The effect of climate change on Durban Consumers' buying behaviour.
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Date
2011
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Abstract
The green market is now one of the biggest markets in the world and green
marketing is one of the major trends in modern business. This is a chance for
businesses to take advantage of this opportunity by providing environmental
solutions whilst at the same time contributing towards reducing the carbon
footprint. To effectively achieve this, green manufacturers and marketers need to
understand the perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of consumers towards
green products and the factors that encourage and discourage their green
purchases. Hence this study attempts to understand Durban’s consumers in this
regard to enable local businesses to develop strategies around green product
design, development, marketing and sales. The research objectives and
questions were answered by sampling 450 consumers in Durban. A convenience
sampling design was used as an appropriate sample frame could not be
identified. This imposed a limitation on the study in that the findings cannot be
generalized to the total population. The study found that 96% of respondents
believed that climate change existed and 87% believed that it was having a major
impact on the planet. Nevertheless, environmental issues did not weigh heavily in
the buying decisions of the respondents. Instead quality and cost were the main
factors. However, the study identified a significant market for green cars whilst a
significant number of respondents were willing to pay a premium for green
products. Furthermore, the respondents indicated that eco-labeling of products
would encourage them to buy more green products. Moreover, the study found
that green marketers should target the White female segment of the market as
they were most conscious of environmental issues. It was also recommended
that the pricing of green products needs to be more competitive, green products
need to be promoted as the norm and not the exception, and consumers need to
be educated to go green. Government, consumers and industry all need to work
together to ensure the sustainability of the planet.
Description
Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.
Keywords
Consumer behaviour--Environmental aspects--KwaZulu-Natal--Durban., Commercial products--Environmental aspects--KwaZulu-Natal--Durban., Climatic changes--Environmental aspects--KwaZulu-Natal--Durban., Theses--Business administration.