Jodie Bricout

U.S. President Barack Obama has detailed new lighting standards and promised $346 million in Recovery Act funds to boost energy efficiency in new and existing commercial buildings and homes. Read the rest »

Want to understand how sustainability influences a consumer’s shopping behaviour and identify market opportunities? Deloittes, in conjunction with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, studied more than 6,000 US shoppers in a bid to find out.

Findings include:

• Who are green shoppers? They buy more products on each trip, visit the store more regularly, and demonstrate more brand and retailer loyalty in their purchasing behavior. They are less price sensitive than the average shopper and they are generally not bargain hunters.
• Do people really buy sustainability? While sustainability influences buying decisions or more than half the shoppers interviewed, it is secondary to other dominant purchase drivers. Sustainable considerations become a tie-breaker when other factors are comparable – which means that sustainability characteristics drive a large amount of product switching. Once a more sustainable product has captured the shopper’s commitment it tends to create brand stickiness by retaining the shopper’s loyalty through repurchase.
• Do shoppers understand sustainability? Green shoppers are still on a learning curve. They do not always understand the social and environmental benefits and they need help at the point of purchase. They are continuing to be educated by the media and the product information that is available to them. The rate of green purchase was very sensitive to the use of in-store communication and information.

Download the study here.