ECO-BRANDING IN BRAND MANAGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RETAILERS: MANAGING ECOLOGICAL SIGNALS IN THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

Abstract

The article examines eco-branding in the brand management of international retailers through the management of environmental signals throughout the customer journey. The relevance of the study is determined by growing consumer environmental awareness, increasing requirements for the credibility of environmental claims, and the need to ensure consistency of a brand’s environmental value proposition across different physical and digital touchpoints. The purpose of the article is to develop a practice-oriented approach to managing environmental signals at different stages of the customer journey. A brand environmental signal is defined as a retailer-controlled or indirectly controlled marker that communicates the environmental characteristics of a product, brand, or retailer’s activities and influences perceived environmental value and eco-brand credibility. Environmental signals are systematised into seven types: informational-declarative, visual-semiotic, material-functional, verification, operational-behavioural, social-normative, and digital-interactive. Their effectiveness is determined by visibility, comprehensibility, relevance, verifiability, and consistency with other brand signals. The analysis of statistical data and practices of IKEA, Decathlon, and H&M Group demonstrates a shift from declarative eco-branding towards integrating environmental principles into actual consumer experience through repair, reuse, take-back, resale, rental, and recycling practices. It is shown that the value of environmental signals depends not only on their content but also on their location, sequence, and mutual reinforcement across customer journey stages. The scientific novelty lies in substantiating the transition from managing individual environmental communications to managing a portfolio of interconnected environmental signals throughout the customer journey. An original model integrating the environmental value proposition, signal portfolio, customer journey stages, touchpoints, signal quality criteria, consumer perception, and brand outcomes is proposed. The model can be applied to audit, coordinate, and optimise environmental signals, reduce inconsistencies between declared and perceived environmental value, and strengthen the credibility and integrity of international retailers’ eco-branding.