Refusal to consume refers to the behavior of consciously avoiding the use of available goods. It ranges from frugality to asceticism. It can cover the whole lifestyle, but it can also be limited to certain goods (food, clothing, home comfort, etc.). The refusal to consume is the most important element of a simple life.
Accordingly, there are personal, social, religious, ethical, ecological, organizational, economic, but also socio-critical (political) reasons for a refusal to consume; the latter are currently often expressed as a critique of a consumerist society.
Economic Aspects
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From an economic point of view, consumer refusal is a reluctance on the part of consumers to buy in response to certain events or situations, such as prices that are perceived as too high, fear of the future (e.g. in the face of a rising unemployment rate and uncertain economic situation or development). Deflation can also lead to a refusal to consume, as consumers expect prices to fall in the future and therefore postpone purchases. In extreme cases, when private companies suffer a loss of profits, even they begin to reduce their investments or even suspend replacement investments, which can lead to a deflationary spiral.
Business aspects
Due to the technological change in information gathering, greater media attention to suspicious business activities and, ultimately, the growing interest of consumers in social, ethical and environmental aspects of the economy, dealing with consumer refusal has become increasingly important for companies.
A special form is the boycott. This can be directed against a single product, a brand or an entire company. In the past, Burger King and McDonald’s have been criticized for environmentally harmful polystyrene packaging, and the Brent Spar affair hit the Shell Group in the mid-1990s. The most recent example is Greenpeace’s criticism of the genetically modified feed used in agriculture, which is used to produce dairy products from the Müller company.
Practical manifestations
The phenomenon of refusal to consume exists in varying degrees of intensity, such as reluctance to consume, restriction of consumption and even refusal to consume. The strength of the reactance depends on the strength of the threat, restriction or importance of individual freedom.
The effects can be limited to mental effects, but can also result in effects in the habitus of the consumer. In general, it can be said that mental effects cause changes in attitude and attractiveness to the detriment of the reactance object. As a result, personal freedom or opinion becomes more important and an inner appreciation by the consumer, usually accompanied by a deterioration of the provider’s image. In addition to avoiding the company, behavioral effects can occur if the reactance is sufficiently strong, which manifests itself in the form of negative mouth advertising, resistance and protests.
The wide variety of goods and offers that are hardly transparent can also overwhelm customers. This can also lead to restrictions on consumption, which, however, then takes place subconsciously and accordingly no longer represents “real” (conscious, deliberate) refusal to consume.
