ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS : PROFILE OF THE GREEN CONSUMER AND PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS GREEN MARKETING

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the differences in attitudes, personality, social characteristics, demographics and perceptions towards marketing of green products between environmentally-concerned and non-environmentally-concerned consumers. The findings indicated that environmentally-concerned consumers tended to have more favourable attitudes towards the environment. They were found to be more internally-controlled, more open-minded, more socially-integrated and more cosmopolitan. However, results indicated that the government, satisfied users of green products and ecologically-conscious colleagues were as likely to have an impact on their ecological behavior as on their non-environmentally-concerned counterparts. Environmentally-concerned consumers were also not demographically different form non-environmentally-concerned consumers. The consumer's perceptions towards green products would determine if one would adopt green products. The study showed that the marketing mix of green products could be improved to encourage non-environmentally-concerned consumers to use green products. The non-green consumer was more likely to perceive green products as less superior to non-green alternatives, especially in terms of product variety. They were less willing to pay higher prices for green products and less likely to know where green products are sold or to search for them. However, both groups of consumers felt that green products should receive more promotion. The study provided information useful for developing effective marketing strategies. These differences would enable marketers and management to know what appeals should be employed to ensure adoption of green products by both green and non-green consumers. This study concluded with a number of recommendations to marketers of green products and public policy makers.