A Simple Shift in Perspective Turns Food Waste into a Business Opportunity

Marketing

Meng, Lu Monroe; Zhang, Eileen Yiran; Duan, Shen; Liang, Ce

Published in Journal of Business Ethics, June 2025

Food waste poses a significant challenge to retailers, impacting both profitability and our planet. A substantial portion of this waste stems from consumer reluctance to purchase products nearing their expiry date, a problem that traditional price reductions often fail to solve, as they can inadvertently signal lower quality.

Addressing this critical issue, the study, "The Impact of Visual Perspectives in Advertisements on Consumers’ Reactions to Close-to-Expiry Food," led by Professor Ce Liang, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marketing, reveals a simple yet highly effective strategy for marketers.

The research demonstrates that shifting the visual perspective in advertisements from a first-person view (seeing through one's own eyes) to a third-person view (seeing someone else using the product) dramatically increases a consumer's willingness to buy close-to-expiry items. A field experiment on Facebook confirmed this, showing the third-person perspective boosted advertisement clicks by 25%.

The psychological reason is compelling: a third-person viewpoint shifts the consumer's mindset from self-focus to "other-focus." This encourages them to act in a more socially responsible and moral way, aligning the purchase with the positive action of reducing food waste.

For businesses, this is a game-changing insight. By simply adjusting their advertising visuals, companies can not only increase sales and reduce costly waste but also strengthen their brand's reputation as an ethical and sustainable leader. This research offers a clear and actionable strategy that transforms a pressing environmental problem into a competitive advantage, demonstrating how CityUHK research drives business and innovation forward.