THE MILLER COMPANY Ideas that Inspire ™

Today’s consumers are no longer green when it comes to selecting environmentally-friendly products, and they value companies that are environmentally-conscious.  Results of the Green Marketing Study, conducted by DoubleClick Performics, revealed that consumers most value environmentally-conscious marketing that focuses on specific user benefits such as saving money on bills or longer product lifespan.  When choosing between two similar products, consumers prefer environmentally-friendly products, with 83 percent indicating they are extremely or very likely to choose the environmentally-friendly option.  

“Not only are consumers interested in green products and companies, our survey shows that nearly half of them will pay at least five percent more for them,” said Stuart Larkins, senior vice president of search at DoubleClick Performics. “With so many consumers online researching and purchasing products, retailers should include relevant environmentally-conscious information throughout their paid and natural search campaigns, affiliate promotions, display ads, and e-mail.”

Additional data from the survey revealed factors reported by consumers to influence their attitudes toward online buying:

• Of all online advertising sources, search engine results pages had the highest influence, with 32 percent of consumers reporting their impact on the purchase decision.
• Most consumers (65 percent) provide feedback about an online purchase at least some of the time.
• Approximately three-fourths of those who make online purchases indicate a recommendation from a friend, family member or co-worker is valuable when purchasing online.
• Respondents ages 18 to 34 find recommendations to be particularly valuable compared to older respondents.

Source: American Marketing Association's Marketing Matters Newsletter (April 24, 2008, Vol. 7, No.8)