Retailers: Ethical Behavior Key to Winning Customers - Essay Sample

Doing business is increasingly becoming challenging, not just because of the increased competition but also changing customer preferences as well. The modern consumer has set certain standards that they expect their retailer to meet; otherwise, they will find alternative places to buy. One of these standards is that they expect ethical behavior. There are certain ethical behaviors from the retailers that bring favor to the overall organization from the consumers. For example, a retailer deciding to stop selling unhealthy food products despite being legal is ethical because they are placing the welfare of their customers above profitability. Therefore, a retailer could manage operations in a way that brings favor to the overall organization by focusing on the products’ benefits to customers, social responsibility, and environmental causes during marketing.

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A retailer should practice ethical marketing by concentrating on the needs of the customers rather than their own. According to Kumar (2016), the issue of ethical marketing has become increasingly pertinent due to the overzealousness of marketers to increase their profits at any cost. Such practices display selfish tendencies and contribute to an organization’s disrepute. Selfishness is something that is discouraged in the bible. The book of Phi 2:4(English Standard Version) says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.” Based on the bible verse, the Lord does not expect a retailer to put aside their interests. However, it does teach that in the process of looking after individual interests, the marketing team should make sure also to consider the interests of their customers. For example, the retailer should not use deceptive or misleading pricing in an attempt to get customers to purchase their products. A retailer who uses deceptive pricing, such as failing to disclose the full price of commodities, has not considered the customers’ needs. Retailers should have item marking in their retail stores and disclose the full price of the item to the customers during marketing so that the customers cannot be tricked into buying a product they cannot afford.

The retailer should make sure to take some social responsibility as part of ethical marketing. Company social responsibility is the philosophy that states an organization should act in a way that would benefit the society at large. The retailer should be committed to not just building the organization, but the society in which they operate. Even the scriptures encourage everyone to uplift one another through 1 Thess. 5:11,” Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Uplifting each other means building the society, and that will translate to a better business environment for the company. For example, marketing healthy foods and lifestyle is an example of social responsibility in that the retailer promotes business interests while educating the community about the importance of healthy living. Such practices increase the chances of long-term success for the organization because customers live longer lives and end up spending more money in the retail store as compared to when they live a short lifespan.

The modern economy expects organizations to behave ethically. Retailers have numerous ways to bring favor to the overall organization through ethical marketing. One of those ways involves avoiding the practice of selfish marketing. Profits should not solely drive marketing with disregard for the needs of the customers. Caring for customer needs ensures they return. Second, companies should always act in ways that benefit the whole community rather than a single organization. That entails uplifting the community members and avoid marketing practices that harm the community while benefiting the retailer. These two practices ensure return customers hence bringing favor to the overall organization.

References

Kumar, P. (2016). Ethical marketing practices viewed through consumer spectacles. Market-Trzište, 28(1), 29-45.