The Role of Corporate Social Media Practices In Influencing Sustainable Apparel Purchases
The conclusion of the Fall 2019 semester came along with quite a few final presentations and papers. A common thread throughout multiple of my courses in this semester was a focus on sustainable business. In my Marketing and Operations Fundamentals class, I spent the entirety of the semester working with a group of four other students to study the socially responsible aspects of Patagonia’s product and brand supported by the integration of their operations management and marketing. This focus on environmentally conscious business isn’t just occurring at Bentley University- every time I pick up an issue of Vogue, I find stories dedicated to highlighting the sustainable initiatives of brands like Stella McCartney. In the January 2020 issue, the editorial promises to “live more sustainably every day, in every way”. Last spring, I wrote a research paper on the negative implications of fast fashion, which can be found here. As one of the largest contributors to global pollution, I am so happy to see the fashion industry focusing intensely on modifying manufacturing practices and highlighting socially responsible designers and brands.
For this semester’s research paper, I wanted to explore how social media is playing a role in influencing the mindset consumers have surrounding sustainable apparel purchases. So without further ado…
THE ROLE OF CORPORATE SOCIAL MEDIA PRACTICES IN INFLUENCING SUSTAINABLE APPAREL PURCHASES:
The short story is: Information + Interaction +Insight = Trust = Influence. For the extended version, keep reading.
THE INTRODUCTION.
At the intersection of a technological revolution and climate crisis, our current global society has been transformed by new trends, problems, and innovations. Social media has dramatically changed the ways in which people are able to communicate by creating a more globalized world where the exchange of thoughts and ideas can travel anywhere freely and instantly. The inherent nature of social media has enabled it to echo the popular discussions occurring throughout the world, including the prominent conversation surrounding global warming. Climate change has presented itself as an urgent problem that needs addressing, and in recent years the focus on creating a more sustainable world has heightened. This paper seeks to explore the extent to which social media influences the minds of consumers by investigating the question, “how does the increased communication between socially responsible brands and their consumers through social media shape the users’ overall knowledge and attitude surrounding sustainable purchasing habits?”
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY //
TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE.
The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an area of focus in brands of various industries. CSR can be illustrated through the concept of the triple bottom line, which is the notion that firms should aim to be socially responsible by focusing on the wellbeing and work conditions of its employees (people), and should be environmentally sustainable (planet) in addition to being an economically viable business (profit). In recent years, consumers have demonstrated an increased attention to the CSR initiatives of companies they consider purchasing from. Many brands maintain a consumer - centric mindset and in turn have spent more energy highlighting the ethical practices and initiatives they support.
GLOBAL TEMPS ARE INCREASING, AND THE CONSUMER MINDSET IS CHANGING.
The issue of climate change transcends geopolitical borders. Global warming has demanded the attention of governments, corporations, NGOs, and individuals. Focus has shifted to the changes that could be made on both macro and micro levels to create a more sustainable world. This development is seen in the supply chains of many fashion and apparel companies that have evolved to incorporate more ethical materials and manufacturing practices. Consumers are beginning to transition away from frequent, inexpensive, trend-chasing “fast fashion” purchases and towards buying higher quality, timeless garments. Companies such as Patagonia, Reformation, and Everlane are just a few of the many that have focused both their operations management as well as marketing efforts on promoting a more sustainable purchasing mindset.
corporate social media.
“As corporations continue to utilize social media platforms to communicate their socially responsible initiatives, consumers will become more engaged in supporting sustainable brands, more educated about identifying the ingenuine marketing of unethical brands, and ultimately become more environmentally conscious members of society.”
The scope of marketing has changed dramatically since the introduction of digital interfaces and social media platforms. In 2019, there are there are about 3.2 billion daily active users on social media¹ . The use of social media by governments and NGOs plays a large role in educating the public about climate change, however this paper focuses on the corporate use of platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Social media has been positioned as an optimal tool for companies to inform and interact with their target market. The literature review and analysis provided in this paper will seek to test the hypothesis: As corporations continue to utilize social media platforms to communicate their socially responsible initiatives, consumers will become more engaged in supporting sustainable brands, more educated about identifying the ingenuine marketing of unethical brands, and ultimately become more environmentally conscious members of society.
A UNIQUE RESEARCH TOPIC.
Though there has been some research that begins to evaluate how the presence of corporate social responsibility narratives on social media influence the consumer’s mindset, many academics agree that the number of studies conducted on this topic is lacking. This is a relatively new area of study, as researches have only begun looking into the cerebral effects of social media over the last few years and CSR has become prioritized in many companies as of very recently. Additionally, both social media and sustainability trends are constantly changing and evolving, making it more difficult for data that was gathered five or so years ago to remain relevant. Despite the gaps in this research area, there is adequate material that evaluates the informative, transparent, interactive, and influencing characteristics of social media that can be used to evaluate the posed hypothesis.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS INFORMATIVE.
