Some studies show that people want to believe that the products they buy support their values. Other studies found the opposite and even dismissed the idea of the ethical consumer. However, a review of existing research on consumer morality identified weaknesses in how previous studies assessed morality. As a result, a recent study tested a new way of consumer morality and found that morality does matter but that consumers interpret morality differently from researchers.

Research on Consumer Morality

An attitude-based approach makes it possible to identify what consumers view as a moral decision or not. Research found that getting people to self-perceive their own attitudes about a product based on morality makes them more likely to purchase it. Furthermore, the more moral a person perceived a product to be, the more likely they were to consider buying it, regardless of how well the product was reviewed.

Disentangling Morality From Dislike

Consumers care about morality and reliably act on it. Positioning products in ways that support a consumer's sense of morality may potentially be an effective form of motivating consumer behaviour. Research shows that people hold morally based attitudes towards many unlikely products, such as refrigerators. Therefore, it is important to learn how different consumer segments differentially moralise the same products or attributes.

Marketing on Morality

New research shows that morality matters—but it’s in the eye of the beholder.

Disentangling Morality From Dislike

Similar ideas to Disentangling Morality From Dislike

Scheduling motivation

The Psychology Of Color: Research Findings

Analyze each person’s personality