Sustainability has become an important driver in defining business strategies, affecting most critical corporate functions and changing the way in which value is created, communicated, and distributed. This is increasingly impacting marketing practices, in particular, through promoting the development of sustainable marketing in the food sector. In line with this, our study aimed to investigate if and how sustainable marketing practices affect consumer loyalty to a specific brand. To answer our research questions, we relied on the results of a survey submitted to a sample of 907 Italian consumers of biscuits. Results showed that the consumers’ attention to sustainable issues (in the absence of adequate information that can guide them in choosing a brand) did not result in brand loyalty. The same outcome was found when consumers were overloaded by marketing campaigns, which had the effect of confusing users and making them unfaithful. Ultimately, when consumers showed both engagement with sustainable concerns and sensitivity to marketing initiatives (i.e., they are sensitive to sustainable marketing practices), a positive effect on brand loyalty was observed. Our results contribute to the emerging stream of literature discussing the relevance and potential impact of sustainable marketing.

This article investigates the microfoundations of business model innovation (BMI) by unveiling the main micro factors explaining macro variables that in turn influence innovation in value creation and capture mechanisms of firms’ business models (BMs). Specifically, through the analysis of two companies innovating their BMs in metaverse setting (i.e., Roblox and Meta), the article provides and discusses a model bridging macro variables and micro factors. Indeed, first the model illustrates macro variables influencing innovation in value creation (i.e., technological infrastructure and knowledge management) and in value capture (i.e., stakeholders readiness and stimulation of interest). Second, the model clarifies how each of these macro variables is explained by two types of microfoundations, as individual microfoundations, pertaining with skills and actions of individuals, and relational microfoundations, relative to relationships among individuals. Our findings contribute to both BMI and microfoundation literature, by assessing, on the one hand, the macro variables driving innovation in value creation and value capture, and, on the other hand, the micro factors explaining such innovation. Moreover, the article suggests managers how to intervene on specific micro factors to drive the macro-level outcome of BMI.