The contribution of analytic visualizations to the marketing of sustainable products

Abstract

The desire to be sustainable is influencing the growth of marketing differentiated and unique products that focus on the environment and health. An example that best illustrates unique, sustainable products is those that carry the “organic” label. Organic products are difficult to market to consumers because some consumers lack information about them. This paper contributes to the marketing literature by illustrating that the use of analytic visualizations can help in marketing these products. Marketing organic products can be achieved through a two-step process: first, use analytics to convince consumers of the need for sustainability, and then, motivate them through visualizations to be socially responsible citizens by purchasing sustainable products. The paper accomplishes these goals by developing a set of interactive, web-based visualizations in R to demonstrate how this powerful analytic tool can be used on a social media platform to promote sustainability and innovative sustainable products.