Environmentally conscious marketing that focuses on specific user benefits such as saving money on bills or longer product lifespan is the most attractive, according to a DoubleClick Performics study.
The survey of 1,087 adults sought to gauge online consumer behavior and attitudes regarding “green” marketing.
Consumers, when choosing between two similar products, prefer environmentally friendly products: 83% indicated 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 to pay at least 5% 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 email.”
Additional data from the “Green Marketing Study” 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% of consumers reporting an impact on the purchase decision.
- Most consumers (65%) provide feedback about an online purchase at least some of the time.
- Approximately three-fourths of those who make online purchases say a recommendation from a friend, family member or coworker is valuable when purchasing online.
- Respondents age 18-34 find recommendations particularly valuable, more so than older respondents.
“Recommendations continue to drive sales,” said Larkins. “We also found that a majority of online consumers would recommend an environmentally conscious company to friends and family. All these results speak to the necessity for proactive reputation management; consumers are as interested in the company as the products they are researching.”
