‘More consumers shop from retailers who offer sustainable options’

Most consumers tend to shop from the retailer who offers a wider assortment of sustainable options in-store, suggests a recent report.

According to NielsenIQ’s recent ‘The Changing Climate of Sustainability‘ report, almost 80 per cent of global consumers said they would be swayed to shop from a particular retailer if they offered a wider assortment of sustainable options in-store.

About 50 per cent are taking their own shopping bags when shopping at the supermarket though 20 per cent struggle to find sustainable products on the shelf.

Shopping for grocery products in a sustainable way is now more difficult for 22 per cent of consumers, in comparison to just 16 per cent five years ago, new research shows.

For 41 per cent of global consumers, cost is the main barrier in shopping more sustainably, while 35 per cent said that access stopped them from doing so and 26 per cent agreed this was due to a lack of clarity.

However despite these challanges, 55 per cent of UK shoppers agree that living this way is important to society and 18 per cent say this is important to their daily lives.

Sustainability was also found to be more important to 61 per cent of consumers than it was two years ago.

The report further states that 76 per cent of consumers are calling out for companies to take initiative to reduce their environmental footprint, while 78 per cent say companies should be mandated to give full transparency into their supply chain to allow shoppers to make informed decisions.

“Consumers want help to live and consume in a sustainable way that aligns with other daily pressures. It’s critical to note that they also think that the responsibility to lead sustainability lies with retailers and manufacturers,” NielsenIQ vice president global throught leadership, Nicole Corbett said.

“We are now at a tipping point, where companies that have been proactive and genuine about climate action will be at a massive advantage as industries scramble to meet requirements and mandated sustainable efforts.”

“Businesses will look for easy wins in the short-term but the game changer is the requirement to report and validate their footprint of emissions and resource use across their whole value chain. This will require a long-term shift and for many a departure from how they currently operate.”