Grocery retailers’ CSR: the role of claim type

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines how substantive and/or associative claims about the local origin of organic products moderate the determinants and consequences of a grocery retailer’s corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Design/methodology/approach

An experiment with four different conditions – no claim, substantive claim (i.e. number of kilometres), associative claim (i.e. photograph of the producer) and a combination of substantive and associative claims – was carried out in a laboratory store in France with 249 consumers who were randomly divided into four independent samples (a between-subjects design). To analyse the data, partial least squares structural equation modelling was mobilised using XLSTAT (2022) software.

Findings

The study indicates that using claims about the local origin of organic products via in-store signage is an appropriate tool for grocery retailers. For the three types of claims considered, the ethics of the offering influences the retailer’s CSR, which has an indirect impact on consumers’ actual purchases of local organic products via two routes: trust and affective commitment and trust and preference for the retailer. However, grocery retailers should favour a combination of substantive and associative claims to create a stronger impact on purchases.

Originality/value

This research extends the use of substantive and associative claims to sustainable products.

Citation

Untilov, O., Louis, D., Charton-Vachet, F. and Lombart, C. (2025), "Grocery retailers’ CSR: the role of claim type", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 53 No. 2, pp. 129-150. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-02-2024-0083