Scary Halloween Consumer Statistics

One of the scariest parts of Halloween is the tons of non-biodegradable waste generated by wrappers, decorations and Halloween costumes. Halloween is the second biggest decorating holiday of the year, surpassed only by Christmas. Halloween is also a major retail event that has grown substantially in recent years. In 2005 US, consumers spent approximately $3.29 billion on Halloween. In 2010, even after a deep recession, Americans spent $5.8 billion for the holiday.

Green Gifts for the Holidays

With each passing year, green gifts are getting more popular. People are changing the types of gifts that they are shopping for. This year in particular, studies are showing that as people become more concerned about the environment, they are more interested in eco-friendly gifts.

Green gifts are trendy as people want to be apart of the growing green movement. People buy eco-friendly products because they want to communicate their consideration for the planet through their choice of gifts.

Green gifts need not be more expensive than the other standard manufactured products and they can often cost much less. Some eco-gifts actually save the recipient money.

Businesses are giving eco-friendly promotional gifts during this holiday season as it provides them with the perfect opportunity to establish their brand as one that is eco-friendly. These eco-friendly promotional items are varied, but the message they send resonates widely. Such a message can have a very positive effect on the perception of a company's brand.

A wide variety of eco-gifts are now available, here are eight online portals that specialize in green presents.

WWF

The WWF Adoption Certificates are gifts that help protect animals and conserve habitats. Adoption certificates are available for a wide range of animals including the near extinct or critically endangered Tiger, Sea Turtle, Amur Leopard, Emerald Hummingbird, Przewalski's Horse, Darwin's Fox, White-cheeked Gibbon, Sumatran Rhino, Gorilla, and Mekong Dolphin. Other endangered animals that can be adopted include the Polar Bear. Adoption helps to protect that animal, in the polar bear's case, adoption helps to preserve the rich biodiversity of the Arctic.

NRDC

If you are interested in shopping that is good for the environment, look no further than NRDC's Green Gift collection. It contains more than 40 extraordinary and affordable holiday gifts starting at just $15. Gifts include, Clean Energy Boost help stop the construction of dirty coal-burning power plants in honor of your gift recipient. Leader of the Pack or Den Defender which helps to save America's endangered wolves or polar bear cubs. Queen Bee helps ensure the survival of honeybees. Whale Protector helps to save marine mammals. This gift will make them part of NRDC's efforts to end the inhumane killing of whales for profit. For just $15, Revive a Rainforest plants a tree in a rejuvenated rainforest in Costa Rica.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy has a range of green gifts including, Adopt a Coral Reef, protects the underwater habitat. Consumers can choose from amazing locations like the Bahamas, Papua New Guinea, Palau or the Dominican Republic.

For just $50, consumers can adopt an Acre of rainforest in Costa Rica. Located in remote southwestern Costa Rica, the Osa Peninsula is home to the most significant populations of jaguars, puma, tapirs and scarlet macaws.

Another gift works on the safety and security of broad-tail hummingbirds and other species along their migratory paths. For just $1 per tree, you can also help plant 1 billion trees in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.

Trees for the Future

Trees are the perfect gift because they replenish the soil, increase crop production, keep groundwater clean and help provide sustainable jobs. Trees are a gift that keeps on giving, they help decrease poverty and improve the environment in the countries where they are planted, while also helping reduce greenhouse gases that affect us all.

Trees for the Future, is offering Tree Planting Certificates which allows donors to have 500 to 5,000 trees planted in honor of a friend, family, or loved one. For as little as $20, donors can have a personalized certificate sent directly to the recipient. Tree Planting Certificates are available in three easy options: $50 plants a “Grove” of 500 trees, $100 plants a “Forest” of 1,000 trees, and $500 plants a “Village” of 5,000 trees. Donors can give other amounts at a rate of 10 cents per tree. For as little as $20, recipients are sent an e-certificate and for gifts $50 and over, donors can send a print certificate. Donors can choose to have trees planted in such countries as Haiti, Ethiopia, Nicaragua or Brazil.

Inhabitat

The Inhabitat Team's, Green Holiday Gift Guide has eco-conscious and ethical presents for everyone. Their eco-friendly, ethical and handcrafted gifts support charitable causes and generally make the world a better place. Gifts include items like the Potus Pot a cute made out of a recycled incandescent bulb, Philips’ 60-watt AmbientLED bulbs, have a lifespan of up to 15-years, and use just 20% of the energy of a conventional 60-watt bulb, Bambu Bamboo Bowls. made from eco-friendly and fast-growing bamboo.

