The meeting of generation D and fairtrade companies : A study on the consumption behaviour of young swedish women and their characteristics

Abstract: Young people, born in the 1990s, are pictured by the society as individuals who are connected and who tend to put their physical moments besides. Only a few studies have been carried out to understand how they feel and why they act as they do. The purpose of this study was to understand the consumption behaviour and the characteristics of a new generation: Generation D, in order to reach them efficiently with fairer market alternatives. This research seeks to address the following questions: 1.Who are the people representing Generation D? 2.What is sustainable, what is fair? 3.How should the relationship between the generation and fair-trade brands look like? We found out, with the help of the empirical findings and the analysis, that a company needs to take into account two main characteristics to target this generation. We noticed that social media have a real impact on the people from this generation. This generation grew up with the development of the technological world; the internet is part of their life. We noticed that social media might influence the self-esteem of this individuals, they tend to compare their life to others. However, social media are one of their main channels of communication. We also found out that the individuals who are part of this generation are looking for meaningful actions. They want to be useful and help our society by protecting the environment or social rights. To be able to reach the people from this generation, companies need to use social media to communicate with them and focus on the understanding of the true feelings of these individuals. They need to establish an honest relationship. This thesis might be valuable for companies who want to target young generations and reach them efficiently. They need to understand the true feelings of their target group and rethink marketing strategies to differentiate themselves from the jungle of competitors. Marketers can also use our synthesis of the theoretical framework and apply it to their segment. Lastly, this study helps in raising awareness regarding the effects of using the internet and regarding the expression of oneself.