How To Get More People To Buy Green
by Brittany Lyons
Recently Grail Research completed a study showing that “fewer consumers are buying green products” than ever before. This is concerning considering the number of green products on the market and the amount of green marketing have both tremendously increased in the last few years alone. Thus it seems that despite the growing concerns about climate change and energy independence, most consumers faced more immediate financial problems. Once the economy becomes less of an issue, it seems likely consumers will once again recognize climate change as a dominant issue facing the world.However, until then there are a few things green manufactures can do to help their cause.
Identifying the Problem
One troubling trend that the Grail Research report failed to mention, is that fewer people are concerned about climate change. For many green customers, environmental concerns outweigh fiscal ones. If less people are troubled by climate change, it stands to reason that less people will be inclined to purchase green products.
To make matters worse, many green products have been facing criticism from a variety of sources. In 2011, mainstream news organizations reported on such stories as Chevrolet Volts catching fire due to faulty batteries. Meanwhile, environmentalists argued that compact fluorescent lights aren’t as green as they seem, since the bulbs contain mercury, and urged consumers to purchase pricier LED bulbs. Finally, many popular conservative outlets deny climate change altogether, pointing to the U.S. Congress’s most recent energy efficiency guidelines for light bulbs as undue regulation.
Although no single issue slowed down the green industry’s growth, each problem hit green markets at the same time, compounding into complete stagnation. As a result, the billions invested into green research, development and marketing yielded tiny returns in 2011. While this might even leave those with online doctorate degrees scratching their heads for a solution, the industry can begin rectifying some of these concerns by identify the trends causing the problems.
Adjusting Course
Climate change is a gradual process, featuring fairly comprehensive science. Sadly, this issue has also been severely politicized in the United States, splitting the citizenry nearly in half. One criticism often leveled against the green industry is that the companies making the products sell them with the goal of making a huge profit. Consumers see a $25 LED bulb and compare that to a $0.25 incandescent bulb. In order to dispel some of the rumors, companies can make a better effort to educate the consumer base about the benefits of green products like the more expensive bulb. By weighing concerns about the upfront cost against energy savings over time and the lack of mercury used in the manufacturing of these bulbs, consumers will see they are the better choice.
A few years from now, products like LED bulbs will cost a fraction of their current price. Until then, one possibility to spur their adoption would be for popular companies like Philips and GE to slash the prices for them. Should LED bulbs go from $20 or $25 to $5, more consumers would be willing to make that initial purchase. Other tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft sell some of their products at a loss – why not green companies? (more…)
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