Pro-Social Consumption Behavior - Consumer Approaches to Organic and Cause-Related Products

Abstract: The market for pro-social product offerings is growing rapidly. In 2012, several Swedish brands included organic and cause-related products in their assortments and marketed them heavily. Consumers today are increasingly demanding products allowing them to decrease their negative impact or increase their positive impact on nature and society. The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate how different consumer types approach the purchase of a pro-social product, in terms of their product categorization, the consumer value they seek in the purchase, their product attitudes and purchase intentions. The study takes on a cross-sectional design and is performed on 175 participants, segmented into three groups based on their values and attitudes towards pro-social consumption behavior, as well as their actual consumption behavior. The results indicate there are significant differences between segments in their approach to pro-social products, which affects how they evaluate the product and make their purchasing decision. These insights will help marketing practitioners better adapt their marketing strategies for pro-social offerings to the segment they target.