A Reflection by
Arguably, the consumer is one of the important factors to be considered in marketing, producing, or manufacturing a product. Actually, consumers come from various regions in the world, whose values, ethics, norms, and culture vary tremendously. Some consumers are more focused on issues of environmental and social ethics more than concentrating on the product or service. The primary message that the author is sending to the reader is based on the understanding of the consumer behavior. The author tries to draw a correlation between consumers’ values and product value. In fact, the author focuses more on the ethical issues related to consumer behavior which may affect the decision of the consumer on whether to purchase the product or not. Hence, the readers need to understand the values that may influence the purchasing behaviors in the market place.
The author is passing information to producers and marketers on ethical issues that influence the consumer. The main intended audiences include shoppers, consumers and marketers, in that it is crucial for them to comprehend the value of CSR (corporate social responsibility) to the consumer, especially on the increasing trends of ethical consumer. The message is being send to the audience so as to inform them on the purchasing decisions in the market place, for example, whether it is based on the ethical and social positioning of the product in the market.
The author has evidently elaborated on various issues that compare values and value in the market. Consumers have become complex in choosing the products available in the market. For example, research shows that products have been rated in the market based on either it is environmentally good, and practices that are used in manufacturing it. These practices are analyzed if it aligns with the values. Additionally, the author asserts that the average consumer demands ethical products such as certified chocolate and coffee, certified garments, cosmetics without animal tests, as well as services and products that are made using sustainable technologies. Moreover, the author claims that consumers bring in values and beliefs into purchasing decisions. There are many practices that are considered to pay a huge role in purchasing decisions in an ethical consumerism environment. These issues include good practices that involve the environment, intellectual property, and labor, which are all important to the society. The author in elaborating the values versus value in the market asserts that the consumers alone should not be responsible in observing the good practices. Other stakeholders such as the law, the competitive market, the companies and the overall system should be involved ion taking responsibility. Such responsibilities include environmental protection, advertisement, and consumer protection issues. Another evidence from the author is that m any people in the market arena will not sacrifice the function of the product for ethical reasons. In fact, individuals tend to go for a good product function, regardless of it being bad ethical.
Undeniably, the emergence and development of ethical consumerism will take a long way to becoming a reality. Today, consumers take into consideration the ethical and social aspect of their care on organizations CSR and purchasing behavior, yet they do not consider paying high prices. With these trends in the market, there is a possibility of social consumption in the near future. In fact, on the Internet and social media has become an informative source to the consumer. Moreover, the integration of technology in production and marketing goes much far to influencing the ethical consumerism. Therefore, social consumption today has become a hopeful skill.
The author has comprehensively conveyed the message to the audience. Certainly, the author has clear show the correlation between the values and value in the society today. In fact, the author has shown how ethical issues can affect the purchasing behavior of the consumer. The reader benefits tremendously from the author's information. This is because the reader gets to understand various aspects that affect consumer-purchasing behavior. Generally, consumers need to participate and become knowledgeable on market issues. This will enable them have information on health, environmental and social benefits of the products and services they consume.
