Does Green Matter when it comes to gadget shopping? A Retrevo Pulse study seems to suggest it may not play such a big role.
When consumers are asked if they feel guilty when they don’t by a green gadget, 60% feel no guilt at all a Retrevo Pulse study has revealed. 42% said they didn’t care if the gadget they bought was green or not. 16% would ignore green for a good price. Yet, 40% of respondents indicated they do consider green when gadget shopping. That’s only 2 in 5 shoppers who consider the environment when gadget shopping.
Many would imagine younger generations were more green-aware, but this appears not to be the case. While 80% indicated they trust Energy Star ratings on products, only 36% of young respondents (under 25) actually consider energy ratings when making a purchase decision. 55% of those over 25 years of age do consider energy ratings.
60% said they had knowledge of how to be green with gadgets, yet over half of those didn’t always put this knowledge into practice. The motivating factor to turn consumers green was good old-fashioned American green, money that is. Over 50% said tax or cash incentives would make them greener shoppers.
The study seems to indicate that consumers are well educated about purchasing green gadgets, but most don’t put this knowledge into practice. The results suggest that industry and governments need to intervene and make green choices better by making less green options more expensive.
More information on the study can be found at Retrevo’s website.
