Increasing Revenue For ShopHere Through Ethical Consumerism Essay.

The aim of this research is to increase the revenue of ShopHere

• To find out the behaviors of the customers on purchase of ethical products
• To speculate the reason why the customers want to buy ethical products
• To excavate the demarcation criteria between the ethical and non-ethical products
• To assess whether the products purchased by the customers meet the bottom line of environmental, social and economic parameters
• To ensure that the products, which the consumers are buying, would increase the revenue of ShopHere

Ethics is such a parameter, which enhances the reputation and brand image of companies and organizations. Moreover, ethics helps the personnel to achieve loyalty, trust and dependence from the customers. Thinking of the customers, prior to the production, is an example of oriental approach towards marketing (Arli and Andre 2017). Conducting marketing mix for the newly launched products is also an example of planned approach towards increasing the revenue and profit margin. Consumer ethics is one of an important issue, which the personnel need to adhere for stabilizing their position within the competitive ambience of the market. If the personnel expose selfish attitude for securing their seat, it deprives the customers from possessing quality and branded products. This is against consumer ethics (Carrington et al. 2014).

Ethical consumerism is a practice, where purchases are done through the means of taking stance towards buying the ethical products and boycotting the company based purchases. The negative aspect reflects the intellectual thinking of the customers regarding buying the products after thorough review and plans of the products, which are in demand in the market. These plans negate the aspect of affirming the decisions of the company. Aligning with the case scenario, the managers of ShopHere, decided to manufacture ethically sourced products (Chun 2016). The major drive behind this is to meet the demands of the clothing lines. Taking this decision after the scandalous issues and boycott by the consumers reflects lack of oriental approach towards marketing.

Customers expose different behaviors purchasing the required products. Here, prior experience plays an important role. Prior experience results in negation of the suggestions offered by the peers and relatives for buying a product, example cloth. On the contrary, these suggestions are important for the customers, who are buying the products of a particular brand from the first time. Differentiation exists in this segment also. The major drive behind this is the social media, which has eased the task of the customers in terms of selecting a brand or switching over a brand (Crane 2016). The opinions of the customers are mixed regarding the social media marketing adopted by different brands for expansion of their business. Some of the customers just blindly follow the advertised contents while some others apply their rational thinking for taking appropriate decisions in terms of making purchases according to the needs, demands and requirements. Application of rational thinking brings behavioral theory to the discussion. Countering this, maturity is the most important component, which is expected from both the customers and the personnel. Maturity in terms of satisfying the needs of the customers projects the ethical means to marketing (Davies and Sabrina 2016). On the other hand, instigating the customers to indulge in wrong methods for making purchases reflects the indulgence of the personnel into unethical marketing practices. In this aspect also, there are segments into the wise and the customers, who lack the basic understanding about the steps undertaken by the personnel to sell the products like clothes.

Research Objectives

According to the arguments of Moser (2015), the greener vision of the ethical products gains importance. Countering this, the article bears resemblance with bottom line of the environmental parameter. Herein lays the effectiveness of the word, “green”. Rational thinking in this direction can be perceived from the customers as well as the personnel’s’ side. In case of the personnel, it is the responsibility to adopt solid waste management techniques for ensuring the wellbeing of the customers. On the other hand, for the customers, it is the adherence to the environmental directives for maintaining the cleanliness of the environment.

As per the opinions of Palihawadana et al. (2016), ideologies and perceptions attain more preference. The thread, which ties the ideologies and perception, is the CSR activities, which the companies and organizations perform for enhancing their brand image. Conducting social work would enhance the reputation of ShopHere. Application of innovative thinking in the execution of these activities would redefine the conception of the customers towards the brand. This would enable them to undertake positive stance regarding the business activities.

Papaoikonomou et al. (2016) are of the opinion that the personnel need to create strong identity of the customers. This can be done through the means of providing quality goods and products. For this, providing ample opportunities to the customers for self-introspection is an effective option in this direction. For this, surveys and feedbacks can be adopted.

