Consumer Information and Sustainable Marketing in Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya

Abstract

The rapid climatic changes orchestrated by environmental degradation have seen unprecedented dynamics in every sector globally, forcing the world to steadily embrace sustainable measures to contain the adverse climatic effects. Sustainable marketing is one of these measures, which aims at encouraging consumers to embrace environmentally friendly products and services. Unlike traditional marketing, where the main aim was to maximize sales through transforming non-consumers into consumers, sustainable marketing aims at promoting responsible consumption with the aim of not only enhancing sales, but also conserving the environment. While large organizations, particularly multinationals, have been at the forefront of embracing sustainable marketing, this has not been the case for small and medium enterprises. These enterprises face a wide range of challenges, and their focus is mainly driven by short-term success rather than long-term sustainability. Available evidence shows that SMEs are among the main contributors to environmental degradation, despite their minimal efforts to conserve the environment through initiatives like sustainable marketing. On the other hand, consumer information has been known to play an essential role in determining the effectiveness of marketing strategies and approaches, including sustainable marketing. This, however, remains scantily evaluated in the Kenyan context, especially among small and medium enterprises, showing contextual, conceptual, methodological, and geographical gaps. This study therefore sought to evaluate the role played by consumer information in the embrace of sustainable marketing among small and medium enterprises in Kenya. Through an explanatory research design, the study surveyed 200 SMEs in Nairobi County using a structured questionnaire. The findings revealed that consumer information seeking among the SMEs was integral in steering sustainable marketing. Moreover, consumer awareness creation was integral in informing the consumers on products and services’ qualities and features thus steering sustainable marketing. The study concluded that sustainable marketing had not been effectively embraced among most of the SMEs in Kenya, and this was significantly caused by ineffective collection of consumer information, as well as engagement of consumers to understand their needs and preferences.