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Sustainable Retailing & Brand Management
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Sustainable Retailing & Brand Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 27265

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Lisa McNeill

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marketing, Otago Business School, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Interests: consumer behaviour; consumption; sustainability; manufacturing and retail; fashion consumption; consumer decision-making
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The problematic environmental effects of manufacture and consumption worldwide are well documented. There is a growing movement toward more sustainable forms of production and consumption in almost all industries, with an emphasis on challenging our notions of equilibrium in the use of global resources. In an environment of such change, those who sit between the producer and consumer are forced to re-evaluate their role in the consumption channel. As such, retailers of products and services must consider the tension between a drive towards a more circular economy and the need to remain competitive and profitable.

The spending power of the ‘green dollar’ demographic is increasing, as is the number of consumers embracing a ‘slow consumption’ ethos. Organizations which offer ethically and cleanly produced products, or those which encourage waste minimization and reduction in consumption volumes, are the poster-children of this movement. However, these organizations are still outnumbered by those which offer traditional goods and services, and critics argue that everyday consumption practices are hidden by overtly publicized single acts of conscious consumption. To address routine consumption practices, it is critical that strategies of the retailer and brand manager are examined, alongside those of producers.

This Special Issue thus focuses on retailing and sustainability of goods, services, and brands, with an intent to better understand the intersection between sustainable attitude and action when it comes to consumption. Submissions that include a view of sustainability in the context of everyday life are encouraged, as are papers that examine policy for, and implementation of, sustainable retailing and brand management practices in consumer industries.

Assoc. Prof. Lisa McNeill
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability
  • retailing
  • brand management
  • consumption
  • channel management
  • services

