The disconnect in sustainable fashion marketing: Retailers’ perceptions of consumer drivers and their marketing tactics

Despite the importance of sustainable fashion consumption, sustainable fashion retailers capture only a small segment of the overall fashion market. While existing research has thoroughly examined consumer drivers of purchasing sustainable fashion, little is known about how retailers perceive these drivers and whether their marketing tactics reflect these perceptions. This study investigates the alignment between retailers’ presumed drivers of sustainable fashion purchases and the marketing tactics they deploy. Based on interviews with 25 sustainable fashion retailers, analyzed through deductive thematic analysis, the results reveal a disconnect: while retailers identify personal benefits such as style and price as key drivers, their marketing tactics predominantly emphasize relaying generic information about sustainable fashion. Furthermore, the analysis reveals a persistent theoretical misalignment between presumed drivers and the tactics deployed, alongside narrow use of available marketing tactics. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications, highlighting the need for stronger collaboration between academia and practice to test and implement consumer-informed marketing tactics. Such alignment may help expand the reach of sustainable fashion within the broader fashion market.