As the economy turns sour, do shoppers still value sustainability when making decisions about what to buy? We welcome back Dan Smythe, vice president of Retail and Hospitality Consulting at EPAM Continuum, to discuss the final installment of their Consumers Unmasked project. The four-part study of shoppers’ values and the important factors in their buying decisions has tracked consumer sentiment in the U.S., Britain, and Germany as the pandemic peaked and began to pass. Over the past year, we’ve had members of the EPAM Continuum team on the show to discuss, and Dan last talked with me in March of 2022.

Dan Smythe, vice president of retail and hospitality consulting at EPAM Continuum
Dan Smythe, vice president of retail and hospitality consulting at EPAM Continuum, is our guest on Sustainability in Your Ear.

The last phase of Consumers Unmasked focused on qualitative responses — real comments from consumers — in contrast to the quantitative surveying in stages 2 and 3. The fourth report is full of insights, both from the respondents and experts at EPAM and other organizations. Whether you are at a company that’s interested in consumer values or are a shopper who wants to understand how to express your environmental commitments to companies, there is something useful for everyone in the report. You can learn more about EPAM and find the report at epam.com/consumers-unmasked-4.

By Mitch Ratcliffe

Mitch is the publisher at Earth911.com and Director of Digital Strategy and Innovation at Intentional Futures, an insight-to-impact consultancy in Seattle. A veteran tech journalist, Mitch is passionate about helping people understand sustainability and the impact of their decisions on the planet.