Green Kitchen Cleaners: Perception, Awareness and Acceptance

A recent qualitative study was conducted to understand the meaning of a 'green' lifestyle for young consumers of mostly Hispanic origin. The study found preferred attributes for green cleaning products, specifically regarding the brand Seventh Generation.

On December 5, 2009, qualitative research was conducted to learn more about consumer behavior and attitudes regarding green kitchen cleaners. This research focused on the natural kitchen cleaner “Wild Orange & Cedar Spice” from Seventh Generation. The research was conducted with students, mostly of Hispanic origin, from Florida State University (Tallahassee, Florida) ranging in age from 22 to 30 years.

The following were the objectives of the research:

1. Understand the meaning of a green lifestyle for young consumers.
2. Understand the meaning of green kitchen cleaners for these consumers.
3. Understand what attributes green kitchen cleaners should have.
4. Understand the general perception, awareness and acceptance of a green kitchen cleaner from Seventh Generation.

This young group of mostly Hispanic students seems to be very interested in a green lifestyle and wants to be “green” or lead a greener lifestyle but does not know how to effectively do that within their current means. They feel that they can do only a little at this time, due to their current financial status. This seems to be a generation that is willing to step up to the plate in order to make a difference for the next generation if targeted correctly.

When positioning a green product the focus should be on how a green lifestyle or the use of green products can lead to a healthy, natural environment. The group expressed that a green lifestyle makes them feel better about themselves because they know they will improve life for future generations. They seem to be eager to learn and would like to be shown how to live a happy, healthy, green lifestyle while on a low budget. To effectively target this group, commercials and advertisements should show that people do not have to spend a lot of money in order to lead a green, happy and healthier lifestyle. It should portray young people who made the switch to a greener lifestyle and show how it positively changed their life.

The group was confused about the environmental benefits of green cleaners compared to their non green counterparts. To reach out to this group of Hispanic consumers the environmental benefits of green cleaners needs to be more explicitly advertised. The parents of this mostly Hispanic group traditionally use Clorox or Lysol. From advertising they learned that it kills 99.9% of the bacteria. That has become their standard. It is therefore very important to this group that a green cleaning product can do the same while being green. This message can be communicated through more specific labeling and advertisement. The message should justify why the attributes of a green cleaner balance the benefits of non-green counterparts.

Several attributes were listed as important for green cleaners: “affordability”, “fresh scent”, “effective” (kills germs), “truly green” and “safe to use”. Some of the respondents already use a green cleaner but none of the respondents used the green kitchen cleaner from Seventh Generation. This group of consumers is not very familiar with green cleaning products and does not want to spend a lot of time comparing products. For the decision to buy this cleaner, the majority said to rely on advice from friends or family. This finding could be used to help advertise this product. This can be accomplished by showing the green cleaning product used by a mother figure or somebody they can relate to. It should show how green cleaning can become part of a tradition while making the future for their children and grandchildren brighter.

As mentioned above, this group of young consumers is on a low budget. Therefore, the product should be advertised as being inexpensive or offered at the same price as their non green counterparts, or as yielding equivalent value. Incentives such as coupons or promotional sales will facilitate the switch to a green cleaner.

After showing the kitchen cleaner “Wild Orange & Cedar Spice“ from Seventh Generation, it was found that scent preference differs and that the respondents like to have a choice. Some liked a more neutral scent while others liked a more fruity scent. Availability of multiple scents for the same green cleaning products is likely to attract more of these consumers. Seventh Generation will also increase its popularity with this group of consumers if they change the package from a white plastic to a clear (i.e. transparent) bottle. It was found to be important to see what is inside and how much is left. In addition, offering refills will give Seventh Generation a more competitive edge since it helps the consumer to reduce waste.

-This is an excerpt from a January 2010 report: the full white paper can be downloaded in pdf form.

This content was provided by Go Green Market Research. Visit their website at www.gogreenmarketresearch.com.