Sustainability-Led Marketing in Whole Foods Market - Essay Example

Sustainable-Led Marketing By + Table of Contents Introduction 3 Internal influence 3 Sales and number of employees 4 Market shares and Brand awareness 4 Internal stakeholders 4 Consumers 5 Retailers and Competitors 6 Public and Political stakeholders influence 6 Customer’s Attitudes and Demand 7 Educated Consumers 8 Packaging 8 Pricing 9 Conclusion 10 Introduction Sustainable marketing creates, produces, and delivers solutions that are sustainable while satisfying whole food customers a management and emphasizes on greater sustainability. In a Sustainable marketing factors like socio-ecological demands is addressed and turned into competitive advantages. Sustainability in Whole Foods Market is considered to sustain and maintain profitable relationship with customers and their natural environment (Emery, 2012). Sustainability market is a dual management concept, which traditionally used only to include corporate function like procurements, financing and production but also a guide to the management of corporates. It is therefore directed to the market but also focuses on the environment. Sustainability-led marketing is characterised as due to influence of different influencing factors. In a questionnaire carried out, Whole Foods Market was asked to state the extent to which each stakeholder in terms of socio-ecological aspects has influenced their marketing(Mohr, 2011). Internal and external influences in Whole Foods Market lead to sustainable marketing. Internal influence Internal influence in Whole Foods Market towards sustainable marketing include the public exposure of the company’s sales, market share, brand awareness, number of employees and the mandatory disclosure of company data. Sales and number of employees Sales per volume in Whole Foods Market and the number of employees working in company influences sustainable-led marketing. It is observed that Whole Foods Market is correlated with sustainable-led marketing strategies (Martin, Diane, and John Schouten, 2012). It is assumed that when sustainable products escape the market slot, the market extent of the company was less important thus serves as a driver towards the marketing. Therefore, it can be said that the structure of Whole Foods Market companies is borne in mind Market shares and Brand awareness Market shares and brand awareness has beneficial performance towards sustainable-led marketing. Large market share and brand awareness as Public exposure is interpreted as an influencing factor towards sustainable-led marketing. Whole Foods Market Company need to disclose their data to consumers to the highest extent. This is a drive towards sustainable-led marketing where Whole Foods Market discloses their data to the consumers on a regular basis (Emery, 2012). Internal stakeholders Internal stakeholders i.e. the owner of the Whole Foods Market Company, its top managers, and shareholders in Whole Foods Market provide a drive towards sustainable-led marketing strategies. The top management of companies are the most influential internal stakeholders of Whole Foods Market companies and are assigned the duty of being committed to sustainable-led marketing. The company owner is also an internal driver who can influence the Whole Foods Market to higher extents towards sustainable-led marketing strategies. Internal stakeholders like Shareholders possess influence towards the sustainable-led marketing strategies. However, most big Whole Foods Market companies hardly perceive pressure from their bosses and shareholders towards sustainable-led marketing as compared to small Whole Foods Market (Mohr, 2011). Top management is the utmost influential drive of different strategies in a company and they should be committed to sustainable-led marketing. With regard to four sustainable-led marketing strategy types, there are important differences to note. The marketing Performers perceive top management to be crucial and possess influential drive towards sustainable marketing. The followers who sustain the market are perceived the same and high level of pressure from the managers is perceived to be better. The nature of sustainable marketing observes that they receive pressure from their top managers relatively often to a certain extent. Sustainable Marketing Passives feel least pressure and influence from the equity owners of the business (Emery, 2012). The market feels strong social and ecological pressure and responsibility to undertake practices that are sustainable to marketing. This is because of the competitive strategies where they follow high quality segment for products they sale. The influence of the company externally towards Sustainable marketing can be divided into market stakeholders and public stakeholders. Consumers The drive here is the consumers of the Whole Foods Market products. The company feels and perceive high degree of influence and pressure from the consumers. Customers of Whole Foods Market products whether individual’s customers, retailers or other businesses are regarded as the most important factor in sustainable led marketing. For Whole Foods Market Company to enter the market with their sustainable products it all depends on customer’s opinion, attitude and needs towards the products. It all depends on the supplier before Whole Foods Market companies sells their products to consumers because the environmental and ethical requirement of products involves a whole supply chain and wholesalers who play an important role in supporting the sale of this Whole Foods Market products (Martin, Diane, and John Schouten, 2012). Consumers should be at the forefront to attribute sustainable led marketing. Retailers and Competitors Retailers also do influence sustainable marketing in Whole Foods Market. Most of the Whole Foods Market companies perceive a certain level of influence from the retailers and consumers (Emery, 2012). Competitors have a certain influence although small towards sustainable-led marketing strategies on socio-ecological marketing orientation of Whole Foods Market companies. For effective implementation of sustainable-led marketing strategies, it was found out that consumers play a big role. About 82% of Performers state that consumers influence their sustainability towards market orientation. The clients are more comfortable on the products that are transparent and traceable thus a drive for Whole Foods Market to carry out sustainable led marketing. Another motivation towards sustainable-led marketing strategies is the competitors. However, their influence is less than those emanating from the consumers are and retailers are. There is less influence on Whole Foods Market by competitors to carryout sustainable led marketing. Public and Political stakeholders influence Political and public stakeholders (i.e. legislators and NGOs) have direct influence on Whole Foods Market companies. They enact laws and regulations that exert direct influence on companies to be committed towards sustainable marketing strategies. The system control put in use the market instruments that have influence on sustainable led marketing. This law decreases the degree of irregularity between producers and consumers of Whole Foods Market product and accomplishes homogeneity, clarity and