Impact of Sustainability Marketing: An Empirical Study on Consumers’ Perception and Attitudes towards Bio Plastic Coffee Cups in Thailand

Abstract

Sustainability marketing has recently been a prominent strategy in many industries and sectors worldwide, including Thailand. This study has been conducted through empirical study of bio plastic coffee cup usage in a coffee shop in Thailand, namely Café Amazon. The purpose of this research was to study (1) consumers’ perception towards bio plastic coffee cups. (2) consumers’ attitudes towards bio plastic coffee cups. (3) determinants on bio plastic coffee cup promotion . Data were collected inside the shops from 400 samples who were the customers of Café Amazon coffee shops in Bangkok. Conceptual framework were constructed from three key dimensions of perception process (stimulus, senses and response) and three keys factors of attitudes (affective, cognitive and behavioral factors) towards bio plastic coffee cups. Result showed that consumers expose to the bio plastic coffee cup’s stimulus and sense the message of them in a moderate level, but response actively in a high level. For the attitudinal factors, it was noted that consumers had some certain knowledge about the bio plastic cups and their benefits to consumers and the environment, felt positively about it and showed a supportive behavior to bio plastic coffee cup usage. Different gender, occupation and income level factors affected consumers perception and attitudes differently. To promote bio plastic coffee cup usage, marketers should design the different theme of communication upon segments of different genders, occupation and income groups, but kept the central message on the benefit that each person could help the world.