Applying the Theory of Cognitive Biases to Increase Charitable Donations: CSR Implications for the Fashion Industry

摘要

One specific manifestation of CSR is the solicitation of donations in collaboration with an NGO. Especially in an online environment, companies can easily control if they present donation options to consumers either before or after the actual purchase moment of their products. The aim of this paper is to investigate how the sequence of purchase and donation requests in the customer journey influences the willingness to donate to a charitable cause and the potential revenues for the seller. As theoretical frame, we use two related concepts of moral self-regulation, namely moral licensing and moral cleansing. Moral licensing refers to the subconscious phenomenon that individuals, who initially engage in moral behavior, are later more likely to behave in an immoral way. Moral cleansing refers to the opposite case. Individuals, who initially demonstrate negative behavior, are subsequently more likely to perform a positive deed. While we do not consider luxury products as morally questionable, consumers often experience guilt or feel bad after purchasing luxury items. We assume that consumers spend a higher sum on a luxury product after donating to an NGO (moral licensing) and vice versa donate a higher sum to charity after purchasing a self-indulgent product (moral cleansing).