Market Intelligence: Eight in 10 consumers motivated to buy green products
| Thursday, Jun 24 2010 04:27 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Jun 24 2010 04:27 PM
According to results of a recent study released last month by the Natural Marketing Institute, 8 in 10 consumers worldwide are interested in buying some type of green product.
Two-thirds care about the environment, but say their purchases are primarily determined by price. Fortunately, the introduction of price-conscious options by Wal-Mart, Target and others has moved green products into the mainstream, and fewer consumers feel bound to pay a premium price for environmentally friendly alternatives.
Green consumers in Kern County
In Kern County, 93 percent of adults say they do some type of eco-friendly activity, such as recycling, using less energy or buying green products, on a regular basis. Despite greater availability of budget-friendly green products, seven percent (approximately 40,000 adults) say they regularly pay a premium to purchase eco-friendly products.
Characteristics of consumers who pay more to buy eco-friendly
Women ... 80 percent
Age 45+ ... 47 percent
Income $50,000+ ... 50 percent
Some college+ ... 66 percent
White collar job ... 43 percent
Married ... 60 percent
Home owner ... 66 percent
Compared to all adults, these green consumers are more likely to live in ZIP codes 93308 (14 percent), 93306 (13 percent) and 93304 (9 percent).
In addition to paying a premium for green products, these consumers regularly:
Recycle glass, plastic or paper ... 97 percent
Use less water at home ... 74 percent
Use cloth/reusable grocery bags ... 65 percent
Buy locally grown food ... 43 percent
Carpool ... 26 percent
Businesses that want to reach green consumers should include the Internet and mobile advertising in their media mix.
Internet user - monthly ... 88 percent
Online social networking ... 57 percent
Online coupons ... 33 percent
Online consumer reviews ... 26 percent
Online yellow pages ... 29 percent
Cell phone user ... 83 percent
Text messaging ... 61 percent
Web search via cell phone ... 15 percent
Source for Kern County data: Scarborough Research 2010 R1, The Bakersfield Californian Market Research Department
