On Feb. 20, a restaurant article comes out with the headline "Why Shoppers No Longer Care About Green". Read the article, in the second sentence no less, and you'll see that the number of Americans that respond to a question about buying green is 36%; EXACTLY the SAME percentage as answered that same question a year ago.
To the minimal defense of the headline writer, the percentage is is not the 300% growth rate from the year before that (12% vs. 36%). But, my point is that if you are an average reader and maybe you're not a committed green person, then you'll now see that the trend has now stopped and you now don't have to worry about it.
Additionally, the article makes a great statement to marketers and sellers; STOP CHARGING A PREMIUM because you can. Consumers don't like it and won't pay for it in this climate. If it's inherent (e.g. fair trade), cool. If it's just a bump to be green and the consumer can't understand it, stop it.
Contrast that article with one on March 11, from Sustainable Life Media entitled "Survey: Young Consumers Fight Global Warming by Buying Green" and you'll get a completely different take on who is buying green and why. A whopping 64% of the age group 18-34 believe humans cause climate change and by buying green they make a difference. The article goes on to quote the CEO Kevin Tuerff at GreenCanary Sustainability Consulting saying "this should serve as a wake-up call to sellers and marketers of current and future green products".
So which is it? Only a third of consumers care, which is what most in the retail sector will read; or is it two thirds of the younger group and half of the population at large? Anyone with comments, please feel free to respond.
I'm off to CAMEX, the College Book Store industries annual trade show. In terms of that retail segment, this is the ONE BIG show. I'll let you know what I find out from these buyers and where they think they and their customers are.
