Ethical and locational shopping considerations grow

People across the UK are increasingly interested in supporting local businesses when making buying decisions and also in aligning purchasing decisions with ethical beliefs, according to the Data and Marketing Association (DMA). 

Why it matters

Shopping locally may have been initially forced on consumers thanks to Government restrictions on movement during the pandemic, but that experience seems to have encouraged a reappraisal of previous habits. At the same time consumers are evidently rethinking why they buy particular brands and are looking for new tools to help them in making their choices. 

Key findings

• Fifty-eight percent of Brits (rising to 67% among those aged 65+) say they want to support local businesses.
• Supporting the local economy (36%), convenience (21%), and the desire for environmental sustainability (13%) are what drives this preference.
• When shopping online, 45% (rising to 62% of 25-34 year-olds) would like to be able to filter their product lists by their own values. 

The impact of values

Online luxury marketplace Farfetch’s Positively Conscious initiative enables shoppers to buy brands according to ethical and environmental criteria. Sales through this channel were last year growing faster than the overall Farfetch marketplace (and that grew 60% in Q3).