Organic food: analysis of sustainable consumer behaviour and corporate strategy

Abstract

The evolution towards a more sustainable society has been producing a real paradigmatic change in the way consumers perceive products they habitually purchase and consequently in the way companies conceive and communicate these products. The food domain has been showing the main change signals with a relentless growth of the organic branch, object of the research. In fact, notwithstanding the still existing barriers to consumption, it may be however inferred an increasing inclination towards organic food consumption, for someone encouraged by the Covid-19 pandemics. Aim of the study was, by means of an empirical research, testing the environmental concern of participants and consequently trying to map the consumption behavioural path using theories of current literature like the renowned Theory of Planned Behaviour for what concerns the rationality front, as well as in terms of automatic behaviour, for then providing potential insights for a marketing strategy. Finally, the case of a famous company operating within the organic food industry has been analysed, to come full circle and have a company’s point of view on how to face and overcome frictions coming from consumers’ perceptions and expectations by employing different marketing tools and how they were able to generate value and competitive advantage from the embodiment of sustainability principles into the corporate strategy. That is the clear exemplification of the extent to which companies no longer see profit as main goal but rather understand that the process of value creation inevitably passes through stakeholders’ satisfaction.