Consumers are more willing to pay a premium for sustainable products they find ‘enjoyable and appealing’, a new study by the University of Eastern Finland has suggested.
According to the study, which was published in Forest Policy and Economics, consumers’ ‘sustainable consumption values, hedonic attitudes emphasising enjoyment, and utilitarian attitudes emphasising practical benefits’ influence their willingness to pay more for sustainable products.
‘Positive experiences’
“Consumers who value sustainable consumption are more willing to pay a premium, particularly when a product offers positive emotional and user experiences,” commented Jyri Hoffrén, doctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland. “Enjoyment helps translate sustainability values into actual consumption behaviour.”
However, a focus on practical considerations such as price, functionality, efficiency and economic benefits can weaken the relationship between sustainability values and willingness to pay a premium, the study found.
“This finding helps explain the value-behaviour gap. Consumers may consider sustainability important but decide not to buy a product if its price, practicality or perceived benefits fail to meet their expectations.”
Value-behaviour gap
The researchers said this helps explain the sustainability value-behaviour gap, where “consumers may consider environmental issues important but decide against purchasing a product if its price, practicality or perceived benefits do not meet their expectations,” Hoffrén added.
According to the study, environmental credentials alone do not guarantee that consumers would be willing to pay more for sustainable products, with the researchers stating that environmental claims need to be supported by functional and experiential attributes.
“Companies should consider sustainability as part of a product’s overall value,” said Hoffrén.
“If product marketing emphasises enjoyment without genuine experiential benefits, it may lose credibility. For utilitarian products, consumers are also quick to scrutinise whether the environmental benefits are genuine.”
The full study, Consumers’ hedonic and utilitarian attitudes toward sustainable products: Implications for the sustainability value-behavior gap and wood-based bioproducts, can be found here.
