Limitless Communications to Host Debate on Consumerism

The Irish sales and marketing firm, Limitless Communications, debate ‘How Consumerism Impacts Local Businesses in Ireland.’

Limitless Communications’ managing director, Richard Moller is set to moderate the informal debate next week. The debate is planned to take place on Wednesday 16^th July at their office in Cork.

The key points to be discussed in the debate are:

• Consumerism Ethics
• Materialistic attitudes
• Irish economic recovery

There are many benefits of consumerism, for example the diversity of choices; people generally have a variety of options when buying products. However, one of the problems of buying something in a successful market economy is that products can be very similar. This can make purchasing very difficult. But brands give a reason to choose and to feel good about the choice by creating associations through marketing.

Another benefit is economic growth. Consumerism can aid economic growth for the whole country whereas trading locally with other small businesses in Ireland could specifically target one area. But with local trading comes familiarity. The feeling of effort that using something new requires can be deduced and seen as inferior. Our minds are equipped with a significant bias for things to stay the same. We choose to view new information selectively in a way that tends to fit with what we currently believe, often resisting change in favour of keeping things as they are.

More individuals are leaning towards trading locally as small local businesses can help revitalize and build community by allowing a wider cross-section of the community to save money and resources. Another benefit is support for local enterprise and new businesses. The goal is to stimulate the economies of towns that have goods and services to offer.

But the internet has changed and improved consumerism making it much easier to buy things. Customers can research into products much more easily as well as being able to find a much greater selection of products. For people in rural locations this offers them a much greater selection of products that are not locally sourced and therefore otherwise not available to them in their area.

Limitless Communications sit on the fence in this debate as they understand the benefits of consumerism and the importance of Ireland’s consumer spending in order to boost the economy but they also believe consumers should aim to purchase from local businesses and not be preoccupied by materialistic luxuries.