Gen Y shoppers split on 'green' importance

ST. LOUIS "Environmentally-friendly" and "eco-conscious" have been common buzzwords among retailers lately, but what do young consumers think about the hype surrounding "green" products? According to recent Maritz survey, the answer is yes, though not as much as one might think.

The survey found that 50% of Gen Y consumers said that a retailer's environmental policy and sustainability did not influence their shopping behavior. When asked to describe their attitude toward a retailer's environmentally-friendly positioning, 46% said they'd shop at a retailer more if they were environmentally friendly, while 54% said it wouldn't affect their behavior.

"Being environmentally friendly is certainly the right thing to do and we didn't set out to debate that," said Gloria Park Bartolone, division vice president of Maritz Research's Retail Group. "But we thought it would be helpful for retailers, with all the marketing hype surrounding environmental issues, to know what influence this type of messaging had on customer loyalty, particularly Gen Y."

When it comes to purchasing products, 47% of respondents said they would be willing to pay more for environmentally-friendly services, products or brands. Out of this percentage, the vast majority (77%) cited their "care about the environment" as the reason behind their willingness to pay more, with other qualifiers, such as "it's the right thing to do" (21%) or "so that people know I'm environmentally aware" (2%) trailing behind.