Green Marketing and Consumer Willingness to Pay: Evaluating the Role of Sustainability in Quick Service Restaurants

The increasing awareness of environmental issues has prompted Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) to implement sustainable practices such as eco-friendly packaging, waste reduction, and ethically sourced ingredients. However, the success of these initiatives largely hinges on consumer perception and the effectiveness of marketing strategies. This study seeks to investigate how marketing efforts shape consumer attitudes toward sustainability in QSRs, with a particular focus on green branding, advertising, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Adopting an exploratory research approach, this study utilizes a survey based methodology to gather data from consumers familiar with QSR brands. A structured questionnaire incorporating Likert scale-based questions measures key factors such as consumer awareness of sustainability initiatives, the impact of green marketing strategies, willingness to pay for eco-friendly QSR products, trust in sustainable brands, and behavioural preferences. Additionally, demographic variables such as age, frequency of QSR visits, and education level are included to examine variations in consumer attitudes. The collected data will be analysed using Z-tests and T-tests to identify statistically significant differences in consumer responses based on demographic characteristics and sustainability-related perceptions. The results will offer insights into whether sustainability messaging in QSR marketing campaigns effectively influences consumer decision making or whether other aspects, such as pricing and convenience, play a more dominant role. The anticipated findings of this research will contribute to both academic literature and industry practices by assessing the extent to which green marketing strategies impact consumer choices in QSRs. The study will provide practical recommendations for QSR brands to enhance their sustainability initiatives and strengthen customer engagement through targeted marketing approaches. Furthermore, it will highlight potential challenges that prevent consumers from prioritizing sustainability when making dining choices.