Greenwala

Greenwala calls itself the one stop shop for all your holiday shopping, decorating and food needs. They provide a Last Minute Green Gifts. Their Holiday Shopping Guide includes Top Alternative Green Gifts For The Holidays, Top 10 Lists For Those Last Minute Green Gift Ideas, Gadgets To Help Green Your Holidays ,Holiday Green Gift Guide: Stockings, Digital Media Makes Great Green Gifts, Natural Holiday Gifts for Pets by PETCO.


Green Irene

In the Green Irene Digital Catalog you will find green gifts like Blue Line Power Cost Monitor, Activeion Ionator HOM, Green Irene Enzymatic Clean Starter Kit, Green Irene Soy Candle, Tealights, Eco-Friendly Modeling Dough, Children's Glue, Children's Soy Crayons, Children's Markers, Children's Paint, SodaStream Peguin Soda Maker and Composters.

The Giving Effect

Rather then build up in land fills, or go unused, The Giving Effect helps donors to recycle unwanted gifts. more than 1,000 cause-based organizations registered hoping to connect with new donors this holiday season. Organizations registered on The Giving Effect include The American Cancer Society Discovery Shop, in Napa, California, Baltimore Theatre Project in Maryland, and Pibbles & More Animal Rescue in Queens, New York.

The Giving Effect uses social media to help donors discover and connect with organizations. The goal is to create a national movement to get food, gently-used items, and more to people in need. Donors use The Giving Effect to connect with charities that need pretty much everything you can spare, from clothes, food, books and shoes, to cleaning supplies, cars, fencing and lumber. Each donation on their site becomes a living story that can be shared on Facebook or Twitter to spread the holiday spirit and encourage others to do the same.

To donate simply browse the site by needs, location, and categories to find causes you’d like to connect with. Then, complete a simple form to arrange a pickup, drop off, or shipment. Tax receipts are issued via email when the items are received.

All of these gifts can be purchased online, reducing the need to travel and thus reducing emissions. This holiday season more than ever, people's concerns are being channeled into useful gifts that benefit the environment and all who inhabit it. These creative new approaches to giving are helping to make this world a better place.

Cyber Monday 2010

In 2010, Cyber Monday takes place on November 29, and it is the biggest online shopping day of the year. On this day buyers are shopping online to take advantage of the deals offered on the web. This year a record breaking one billion dollars was spent online.

Online shopping is generally a greener way to shop, this is due to the fact that trucks can deliver goods efficiently and it takes a lot less energy to run a warehouse for boxes of goods than a mall.

According to a 2007 survey done by Conservation International, more than one-third of consumers indicated they will shop more online and in catalogs to save on gas.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) said that 70.1 million people plan to take advantage of 2010 Cyber Monday deals. The NRF also estimated that 88% of retailers will have special deals. Web retailers offer big discounts, free gift cards, and free shipping in order to entice buyers.

Even prior to Cyber Monday, online shopping was on the increase. On Thanksgiving Day, Paypal showed a 25% increase in 2010 over 2009, and this may be an indication of increases for 2010 Cyber Monday sales.

In the UK, online retailers are bullish about the run up to Christmas with sales estimated to rise to £6.4bn in December, according to IMRG, the e-commerce trade association. Last December, consumers spent £5.5bn online – itself a 17 per cent rise on the year before. The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index for October revealed the highest October growth since pre-recession levels.

Chris Webster, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini said: “The market continues to grow ahead of our expectations and this is a crucial time for e-retailers to beat the competition by using innovative strategies and tactical promotions in the run up to Christmas. The web is consistently seen as the place to go for bargains and retailers with an online presence should use this to their advantage.”

Bjorn Kvarby, European Managing director of Shopping.com, said: “2010 is proving to be an incredible year for online shopping, as consumers begin to realize just how easy, time-efficient, and cost effective it is to find what they are looking for online.

"We’re already predicting overall growth for Shopping.com at 23 per cent for December 2010, year-on-year, and believe it’s going to be a bumper Christmas for the online retail market.”

