Effect of Greenwashing on Brand Image and Buying Behaviour in Fast Fashion: A Consumer Perspective
Sinisalo, Camilla (2020)
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020110922407
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020110922407
Tiivistelmä
This research-oriented bachelor’s thesis aimed to gather knowledge about young consumers’, aged 18 to 35, reactions and perceptions of greenwashing in fast fashion advertisements. The research objective was to bring insight into how young consumers’ reactions affect brand image and consumer buying behaviour.
The thesis consists of a theoretical and an empirical section. The theory section focuses on different consumer behaviour theories, such as the buying decision process, the environmental impact of fast fashion, theories on brand equity and brand image as well as the definition of greenwashing and the use greenwashing in advertisements. The empirical section focuses on the data gathered to answer the research objective.
The study involved a quantitative online survey, which also included some open-ended qualitative questions. The survey was distributed on social media with the help of a social media influencer. The conducted survey gathered altogether 936 answers, of which 747 were used for the final analysis. The data was analysed with the SPSS statistics software.
The collected data suggested that greenwashing had a negative impact on how the respondents viewed the fast fashion brand. It also had an impact on their buying behaviour. The respondents rated the overall perception of the brand to be highly negative. Additionally, although there was an impact on the buying behaviour, many of the respondents indicated that whether they would continue to purchase from a brand or not was more due to other factors than greenwashing.
The key findings and recommendations of this study could be utilised by fashion companies and marketing professionals to understand the impact of greenwashing when designing a sustainable marketing strategy.
The thesis consists of a theoretical and an empirical section. The theory section focuses on different consumer behaviour theories, such as the buying decision process, the environmental impact of fast fashion, theories on brand equity and brand image as well as the definition of greenwashing and the use greenwashing in advertisements. The empirical section focuses on the data gathered to answer the research objective.
The study involved a quantitative online survey, which also included some open-ended qualitative questions. The survey was distributed on social media with the help of a social media influencer. The conducted survey gathered altogether 936 answers, of which 747 were used for the final analysis. The data was analysed with the SPSS statistics software.
The collected data suggested that greenwashing had a negative impact on how the respondents viewed the fast fashion brand. It also had an impact on their buying behaviour. The respondents rated the overall perception of the brand to be highly negative. Additionally, although there was an impact on the buying behaviour, many of the respondents indicated that whether they would continue to purchase from a brand or not was more due to other factors than greenwashing.
The key findings and recommendations of this study could be utilised by fashion companies and marketing professionals to understand the impact of greenwashing when designing a sustainable marketing strategy.