Green and proud of it
Most importantly, they can tell you why they won’t buy that product. This market is full of activists on every level, and you can expect anything from a lecture to an actual media campaign, if they don’t like your products. This is an extremely highly motivated market. Green buyers aren’t lazy and apathetic. The Green tag actually relates to personal commitment. That means that any product issues have much higher priorities.
The days of the “idiot consumer” are long gone. The world is now full of people with double degrees, and nearly all of the highly qualified consumers are Green in some form. College students are nearly 100% Green, and that’s where the “emerging” market is coming from, in record numbers.
These are not compromising people. Their types of demand don’t change. What’s required is invariably several shades of bright Green:
• Eco-friendly products
• Sustainable manufacturing
• Kid-safe
• Non-toxic
• Recyclable
• Fair Trade
Green consumers are proud of their efforts, and they’re also the best customers on Earth for the products they want. They will stick with brands they trust. Many small Green businesses have been astonished by the amount of trade they’ve picked up simply by meeting demand.
Green industries- Major achievers
There’s real business sense in the Green products. The greatest irony is that some major US manufacturers, having switched to Green products in the last decade or so, are now showing audits of massive savings in costs and improvement in profits. Their businesses are booming, and it’s hard to see why some US industries still seem to be having trouble understanding the basics of Green production. It’s cost effective, and it gets a strong market response.
The fact is that Green products have a built in global market. They’re viable by definition. If you’re a bean grower in Peru, and you’re selling quality product, you’ve got a market around the world. Set up an email address, and you’re in business on a global scale. Green consumers will literally wade through pages of searches to find what they want.
There’s no mystery to Green markets. If you’ve got a Green product like a residential solar power system, expect inquiries from all over the world. If you’re trying to sell a old technology product, expect to be locked out of that market by definition.
Ignoring a high income, highly motivated market makes no sense at all. If you’ve got your facts straight and verifiable, the Green market will find you. If you want to market to the Stone Age, don’t expect a lot of company.