To shop for products made by companies that manufacture greener products, seeThe Nature Conservancy's Green Gift Monday site, which is part of a campaign to turn Cyber Monday in a sustainable direction.


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Green Shopping on Black Friday

American consumers love a good deal but that should also include a good deal for the environment. Although the environmental impact of all the Black Friday shopping is huge, there are many things that can be done to radically reduce this footprint while supporting greener offerings.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, has come to be known as Black Friday, a day that heralds the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season. However, it is also the start of the most environmentally destructive shopping period of the year.

Some may opt to make gifts, others may opt to avoid shopping altogether, but if you are going to shop, it is possible to make more environmentally aware choices. It is better to buy durable high quality, well-made items that are made using sustainably sourced materials and have very little or no packaging. Supporting companies that either make or sell eco-products and employ sustainable business practices is also a good way of advancing the green economy.

For the last few years, we have witnessed a positive trend in green shopping practices. According to a 2007 survey done by Conservation International, two out of five people would rather receive a "green" gift than a traditional one. Out of the 1,000 consumers surveyed by the group, women were more interested in going green, with 62% preferring to give and receive environmentally friendly goods. Seventeen percent of consumers surveyed say they will shop at retailers they perceive as greener. The same study also found that 44 percent of consumers are willing to pay extra for green gifts–between 10 and 25 percent more.

According to this study, 38 percent of consumers say they will use fewer plastic bags while 21 percent are planning on not wrapping holiday gifts to conserve paper. More than one-third of consumers saying they will shop more online and in catalogs this year in order to save on gas.

Another 2007 study indicated that nearly one in five consumers (18%) were planning to purchase more eco-friendly products this holiday season than in the past, and a similar number (17%) are willing to pay more for green gifts, according to Deloitte's annual survey of holiday spending and retail trends. About one-third of survey respondents also say they will use fewer plastic bags, and one in five will consider not wrapping holiday gifts to conserve paper.

These responses were consistent across gender, age, and income groups, indicating that environmental concerns have become more mainstream among consumers.

To be a more ecologically responsible shopper, look for products that are vetted by a reputable third-party government or non-profit certification program. When buying electronics make sure they have the Energy Star label, try to buy Organic, Fair Trade and Conflict Free products. When buying wood products or books look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label.

According to Greenbiz, "a number of groups, ranging from the federal government to nonprofits to research groups, are jumping on the Black Friday bandwagon telling shoppers in effect, if you have to shop, shop for green goods."

For comparative assessments of products see Climate Counts' ratings. The "Striding Shopper campaign" (also taking place on Facebook) highlights some of the greenest companies in their fields (see chart).

Consumers and businesses are increasingly seeing the wisdom of a more sustainable approach to commerce. By factoring environmental issues into their buying decison, many consumers are making a difference. The business community are responding to this burgeoning trend.

Traditional capitalism created a high standard of living for some, but a new economic philosophy is emerging. Some have called this social capitalism, and it is helping to reduce humankind's destructive impact on the earth.


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Red States and Green Consumers

Republican gains in the 2010 midterm elections mean that some previously blue states have become red states, but that does not mean that shoppers are any less green. Consumers in both red and blue states buy green.

Shortly before the midterms an analysis of shopping data by Catalina Marketing revealed that some of the reddest states at the polls are among the greenest at the grocery checkout. The research further revealed that being blue doesn't necessarily mean shopping green.

When it comes to general-merchandise products, green shoppers appear largely red-blue color blind. Catalina found some of the heaviest "green" shopping in solidly red states such as Idaho, Alaska and Utah. While the blue Northeast was predictably green, California was below the average and Florida had the second-lowest green index in the nation, just above Oklahoma.

Catalina found that the average number of "green" shoppers doubled each week between October 2007 and March 2008. Grocery transactions were also three times bigger on average when a green product is in the cart.

Green consumers are increasing and they have a tendency to spend more, this is an opportunity for business people whether they are Democrats or Republicans.

The Republican leadership may dismiss climate change, but according to this research, green buying behavior transcends party lines.


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Scary Halloween Consumer Statistics

One of the scariest parts of Halloween is the tons of non-biodegradable waste generated by wrappers, decorations and Halloween costumes.

