Sustainable marketing strategies: Understanding Generation Z’s expectations of food business in Spain

Abstract

[ES] El caso, para este estudio, es descubrir el modo de vida y la tendencia de consumo que sigue el grupo de edad de la Generación Z, más concretamente, este estudio se concentra en los alimentos que demandan, teniendo en cuenta su compromiso con el medio ambiente y su estilo de vida sostenible. Estudiar las razones que les han llevado a tomar este camino, observar cómo es el mercado de los alimentos que demandan y enumerar las diferentes acciones de marketing que se pueden llevar a cabo para acceder a ellos

[EN] This study aims to discover the consumption trends of the part of Generation Z that follows a sustainable diet with respect to food. The final aim of the thesis is to help food companies to better understand generation Z’s food consumption habits to attract the target group by creating sustainable marketing strategies. Theoretical information was collected with secondary data on who the customer is and their behaviour and how to base marketing actions on this, as well as knowing what sustainable marketing is, corporate social responsibility and what it means and what it implies to follow a sustainable diet. The primary data was collected through a survey with closed questions and open questions as an interview that was sent to the Generation Z members who met the sustainable diet monitoring requirements chosen to be the study sample. After the sur-vey, the results were analysed using a quantitative method for closed-ended single and multiple response questions and a qualitative method for open-ended interview questions. The main results answered the main research questions. The first was trends in food consumption were changing, the second was sustainable diets were mainly based on reducing negative impact on the environment. The sustainable marketing strategies that food companies were recommended to use were closely linked to what customers consider when they buy, so the following was recommended: obtaining food products from responsible and environmentally friendly sources, taking care of workers, showing through promotion the characteristics of products and benefits of this type of diet, distributing products in traditional markets, local specialized stores or supermarkets, reducing product packaging and using less environmentally harmful materials such as biodegradable plastics, reducing prices and recycling and reusing packaging through return stations.