Consumers are put in the driver seat on the road to a sustainable development. Following a consumer-centric approach, this paper explores the dimensionality and the antecedents of responsible consumption from a psychological perspective. Concerning the dimensionality, the study proposes that responsible consumption should comprise a societal as well as an individual dimension. The data (N = 339) supported this two-dimensional approach, differentiating between societal responsibilities of consumers (doing good) and consumers’ responsibilities for their personal well-being (doing well). Moreover, the results indicate that both consumer awareness and sustainability-focused value orientation have a direct positive influence on responsible consumer behavior. In addition, the hypothesized mediating role of consumer awareness is confirmed, with mediations for societal or personal responsible consumer behavior by the respective consumer awareness dimension. Consequently, it is crucial for organizations to flank their sustainable offers with appropriate communication activities in order to motivate consumers to engage in more responsible consumption.
Anja Buerke untersucht, wie der Kauf nachhaltiger Produkte im Lebensmitteleinzelhandel gefördert werden kann, da trotz steigender Umsätze nachhaltiger Produkte Bio- und Fair Trade-Lebensmittel noch immer eine Marktnische darstellen. Sie betrachtet Determinanten und Wirkungen von Consumer Confusion am Point of Sale beim Kauf nachhaltiger Produkte und zeigt auf, inwieweit die Produkte selbst sowie die Gestaltung der Verkaufsstätte zur Consumer Confusion führen können. Darauf aufbauend werden konkrete Ansatzpunkte abgeleitet, wie Hersteller und Händler die Consumer Confusion reduzieren können.