orientation about sustainable marketing (Martin, Diane, and John Schouten, 2012). This then gives the consumer a tool to differentiate sustainable food from convectional food products and thus legislators intervene directly to the sustainable Whole Foods Market product. Public control systems influence Whole Foods Market Company to come up with clear declaration of their ingredients in the Whole Foods Market product. If the company favours the ingredients, the clients are more likely to pass their pressured to the company. This organization influences the public and is titled to communicate and cooperate with the Whole Foods Market Company. Sustainable-led marketing strategies through use of sustainable available material have led to good health. It urges the use of waste and recycling of nutrients for good Whole Foods Market products and encourages the use of less toxic material, clean products and educating customers on its positive effects (Mohr, 2011). The sustainable market strategies urges purchase of bulk Whole Foods Market products utilizing reduced and reusable packages. Customer’s Attitudes and Demand Whole Foods Market products should be adapted and modified to meet changing customer’s attitudes and demand. In most cases, companies need to work with different stakeholders so there are changes in the overall consumption rate. The products should be designed in a way that it genuinely satisfies human need. The need should meet the demand of consumers and satisfy them. The Whole Foods Market products should be processed in a way that it is not harmful to the health of consumers. Whole Foods Market products should be always available in the cycle of the business. Before customers purchase product it needs to possess certain characteristics. These characteristics are of concern during the chain of production (Emery, 2012). During the process heir should be minimal level of carbon dioxide emission and be non-polluting. The Whole Foods Market Company should ensure the ingredients are from renewable resources and from locally available material in order to reduce the production cost, which is a sustainable strategy for marketing. Whole Foods Market packaging should use minimal packages that are easily repairable. Educated Consumers The supply chain should ensure the consumers are well educated and provided with sufficient information about the Whole Foods Market products ingredients and nutrient level. The strategies for sustaining the market develop the concept of resource recovery. Developing co-efficient in Whole Foods Market product requires development of resource loops where materials are reused and recovered within the system. In Whole Foods Market, recycling depends on secondary re-sale of their products. This is made through the intervention of the authority help stimulate the market on recycled materials and keep encouraging high levels of corporate and local authority investment. The government should mediate and offer approaches like reuse systems, resource recovery through energy recovery and special recoveries through bottles, cans and papers (Mohr, 2011). Packaging Packaging in Whole Foods Market is viewed as a strategy towards sustainable market. In the current world packaging faces numerous challenges because packaging is the most direct, noticeable and is sometimes considered wasteful by the consumer. Whole Foods Market products threats and scare have mostly been associated by various packaging techniques. The consumers tends to perceive such techniques to last forever although it is considered unfriendly to the environment and are becoming too expensive and increasingly scarce. Consumers and Whole Foods Market may consider card and paper packaging to be associated with destruction of rain forests (Emery, 2012). Packaging as a strategy to sustainable led marketing in Whole Foods Market and should be shelf appealing. It should provide final incentive to buyers and consumers although it may mean less due to consumer’s awareness on their relative surrounding. Packaging need to be cost efficient through their contribution to reduce the cost of production and distribution in Whole Foods Market. It should also provide assurance to the consumers that packages are not opened or tampered with. Packaging in Whole Foods Market should expose that the quality of the products is of high quality. During packaging Whole Foods Market should ensure that the quality is retained throughout storage and distribution phase. In the Whole Foods Market packaging should ensure it, meet the environmental safety measures. Safeguarding the future environment should be the main concern for various forms of packages. There is no one best forms of packaging; it all depends on the purpose of the package. One of the finest packaging forms is use of glass packages in Whole Foods Market because it can be recycled for long period of years. Glass packages has suffered numerous encounters from the plastic package because of the number of containers it can be transported in a lorry at one single time (Baourakis, 2004). Packaging in Whole Foods Market can be in form of cans. However, their main challenge is lack of infrastructure to manufacture the cans. Pricing Pricing of Whole Foods Market products is considered a strategy towards sustainable led marketing. Environmental and social factors are not included in within the market structure because they are considered externalists (Emery, 2012). External costs incurred in Whole Foods Market like pollution are not reflected in the pricing. Sustainability of Whole Foods Market ensures that the environment is kept clean thus most of this external costs has to be paid a price for. Whole Foods Market Company is made liable of their emission and new measure of carbon tax is becoming expensive. Pricing in Whole Foods Market should be sustainable and have a capability of ensuring direct flow of consumption in the market. Ways to increasing sustainability market of Whole Foods Market is through increasing the cost of consumption of environmentally sensitive products. A Sustainable-led marketing strategy examines the consumers purchase and consumption functions in Whole Foods Market and come up with additional opportunities to develop good relationship with their customers (Martin, Diane, and John Schouten, 2012). Customers should be encouraged and educated, as this will benefit Whole Foods Market Company to stay in line during change of attitude and honest policy that will build the consumers’ confidence. Conclusion Through sustainable led marketing consumer needs will be satisfied as this determines the consequences in environment and society, which are caused by production and consumption. This will help build good relationship with the consumers References Emery, Barry. 2012. Sustainable marketing. Pearson Martin, Diane, and John Schouten.2012. Sustainable Marketing. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall,. Print. Martin, Diane, and John Schouten. 2012. Sustainable marketing. Pearson Prentice Hall Mohr, Doug. 2011. Fostering Sustainable Behavior an Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing. New Society Publishers Baourakis, George. 2004 Marketing trends for organic food in the 21st century World Scientific Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More