Characterizing and Profiling Global Segments of Responsible Consumers – A Narrative Review

The prime purpose of the paper is to examine and identify the determinants of responsible consumption behaviour by synthesizing the determinants’ structure as available in varied literature. Further, it profiles responsible consumers according to their identified categories of determinants. Content analysis is exercised on wide literature of more than one hundred research papers, articles and reports that narrate, characterize and profile responsible consumers. The identified demography of the responsible consumers includes: females, young, highly educated, academically intelligent, non-business academics, employed in high-status and leadership positions, members of small families and married with children living at home. According to sociological features, responsibles are the children of highly educated parents, get full support from their family, have liberal and democratic political views and hold time and availability to contribute for responsible acts. Viewing from an economic and geographic perspective, these consumers are average in income, satisfied with their income levels, not much wealthier and majority of them lives in urban areas and larger cities. The cultural features support them as collectivists with feeling of universalism. These consumers trust others, open to change, believe in civic-cooperation, like fun, have a network as members of environmental organizations, religious with extreme religiosity and love their country having highest national pride. As far as psychological features are concerned, they originate from a very good psyche, are initiators, internally controlled living indulgent lifestyles, future minded, less sceptic with high civic sense, creative, have harmony and believe in self efficacy. They are also environmentally concerned and settle in balance with nature. The paper will direct marketers in locating and serving the desired segment of responsible consumers. Information on various segmentation dimensions will facilitate easy policy making for STP model and favourable segmentation strategy formulation. The findings in the paper are based on the results of various studies which may be applicable only on the population similar to sample frame of the individual studies. Future researchers thus get a cue for a more refine research to supplement and enlarge the present inference of responsible consumer segments to disparate markets. The paper synthesizes vast varied literature for the first time in an evolving field of responsible consumption behavior. The outcome will provide base in theory formulation.