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1061 KiB  
Article
Is Price an Indicator of Garment Durability and Longevity?
by Sarah Wakes, Linda Dunn, Dahna Penty, Kayla Kitson and Tim Jowett
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 8906; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218906 - 27 Oct 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5234
Abstract
Increasing focus on the sustainability of clothing has highlighted issues such as “fast fashion”, impacts of laundering, durability, perceptions and expectations of wear and quality. The general consensus is that low-price garments (usually “fast fashion”) are of low quality, low durability to laundering [...] Read more.
Increasing focus on the sustainability of clothing has highlighted issues such as “fast fashion”, impacts of laundering, durability, perceptions and expectations of wear and quality. The general consensus is that low-price garments (usually “fast fashion”) are of low quality, low durability to laundering and are therefore more likely to be disposed of after minimal wears. The aim of this research is therefore to explore the relationship between price, perception of quality, frequency of laundering and durability to laundering of a common garment. Physical experiments on black T-shirts was undertaken to determine whether the price of a garment determines its quality in terms of durability to laundering; and a survey was conducted on perceptions of whether the quality of a garment is tied to its price. Price was found to not be a good indicator of physical performance, especially when it is lower. The two highest-priced T-shirts experienced the least change and this was attributed to better-quality fabric and construction. Participants expected more durability and higher quality as the price of the T-shirt increased and expectations were mostly pessimistic of garment performance to laundering compared to the actual performance compared against theoretically acceptable changes in garment dimension. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Retailing & Brand Management)
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16 pages, 2130 KiB  
Article
Impacts of the BOPS Option on Sustainable Retailing
by Yi He, Qianqian Xu and Da Zhao
Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8600; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208600 - 16 Oct 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2658
Abstract
This paper focuses on the value of an omnichannel retailing option, Buy-Online-and-Pick-up-in-Store (BOPS), in reducing environmental impact. Analytical models were established to explore the impacts of the BOPS strategy on the pricing and expected profit of the dual-channel retailer as well as the [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on the value of an omnichannel retailing option, Buy-Online-and-Pick-up-in-Store (BOPS), in reducing environmental impact. Analytical models were established to explore the impacts of the BOPS strategy on the pricing and expected profit of the dual-channel retailer as well as the environment. The equilibrium solutions under dual-channel and omnichannel scenarios were obtained. Then, we considered the impact of loyal store consumers in the extended model. We find that the retailer will increase the product price after adopting the BOPS strategy. Our analytical results also show that when the operating cost of the BOPS strategy is relatively low, the total demand under the omnichannel scenario is greater than that under the dual-channel scenario and vice versa. In addition, this strategy can always reduce the environmental impact in terms of the pure online demand. Finally, when the operating cost is lower and the fraction of consumers without channel preference is higher, the retailer can benefit from the BOPS strategy. In this case, the BOPS strategy can achieve profit improvement and environmental impact reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Retailing & Brand Management)
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15 pages, 884 KiB  
Article
Click to Buy: The Impact of Retail Credit on Over-Consumption in the Online Environment
by Lauren Ah Fook and Lisa McNeill
Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7322; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187322 - 7 Sep 2020
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 15154
Abstract
There is growing concern that worldwide cultures of consumption have had detrimental consequences for individual wellbeing and sustainability of the environment. The term “overconsumption” exemplifies the tension between mutually beneficial producer–consumer exchange and the damaging effects of excess. In search of a pathway [...] Read more.
There is growing concern that worldwide cultures of consumption have had detrimental consequences for individual wellbeing and sustainability of the environment. The term “overconsumption” exemplifies the tension between mutually beneficial producer–consumer exchange and the damaging effects of excess. In search of a pathway toward reducing overconsumption practise, sustainability literature is often interested in better understanding not only why overconsumption occurs, but what facilitates it in particular consumer markets. Young adults are one group of consumers where transitioning identities and lifestyles see impulsive consumption of goods that are often termed “non-essential”, such as fashion and apparel products. This study explores the impact of a set of impulse enabling financial tools (buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) credit schemes) on impulse buying tendency in an online fashion shopping context, for young adult female consumers. The paper contributes a consumer perspective on the impact of BNPL on unsustainable consumption behaviour in the online retail setting, which the literature currently lacks, by considering consumers’ impulse buying tendencies in such a setting. Findings demonstrate that BNPL users have a higher online impulse buying tendency than those who do not use BNPL, and a clear link is identified between online impulse buying tendency and sales conversion tool sensitivity, thus promoting overconsumption in this setting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Retailing & Brand Management)
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16 pages, 299 KiB  
Article
Sustainability Governance Mechanisms in Supply Chains: An Application in the Retail Sector
by Jesús Morcillo-Bellido and Alfonso Duran-Heras
Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6911; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176911 - 25 Aug 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3290
Abstract
This study analyzes supply chain sustainability governance mechanisms, and their characterization, typology, adoption and relationship with the overall level of sustainability in the supply chain, and with the adopting firm’s competitive strategy. It is a case-based study conducted in the Spanish retail sector. [...] Read more.
This study analyzes supply chain sustainability governance mechanisms, and their characterization, typology, adoption and relationship with the overall level of sustainability in the supply chain, and with the adopting firm’s competitive strategy. It is a case-based study conducted in the Spanish retail sector. A representative set of mechanisms is identified, and both their theoretical background and their degree of practical adoption is established. These mechanisms are then characterized in terms of several traits regarding either the mechanisms themselves or the way they are adopted both by the focal company (internal view) and by its suppliers (external view) in each of the cases. Results suggest that mechanisms might be classified into either ‘enablers’, which increasingly constitute a prerequisite for achieving acceptable levels of sustainability, and ‘differentiators’, which can potentially confer sustainable strategic advantages. Actually, achieving these advantages, however, seems contingent on the additional attainment of a comprehensive ‘depth’ in the implementation of an integrated set of mechanisms of both types, both internally within the focal company and throughout the whole supply chain, as measured by the traits proposed in the study. Furthermore, the concept of ‘circular improvement models’ for sustainable supply chains, akin to Total Quality Management models, is proposed by the authors. The resulting model encompassing enabling and differentiating governance mechanisms could guide the self-evaluation and improvement plans of companies aiming to improve their supply chains sustainability; further guidance on ‘deep adoption’ comprehensive strategies and on the potential for self-reinforcing continuous improvement in sustainability beyond a certain threshold are provided by the study’s conclusions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Retailing & Brand Management)
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