Customers possess the desire of buying the products, which are ethical or are greener. As a matter of specification, these are the products, which are certified and clinically proven. These tests ensure the quality of the products and are enough for achieving the satisfaction of the customers (Dootson et al. 2016). Sourcing quality cotton for the producing quality clothes is one of the mentionable steps, which ShopHere has taken for providing quality clothes to the customers. One of the other steps, which ShopHere has taken is abandoning the use of fur for producing clothes. Conscious and oriental approach towards strengthening the supply chain reflects the professionals’ thought towards the wellbeing of the customers. Moreover, this thought reflects the inner essence of “ethics”.

In business terminology, ethical products are those, which are certified and are clinically proven for ensuring its quality. Here regular tests are conducted in the laboratory by quality specialists. The results of these tests are analyzed for assessing the impact of these tests on the needs, demands and requirements of the customers (Dootson et al. 2016). On the contrary, non-ethical products are those, which are adulterated and possess high tendency for increasing the health hazards of the customers. Delving deep into the buying behavior of the customers, ethical products gain more preference than the non-ethical products. The major drive behind this is the desire to possess quality products.

Summary Table of the Articles

This difference can be perceived from advertising as an example. Keeping in mind the needs, demands and requirements of the customers is a typical example of advertising for the ethical products. Specific example can be given of portraying obscene images of women for advertising the newly launched clothes (Ghvanidze and Velikova 2016). This example is against the consumer ethics, as it destroys the self-respect of the customers, especially the women. Spontaneous modification is an efficient means to restore the lost loyalty, trust and dependence. On the contrary, exposing lackadaisical attitude would prove disastrous for ShopHere in terms of selling the manufactured products.

On the other hand, highlighting the specifications of the cloth, especially the material and its durability can be accounted within the criterion of ethical advertising. The material of the product and its durability are the major things, which the customers want for enhancing their buying behavior (Ghvanidze et al. 2016). Delving deep into this context, behavior possesses direct relationship with ethics. This is considered both ways from the side of the customers as well as the personnel. Thinking of the wellbeing of the customers is accounted as the prime responsibility of the personnel for generating standardized revenue.

Along with manufacturing, the personnel need to ensure that the products meet the bottom line. As a matter of specification, ensuring that the products satisfy the economic, social and environment parameters, falls within the essential functionalities of the personnel of ShopHere. Economic parameter includes setting reasonable price for the produced clothes, so that high revenue is generated and maximum value is added to the profit margin. For this, meetings with the trade union members prove beneficial for the personnel in terms of averting encountering instances of financial crisis- inflation, fluctuating prices of the raw materials like cotton, silk, flax among others (Iain and Gutsche 2016). Social parameter relates to the capability of the personnel to emerge successful in aligning their business with the needs, demands and requirements of the customers. Adopting social media is an effective option in this direction in terms of spreading the company to a large number of customers. Environmental parameter is most important, which ensures the corporate social responsibility of the company. Adopting solid waste management for disposing the production would reflect the conscious approach of the personnel towards reducing the environmental pollution (Johnstone, Micael and Lay 2015). This step is ethical in terms of ensuring the wellbeing of public domain as a whole.

The products are manufactured with the sole intention to sell them and earn high revenues. Here, the consideration of demarcation between the ethical and non-ethical products is essential. Ethical products or clinically proven and tested itself generates high revenue, provided the personnel expose conscious and rational thinking in the marketing activities. On the other hand, products, which are not tested and are lackadaisically manufactured, needs lot of effort, time and energy of the personnel to make the products ethical (Khan, Reza, and Rodrigues 2017). The personnel, prior to the initiation of marketing, need to construct planning for proceeding with the tasks in an efficient and effective manner for the achievement of positive results. Frequent evaluation needs to be done, so that potential drawbacks can be covered well in time. Conscious attitude towards time management can be considered as the prime responsibility of the ethical behavior, which the personnel are expected to reveal for achieving trust, loyalty and dependence of the customers (Mbaye et al. 2017)

Based on the conducted literature review, the following questions need to be pondered upon for progressing with the research:

• What are the behavioral expressions of the customers on the purchase of ethical products at ShopHere?
• What are the reasons behind the desire of the customers to buy ethical products of ShopHere?
• On what grounds do the customers differentiate between the ethical and non-ethical products of ShopHere?
• What are the processes through which the manufactured products of ShopHere meet the bottom line of social, economic and environmental parameters?
• What are the ways through which high standardized revenue can be generated in the business activities of ShopHere?  

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