THE FUTURE OF E-COMMERCE MARKETING IN THE AGE OF SUSTAINABLE AND ETHICAL CONSUMERISM

Abstract

This research aims at examining the impact of sustainable and ethical e-commerce marketing approach with an emphasis on getting insights on the impact of transparency, sustainability and the supply chain-evaluate on the consumers’ purchasing behaviour. Based on the Diffusion of Innovation Theory and SVAB Model, the present study investigated consumers’ perception and intentions to engage in ethical marketing practices. A quantitative research design was adopted in this study, an online structured questionnaire, with 253 participants being conveniently sampled. The analytical tools of the study included the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software that facilitated a search for trends, correlations and consumer preferences. Originally, convenience sampling helped to collect data with fewer hurdles, but it inherent biased connected with respondents’ availability and readiness to complete the survey that bound the study’s conclusions by these flaws. These findings indicate consumers have a high sensitivity to ethical issues such as waste disposal and child labour and thus seek to purchase products from milk brands that uphold environmental and ethical business practices in packaging and supply-chain respectively. It also improves the trustworthiness of the brand, the loyalty of the consumers, and the competitive advantage in the marketplace. Nevertheless, given the foregoing limitations, such as the use of self- administered questionnaires, the study carries important implications for businesses, policymakers and researchers. Therefore, it underlines the necessity of cooperation to enhance sustainable e-commerce practices and suggests the implementation of further research based on various methodologies alongside more geographical samples for further confirmation of the research results.