Despite the doom and gloom in the economic world, and our money becoming increasingly tight, we still have our heads screwed on when it comes down to shopping with a conscience.
Research published earlier this month suggests that ethics are increasingly trumping price when we’re deciding where to shop and what to shop for, even though consumers are curbing their spending.
The research found that 76% of consumers are basing more of their buying choices on the ethical stance of brands than they had been 5 years previously. The figures keep on coming: 70% of respondents cited the quality of the goods and the trust in brands as their buying criteria and 39% said they purchase based on the ethical reputation of a company.
This stance can increasingly be seen in the blogosphere with consumer and ethical bloggers throwing their weight behind the research, announcing their support for ethical brands and persuading their readers to do the same. Henna at the Canadian Beauty Blog has done just that with an excellent post promising prizes for her readers that publicise their green habits. Similarly, team Treehugger have suggested some great tips to be green whilst shopping for beauty products.
More so, social networks are becoming a soap box for consumers that want to declare their ethic-savvy shopping habits and their support for ethically sound brands.
Industry insiders are claiming that it is vital for the retail world to sit up and listen to this increasingly powerful group of consumers. If we do, then it seems it will be a win-win situation for everyone with consumers, retailers, suppliers and of course, our planet benefiting.
However, this research comes at a difficult time when some commentators are talking about the potentially harmful effects of things like buying organic and forestry conservation and others questioning our influence on climate change. These conflicting opinions just go to show the importance of debate around the whole topic.
September 18, 2008
brands