Social media makes content that informs, educates, and increases awareness around sustainable purchasing habits more accessible to the consumer. Whether a user is scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or another platform, they can expect to be exposed to various streams of information. Though users may have initially scrolled through their social media feeds with the intent of passing time or aimlessly observing content, research has shown that consumers are becoming more directed in their consumption of information through social media. In Sustainable Product Purchase: Does Information About Product Sustainability on Social Media Affect Purchase Behavior?, the researcher concludes that the results of the study “reveal that consumers’ willingness to seek sustainability-related information lead them to consider social media platforms as a key source of sustainability-related information”² . This study characterizes the sustainability information provided by social media as “detailed and enriched” and even suggests that “consumers who are willing to seek this kind of information become dependent on social media”². This dependence illustrates how social media has truly evolved into a source for consumers to search for and assess the information provided by companies regarding their CSR initiatives, which ultimately provides users with more information regarding how they can adjust their purchasing habits to support a more sustainable lifestyle.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS INTERACTIVE.
The interactive component of social media differentiates it from traditional forms of media and allows open communication between corporations and their consumers, as well as between past, present, and potential customers. As highlighted in Using Social Media for CSR Communication and Engaging Stakeholders, “companies do not only have to be socially responsible, they also need to communicate the actions they take to their target audience. The CSR actions can yield satisfactory results if they are effectively communicated to all stakeholders” ³ . The first step for companies to effectively influence the purchasing mindset of consumers is to develop an ethical operational strategy, and the next vital step is to encourage the communication of that information to and among consumers. Through the use of social media, companies have the ability to personally interact with their audience, as well as receive feedback. The conversation becomes two- way, allowing genuine discussion rather than the consumer being lectured by static brand announcements.
SOCIAL MEDIA MAKES WORD OF MOUTH DIGITAL.
Additionally, social media has created the opportunity for “word of mouth” information sharing to occur between an international network of consumers. This environment encourages users to “users create, share, and consume the product or brand-related content with the intention of educating each other about a company’s sustainable practices and its supply chain”⁴ . Social media enables consumers to express their honest opinions regarding a company’s product and brand in a very public way, whether it is through page reviews on Facebook, comments on an Instagram photo, or a post on Twitter. When consumers share their own positive experiences with sustainable products on these digital platforms, it further encourages other observing consumers to consider paying premium prices for an ethical product. Ultimately, by posting about their ethical products on social media, brands create the opportunity for more conversation and content to be generated. Whether or not they see quantitative conversions from social media campaign engagement to their own product sales, it is suggested that their contribution holistically plays a part in creating more informed and involved consumers.
SOCIAL MEDIA ENCOURAGES TRANSPARENCY.
In addition to informing and communicating with social media followers about product and brand initiatives, corporations can also use their digital presence as a tool to provide a transparent view of their supply chain and manufacturing practices. Today’s consumers investigate brands critically and thus the demand for openness and honesty from corporations has grown. This behavior has created pressure for brands to “address environmental, as well as social sustainability-related issues that their operations cause, and to adopt sustainability practices across their whole supply chain network” ².
EVERLANE // RADICAL TRANSPARENCY.
Everlane, a sustainable apparel retailer, exemplifies what it means to be a responsible brand by maintaining a mission of “Exceptional Quality. Ethical Factories. Radical Transparency”⁵. The company isn’t preaching empty statements; rather, the entire business is genuinely centered around these values which can be seen in the design and manufacturing phases of their product development as well as their pricing and distribution practices. Their website and social channels provide insight into their goals, which include maintaining a score of 90 or above for all of their factories which are “given a compliance audit to evaluate factors like fair wages, reasonable hours, and environment”⁵. The brand also provides website visitors with unique features, including cost breakdowns of their production process. Illustrating the ultimate level of transparency, the brand publishes the exact cost of the materials, labor, transport, duties, and hardware that goes into the creation of their products, and then their markup of 2-3x, which less that the traditional retailers’ markup of 5x-6x ⁵. Building on this notion of providing an explanation for precisely why customers pay premium prices for their product, Everlane also introduced their “Choose What You Pay” feature. This portion of their site features product that is available for purchase at three different prices— up to the discretion of the customer – but with varying levels of support for overhead and product development costs⁶. Both of these e-commerce elements differentiate the brand as one that truly values offering honest information to help educate their audience. Digital platforms have proven to be the ideal interface for presenting consumers with authentic insight into brand processes which ultimately yields a more educated and environmentally aware market.
SOCIAL MEDIA CREATES TRUST.
