The Influence of General Sustainability Attitudes and Value Congruence on Consumer Behavior

Sustainability has become a strategic focus within many modern organizations. This is largely attributed to increased public awareness and changes in consumer behavior. One recent trend, `ethical consumerism (EC),' occurs when consumers purchase the goods and services from businesses that share their values. In response, many businesses are adopting `causerelated marketing (CRM)' campaigns to attract and retain customers who regularly engage in EC. Sustainability reporting has been identified as method of CRM capable of attracting and retaining consumers who value sustainability. To investigate this phenomenon we conducted a lab experiment designed to measure consumer behavior (loyalty and purchase intentions) based on the alignment of individual consumer values and organizational values (value congruence). The results of our study suggest (a) general attitudes toward sustainability (GATS) positively and significantly influence value congruence (VC), and (b) VC positively and significantly influences consumer behavior (loyalty and purchase intention).