 by consumers with a university level of education. Every value above 2.5 confirms extremely large dependence and is not perceived as random in 95% of cases for the whole Czech population.
| basic | high school w/o grad. | high school with grad. | grammar school. | follow-up with grad. | follow-up study | university | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| certificate | 1 | count | 16 | 130 | 125 | 61 | 11 | 17 | 189 |
| certificate | adjusted residual | -3.5 | -6.7 | -1.5 | 2 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 8.3 | |
| ingredients | 1 | count | 7 | 94 | 89 | 37 | 6 | 9 | 110 |
| ingredients | adjusted residual | -3.3 | -2.9 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0 | 0.4 | 3.8 | |
| packaging | 1 | count | 15 | 110 | 86 | 45 | 11 | 9 | 121 |
| packaging | adjusted residual | -1.6 | -2.7 | -1.7 | 1.7 | 2.1 | -0.1 | 3.7 |
Table 12: Education + identification of sustainable product
Source: Authors
In conclusion, the influence of education level is significant in the context of sustainability in retail. Tests have indicated a large dependence on education level with regard to some sustainable aspects in retail as perceived by Czech consumers. For example, selected aspects of a sustainable retailer, sustainable products or a willingness to buy sustainable products and awareness of sustainable products. Highly educated consumers perceive more aspects of sustainability and buy sustainable products more often. Education is only one part of the sociodemographic data determining marketing segments. Sustainable retailers and producers of sustainable products primarily target green consumers. But their characteristics are very different (Ginsberg 2004; Tucker et al. 2012; Jaderná et al 2018). The difference is based on their age, gender or level of education. Results presented in this paper have confirmed a presumption that the level of education influences the perception of sustainability in retail. On the other hand, significant differences between gender in perception of examined sustainable aspects is not considerable. Age, however, was a factor as there was a correlation between younger generations and a greater tendency to be interested in sustainability. This result likely stems from the fact younger people are more interested in environmental aspects, are more environmentally educated and recognise the need to save the environment for the future much more than younger generations.
6 Managerial implications
Sustainability, and all aspects of sustainability (environmental, economic, social) are part of the marketing strategy of most retailers. They save energy sources, reduce waste, support local suppliers, increase employment, organise events for society in the region, etc. Sustainability reports, or communications of CSR should strengthen their brand and help to build positive corporate identity. But, as our research shows, a consumer’s receptivity to such marketing largely depends on certain demographic factors.
Younger people, according to presented results, are more interested in sustainable aspects than older generations. Furthermore, education is key with highly educated people demonstrating a more amenable attitude toward sustainability in retail. They recognise more aspects of sustainability, buy more often sustainable products. Sustainable products for high educated people are connected to eco-friendliness, and they identify sustainable products mostly through certificates.
Therefore, it follows that, in general, younger people with high education tend to behave sustainably. Marketing communications of sustainability retail should focus on this segment to be efficient. Young people are educated for sustainability, and higher education provides them more competences in sustainable life-style. The younger generation with higher education can be the „sustainable segment“. How can a marketer communicate to this segment?
The first association with sustainable product, is eco-friendliness. Marketing managers plan their marketing communication, especially content of a message, in the context of consumers’ behaviour and perceived aspects. If ecological friendliness is the first association with sustainable product, it is necessary to reflect this information in planning phase of marketing communication. Answers to the question about most effectively identifiable aspect of sustainable products, help managers to be successful in marketing communications. Certification is very important for highly educated consumers. Thus, the ingredients used, are mostly observed by people with a high education. „Sustainable“ packaging is significant for this segment, too. On the other hand, marketing stimuli or perceived quality are preferred by lower educated consumers such as an aspect of recognition of sustainable products. Marketing managers face a decision about which aspect to communicate most often or which marketing tools to use. Based on these results, certification, information about ingredients or proper packaging can help them to attract highly educated people.
7 Conclusion
The aim of the paper was to define a marketing segment based on responses to a questionnaire where the respondents sociodemographic background: age, gender and education were taken into account. The research showed that of these age and gender played a noticeable role, though the impact varied depending on the question. Interestingly, the breakdown of answers based on gender was stable and thus concluded to be irrelevant from a marketing perspective.
The trend observed with regards to age show a strong statistical relationship between the younger age categories and interest in sustainability. Put in other terms, and in the most general sense, as the age categories rose, the consideration of sustainability in purchases decreased. A lower age also correlated strongly with associations with sustainable whether it meant ecological production, a sustainable behaviour toward employees, usage of natural sources, relationships with ecological suppliers and the sustainable behaviour toward customers. In some response categories, the responses of the two youngest groups, which meant people 18 to 34 years of age, was over half, even close to a third, thus suggesting strong identification with sustainable consumer habits.
The focus on education level yielded equally important marketing data. The chi-square analysis indicated that for the questions, the category for university educated had an adjusted residual of at least 2. From this result, it can be concluded that a higher education tends to predispose an individual toward sustainable consumer behaviour. As stated earlier, given the nature of modern education, such an outcome is to be expected. Educated people are aware of environmental causes. Moreover, they often have an income that does not preclude green products from the shopping basket.
Based on a deep literature and journal review before starting the marketing research and on results mentioned above, the authors support marketing that communicates sustainability to the highly educated and young consumers as bearing the most fruit. It can truly be said that in the context of the Czech market, the young and educated are the „sustainability segment“.
Poznámky/Notes
This paper is one of the outcomes of the grant research SGS/2019/01 Jaderná at the Department of Marketing and Management at SKODA AUTO University.
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Kľúčové slová/Key words
corporate social responsibility, green consumer, green product, sustainability, triple bottom line
společenská udržitelnost, zelený spotřebitel, zelený produkt, udržitelnost, triple bottom line
JEL klasifikácia/JEL Classification
L62, M11, M31
Résumé
Vliv úrovně vzdělání českých spotřebitelů na jejich preference udržitelných retailerů a produktů
Udržitelnost v retailu je velmi diskutovaným tématem těchto dnů. Udržitelnost se stává z vice aspektů než environmentálních. Ekonomická a sociální dimenze je zásadní pro rozvoj udržitelné společnosti. Výzkumníci se zaměřují na nové fenomény ve spotřebním chování, konkrétně na jejich tendenci vyžadovat udržitelnost. Tento článek cílí na prohloubení analýzy tohoto tématu, konkrétně identifikovat český udržitelný segment. Je mladší generace více zainteresovaná do udržitelnosti v retailu? Je pohlaví rozhodující proměnnou? A jaký vliv má úroveň vzdělání? Tento článek prezentuje výsledky dotazníkového šetření zaměřeného na vnímání udržitelných retailer a udržitelných produktů českými spotřebiteli.
Bylo posbíráno 997 dotazníků, což je možné považovat za reprezentativní vzorek respondent. Data byla interpretována pomocí frekvenčních a kontingenčních tabulek. Environmentální vzdělávání a jeho stoupající tendence zvyšuje úroveň kompetencí v rámci vnímání udržitelnosti. Závislost určených aspektů vnímání udržitelnosti na jejich vzdělání byla dále zkoumána. Šlo především o vnímání udržitelných retailer, asociace spojené s udržitelným produktem a rozpoznání udržitelných produktů v souvislosti s úrovní vzdělání. Podle výsledků šetření, úroveň vzdělání ovlivňuje vnímané atributy udržitelnosti. Mladší lidé s vyšším vzděláním mohou být udržitelným segmentem retailového trhu.
Recenzované/Reviewed
5. April 2022 / 25. May 2022











