The Truth About What Customers Want

Chapter 11. Your customers are looking for greener pastures

Are U.S. consumers finally going green—for real? In a 2007 survey, fully eight in ten consumers said they believe it’s important to buy green brands and products from green companies, and that they’ll pay more to do so. The U.S. consumer’s focus on personal health is merging with a growing interest in global health. Some analysts call this new value conscientious consumerism.^[26]

Just who is driving this change? Marketers point to a segment of consumers who practice LOHAS, an acronym for “lifestyles of health and sustainability.” This label refers to people who worry about the environment, want products to be produced in a sustainable way, and who spend money to advance what they see as ...