Halloween is the second biggest decorating holiday of the year, surpassed only by Christmas. Halloween is also a major retail event that has grown substantially in recent years. In 2005 US, consumers spent approximately $3.29 billion on Halloween. In 2010, even after a deep recession, Americans are expected to spend $5.8 billion.

Consumers are spending increasing amounts of money on Halloween. According to the National Retail Federation, the average American consumer planned to spend $48.48 in 2005. According to the 2010 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Action Survey commissioned by the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average Halloween spending by Americans in 2010 is expected to be a little over $66.00 per adult. That's up from $56.31 spent in 2009.

Of the top four things that most people buy, three have a heavy environmental footprint. The first is candy, the problem here is the non-biodegradable packaging. The second most popular item people buy is pumpkins, properly composted, this is the best of the four from an environmental standpoint.

The two worst Halloween buys for the environment are decorations and costumes. Both are commonly made of plastic that do not break down. Plastics also contain endocrine-disrupting phthalates toxins including Bisphenolic Compounds like BPA.

In 2008, Halloween retail sales reached an all time high of nearly $6 billion nationwide. In 2009, as the effects of the recession set in consumers began making changes to their Halloween purchasing. Total spending on Halloween declined to $4.75 billion in 2009. Consumers expected to spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween in 2009, down from $66.54 in 2008.

Increased consumer frugality reduces Halloween's environmental impact. One 2009 survey reported that 46.5 percent of consumers said they would buy less candy and 35.4 percent said they would use less decorations. Almost two in ten people (16.8 percent) planned to make their own costumes instead of buying and 15.8 percent planned to reuse 2008 costumes.

In 2010, about 30 percent said economic concerns are affecting their spending plans. The 2010 survey reports that while consumers are continuing to be frugal, they are planning cutbacks in candy but not costumes. However, store bought costumes, particularly those made of plastic, are a big part of Halloween's footprint.

Two out of five Americans are planning to wear a costume in 2010, that is up from one-third last year. Four out of ten Americans are planning to spend an average of $23.37 for costumes. In the 18- to 24-year-old group nearly 70% (69.4%) are planning to wear a costume. A survey by National Retail Federation (NRF) showed that costumes will be the single largest expense.

About 11.5 percent of consumers are planning to dress up their pets for Halloween.

Consumer Demand for Green

Green is increasingly part of almost every survey measuring consumer interests and/or buying behaviour. A well informed public is asking businesses to make more responsible choices and rewarding those that do with their patronage. In response businesses of all sizes are finding ways to make their operations more sustainable and environmentally responsible.

A recent article written by Dr. David Suzuki and Dr. Faisal Moola indicates that, "protecting our planet is no longer seen as a fringe activity. Most people now consider themselves to be environmentally aware and are taking steps to help. Caring for the environment has become mainstream – it’s the “new normal. Businesses respond to consumer demand, and the right demands can result in real benefits for the environment."

With the help of the David Suszuki Foundation, the Overwaitea Food Group has adopted a program that emphasizes sustainable seafood. Overwaitea president, Steve van der Lees said, "doing the right thing always pays off.”

As Kathleen McLaughlin writes, in an article entitled "Consumers Want Green Furniture Options, "environmentally friendly has transcended from a buzzword to a multi-million dollar revenue generator spanning many industries."

A "2008 Green Marketing Consumer Study," sponsored by the Sustainable Furnishing Council, indicates that appoximately half of respondents are "very interested in global warming and have started doing what they can, with the No. 1 action being to buy green products in a variety of categories."

According to another report, a majority of respondents indicated that businesses should reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report also indicated that people are more likely to purchase products bearing a seal that proves corporate sustainability commitments.

Earlier this year Joel Makower wrote an article in which he reviewed the marketing data on Green and discovered that the vast majority of consumers say they have adopted, "greener habits in their daily lives, and shop for at least some products with a keen eye on their environmental provenance and energy and climate impacts. In other words: the marketplace is getting greener -- way greener.."

Consumers do not appear to be deterred by the current state of the economy. One study quoted by Makeover indicates that 82 percent of Americans say they're still buying green products despite changes in the economy.

Consumers have expressed real interest in making Greener purchases in everything from seafood to furniture and the business community is responding to this ever increasing consumer demand.

Business owners simply cannot afford to ignore consumers because if they fail to respond to consumer demand for Green, others will seize the opportunity.


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