Role of Socio-Demographics in Segmenting and Profiling Green Consumers

Abstract

Though green consumerism is on the rise, not all the consumers are equally green. To be able to more effectively market green products and ideas, marketers need to segment their market and use differentiated marketing approach for each target segment. Socio-demographic characteristics have been widely used in the past researches as a basis of market segmentation and profiling of green consumers. The present study explores the usefulness of select socio-demographic characteristics in capturing variations present in the environmental consciousness of the consumers in India. Both the univariate and multivariate analyses point to the presence of statistically significant linkages between the socio-demo-graphic characteristics and different environmental consciousness constructs, thus implying potential usefulness of these characteristics in profiling different segments of green consumers and evolving accordingly the green marketing strategies and environmental campaigns as capable of more effectively reaching and influencing the chosen green consumer segments.

Key Words:

• Green marketing
• environmental consciousness
• segmenting and profiling green consumers
• socio-demographic characteristics of green consumers