The insightful information and interaction that sustainable brands share through social media ultimately leads to a more trusting consumer base, which is a vital component of a company’s success. Sustainably manufactured products are usually sold at a premium price point, typically resulting from a combination of higher quality materials, higher wages for factory workers, and more funding allocated to research and development. When consumers are first exposed to these ethically produced products, they may be hesitant to spend more money on something that they don’t know a lot about. In these situations, maintaining a corporate social media presence becomes essential for the brand’s success. In addition to a company’s efforts to educate and interact honestly with their consumers, “affirmative statements with respect to sustainability features from former, actual, or potential consumers via social media on the basis of a belief in or expectation of the product’s sustainability-related performance”² increases the consumer’s trust in the product.
X GREENWASHING X.
Positive word of mouth also aids in mitigating the consumer’s skepticism surrounding the whether a brand’s claims of being sustainable and ethical are authentic, or if they are instead greenwashing. The issue of greenwashing has developed in parallel linearity with the increased demand for environmentally conscious products. While some brands have made dramatic and tangible changes to become more ethical, others have made little or no adjustments to their processes and instead make unsubstantiated claims of sustainable practices simply for the sake of customer appeal. Consumers can turn to social media to reference a brand or product and engage in conversation with previous purchasers, helping them steer clear of potential greenwashing situations. When social media is utilized as a community to exchange thoughts and insight, it proves to be a powerful tool for both sustainable companies and consumers.
THE FINDINGS.
When companies use social media to inform, interact with, and offer insight about their ethical missions to their audience, consumer purchasing habits will shift to favor sustainable brands. This is based on the theory of planned behavior, which predicts that “cognitions affect behavioral intentions and subsequent behavior and these cognitions are affected by media exposure”⁷. Studies can use this theory to evaluate how attitudes surrounding sustainable apparel buying decisions are influenced by digital content.
THE EVIDENCE.
An online survey of social media users in Pakistan returned data indicating “that social media has developed as an anchor point on the internet⁸ for sustainability-related information sharing and, in turn, has the ability to influence consumers’ intention to purchase”². Wang’s online survey was performed on a group that represents users in a developing country, and an additional survey performed on a test group in Germany displays that users in developed countries are influenced by digital platforms in a similar way. Results show that as of 2014, “information on social media [had] already influenced the purchase decision of more than 6% of German customers”⁹. As the information made accessible through social media continues to influence users, digital platforms have become an essential source for learning about environment-related issues. The researchers also found that “it is possible to interpret users’ proneness to negative and positive WOM on social media as exhibiting a stronger commitment to sustainability and, therefore, a higher likelihood to purchase sustainable products”². This conclusion highlights how an increase in trust amongst consumers does legitimately influence their buying habits.
A survey conducted in 2013 on college aged participants stated similar findings, with results showing a positive correlation between participants’ knowledge of their ability to impact the environment through their purchasing behavior and their “intention to purchase sustainable apparel”⁷. As consumers become more educated on the issue of climate change as well as learn about the actions being taken by sustainable brands to reduce the environmental harm of the fashion industry, they become increasingly supportive of purchasing ethical product.
THE CONCLUSION.
The analysis of the research performed in the area of social media, sustainability, and consumer purchasing behaviors ultimately supports and accepts the hypothesis that the utilization of social media platforms by socially responsible corporations will positively influence the sustainable product purchasing habits of consumers. These conclusions pertain specifically to socially responsible brands and do not apply to all corporations that use social media. There is potential for future research surrounding situations when a brand is practicing unethical behavior or greenwashing and is held accountable by social media users, which would provide more insight into how negative word of mouth may ultimately create change within brands to become more responsible.
THE REFERENCES.
¹Mohsin, Maryam. “10 Social Media Statistics You Need to Know in 2019 [Infographic].”
²Saeed, M.A., Farooq, A., Kersten, W. et al. “Sustainable product purchase: does information about product sustainability on social media affect purchase behavior?.” (2019)
³ Ali, Imran & Jimenez-Zarco, Ana & Bicho, Marta. Using Social Media for CSR Communication and Engaging Stakeholders. (2015).
⁴Eric W.T. Ngai, Spencer S.C. Tao, and Karen K.L. Moon. Social media research: Theories, constructs, and conceptual frameworks, International Journal of Information Management. Volume 35, Issue 1, 2015, Pages 33-44.
⁵“We Believe We Can All Make a Difference”. Everlane.com/about. 2019
⁶“Choose What You Pay”. Everlane.com/collections. 2019
⁷de Lenne, Orpha & Vandenbosch, Laura. “Media and sustainable apparel buying intention.” Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management. (2017).
⁸Yanbo Wang, Qingfei Min, and Shengnan Han. Understanding the effects of trust and risk on individual behavior toward social media platforms: A meta-analysis of the empirical evidence, Computers in Human Behavior. Volume 56, 2016. Pages 34-44.
⁹Berger, R. Socialize Your Business: Ten Things Executives Should Know About Digitalization and Beyond”. Roland Berger Strategic Consultants. Munich. 2014.