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Are consumers sensitive to large retailers' sustainable practices? A semiotic analysis in the French context

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  • Kessous, Aurélie
  • Boncori, Anne-Laure
  • Paché, Gilles

Abstract

This paper seeks to discover consumer perceptions related to the adoption of sustainable transport practices by the French large retail industry. Using 20 semi-structured interviews and the semiotic square method, this research sheds light on a set of structured postures of consumers' perceptions according to a semantic axis: conjunction vs. disjunction. The recourse to a socio-semiotic reading here favours a deeper comprehension of the question of consumers' trust in large retailers. It proposes a typology of four distinct virtual strategies responding to the diverse consumer perceptions brought to light: persuasion, rejection, suspicion, and alignment. This leads to a discussion of the strategies offered by different large retailers to meet their consumers' perceptions and expectations. Lastly, the results outline the importance of deploying targeted communication and of aligning sustainable transport practices in accordance with the identified consumer postures.

Suggested Citation

  • Kessous, Aurélie & Boncori, Anne-Laure & Paché, Gilles, 2016. "Are consumers sensitive to large retailers' sustainable practices? A semiotic analysis in the French context," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 117-130.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:32:y:2016:i:c:p:117-130
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.06.008
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Irene Sánchez-González & Irene Gil-Saura & María Eugenia Ruiz-Molina, 2020. "Ethically Minded Consumer Behavior, Retailers’ Commitment to Sustainable Development, and Store Equity in Hypermarkets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-17, September.
    3. Prakash, Gyan & Choudhary, Sangita & Kumar, Anil & Garza-Reyes, Jose Arturo & Khan, Syed Abdul Rehman & Panda, Tapan Kumar, 2019. "Do altruistic and egoistic values influence consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions towards eco-friendly packaged products? An empirical investigation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 163-169.
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    5. Kumar, Prashant & Polonsky, Micheal Jay, 2019. "In-store experience quality and perceived credibility: A green retailer context," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 23-34.
    6. Rajdeep Kumar Raut & Rohit Kumar, 2023. "Do Values Predict Socially Responsible Investment Decisions? Measuring the Moderating Effects of Gender," Journal of Emerging Market Finance, Institute for Financial Management and Research, vol. 22(2), pages 189-214, June.
    7. Taneja, Shilpa & Ali, Liaqat, 2021. "Determinants of customers’ intentions towards environmentally sustainable banking: Testing the structural model," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    8. Rofin T.M. & Umakanta Mishra & Jei-Zheng Wu, 2022. "Performance of Channel Members under Emission-Sensitive Demand for Green Supply Chain Management: A Game Theory Approach," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-23, May.
    9. Pilar, Ladislav & Balcarova, Tereza & Rojik, Stanislav & Ticha, Ivana & Polakova, Jana, 2018. "Customer experience with farmers’ markets: what hashtags can reveal," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 21(6), July.
    10. Alfredo Flores-Hernández & Ana Olavarría-Jaraba & Guadalupe Valera-Blanes & Rosario Vázquez-Carrasco, 2020. "Sustainability and Branding in Retail: A Model of Chain of Effects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-15, July.

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