Uncertainty in ethical consumer choice: a conceptual model LOUISE HASSAN 1 , DEIRDRE SHAW 2 *, EDWARD SHIU 1 , GIANFRANCO WALSH 3 and SARA PARRY 1 1 Bangor Business School, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG, UK 2 Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK 3 Faculty of Economics, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany Carl-Zeiss-Straße 307743 Jena, Germany ABSTRACT The market place has seen significant growth in the demand for ‘ethical’ products and services. Yet, consumers often experience knowledge, evaluation and choice uncertainties in decision-making processes, particularly in relation to products such as ethical clothing. The authors explore this pertinent form of consumer uncertainty through three qualitative studies of ethical consumers that examine their approaches to clothing consumption. In-depth interviews and focus groups confirm uncertainty arises; the results also identify the causes and consequences of consumer uncertainty in this context. The causes of uncertainty pertain to issues surrounding complexity, ambiguity, conflict and credibility that give rise to uncertainties that result in delaying purchase decisions, compromising beliefs and negative emotions. This study contributes to literature by offering a holistic understanding of the challenges facing consumers when making ethical choices. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. INTRODUCTION Ethical markets have undergone significant growth in recent years, as has the related interest in academic and business literature ( Doane, 2001; Taylor and Howard, 2005; Freestone and McGoldrick, 2007; Newholm and Shaw, 2007; Megicks et al., 2008). Consumers’ desire to engage in ethical purchasing is evident from spending rates, including £177 million ($287 m) spent on ethical clothing in 2009 in the UK (Ethical Consumer Research Association, 2010) and similarly impressive numbers in the USA (Hughes et al., 2007) and Europe overall (Beard, 2008). Yet, many sectors remain hindered by a lack of product availability as well as informa- tion gaps. Shaw et al. (2006) illustrate this complexity with the example of purchasing a t-shirt. In seeking to avoid a garment produced in a sweatshop, an ethical consumer might look at the country of origin and working conditions as important factors; many consumers might prefer to purchase a garment produced in their home country to alleviate such concerns. However, ethical consumers also might prefer to trade fairly with poorer countries to promote their economic development. These ethical considerations, thus, come into conflict and create moral tension. Beard (2008, p. 448) considers such tensions particularly evident in the clothing sector, for which the supply chain and product manufacturers are less transparent and more complex than in other sectors, because ‘an individual garment may make use of several fabrics, ... and finishing techniques ... the difficulty is how all of these individual components can be “ethically secured” ... together with the labor used to manufacture the garment, its transport ... and ultimately the garment’s aftercare and disposal’. Perceived uncertainty when buying ethical products also gets exacerbated by marketing practices. Branding and market- ing initiatives by fashion firms exploit various terms, causing both consumer and industry confusion and uncertainty. Phrases such as ‘ethical’, ‘fair trade’, ‘organic’ and ‘sweatshop free’ are common, but some firms employ unique terminology to differentiate themselves, such as Gossypium’s use of ‘pure and fair’ (Beard, 2008). No single organisation regulates the industry or provides a mechanism for decoding such terminol- ogy. Thus, consumers are uncertain about both the information available to aid their decision making and the means by which to assess their actions (Tomolillo and Shaw, 2004). An increased understanding of uncertainty in ethical consumption, therefore, may help in explaining the mechanisms that underlie the gap between attitudes and behaviour. This gap has been identified in ethical contexts (Carrington et al., 2010), and researchers have called for an increased understanding of the pertinent factors leading to this gap (Vitell, 2003). Despite extensive research into consumer uncertainty, there is a lack of understanding of the factors that lead to uncertainty as well as the consequences of uncertainty within ethical consumption contexts. Calls for research that address the causes of uncertainty have been made (Ghosh and Chakraborty, 2004). Further, consumer uncertainty can have negative consequences for both the consumer and for retailer or service provider. In response, this study addresses uncer- tainty in the context of purchasing ethical clothing, for which the primary ethical concerns include human welfare issues, the use of animal products and negative environmental impacts of production and disposal (as reflected in the increasing popularity of ‘fast fashion’; Lee, 2003). The over-riding purpose is to develop a richer understanding of how uncertainty manifests in ethical consumption settings and, thereby, to chart the likely causes and outcomes of consumer uncertainty in ethical clothing markets. CONCEPTUALISING UNCERTAINTY Despite studies that treat consumer uncertainty as a one- dimensional construct (Lanzetta, 1963; Harris and Blair, 2006; Gunasti and Ross, 2009), Urbany et al. (1989) show *Correspondence to: Dr Deirdre Shaw, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK. E-mail: deirdre.shaw@glasgow.ac.uk Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, J. Consumer Behav. 12: 182–193 (2013) Published online 2 April 2013 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/cb.1409