No such thing as a green consumer?

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The typology that we have developed from our research represents a breakthrough in understanding greener consumers. We can now say with certainty why traditional approaches to market segmentation based on demographic, socioeconomic or psychographic characteristics won’t work: there are no green consumers in the sense that marketers have traditionally imagined them. From a practical point of view, our research raises more questions than it answers. Although it presents three distinctive ways of approaching green lifestyle choices, using this information as the basis of market segmentation will be far from straightforward. Below we have highlighted some of the problems and possible strategies that can be associated with each of our groups.

Marketing Issues for Translators

• From the Translator's point of view, a green or ethical act presented to them and made achievable is likely to produce a change in behaviour.
• However this group are very passive in their information seeking.
• Therefore, marketers will need to use traditional means of mass communication such as television advertising to inform this group.
• The Energy Saving Trust’s recent adverts about saving energy and WRAP’s recyclenow campaign typify this approach.
• Translators are the most straightforward group for marketers in terms of traditional communications. In fact many marketers are currently treating all consumers are potential Translators.

Marketing Issues for Exceptors

• Exceptors are very active in their information seeking behaviour.
• However, they are also very critical of any mainstream sources, such as producers, retailers or even the Government.
• Marketers will have to use specialist ‘alternative’ channels in order to reach this group, such as The Ethical Consumer.
• Green networks are also important as word of mouth and opinion leaders are relied upon for a lot of information.
• These channels raise practical barriers for many marketers.
• Companies which have been considered to act in unethical or environmentally unfriendly ways in the past may be written off by Exceptors, whatever their current activities.

Marketing Issues for Selectors

• Selectors are very difficult because of their focus on one or more green or ethical activities which may not be linked in any coherent way.
• Traditional marketing approaches which assume that a consumer who buys organic might be interested in direct communications from Greenpeace will not work with this group.
• Information directly related to the ‘selected’ activity might be well received by this group, but anything that falls outside their immediate concern will simply be ignored.
• The key challenge for marketers is to get Selectors to adopt their product or service before anyone else's.

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