NACS

It IS Easy Being Green
By John WilkinsÂ

Recently, in one focus group of con­sumers gathered in Atlanta, a partici­pant even commented, "I don’t put those things together â€" convenience and eco-friendly are bookends."

But green is becoming increasingly important to consumers across all channels of trade. Many convenience retailers are keenly aware of this but don’t seem to be connecting with con­sumers over the issue. And many re­tailers are simply not sure where to start.

A Good Start
To bridge this gap, the NACS Show workshop, "It IS Easy Being Green," generated green marketing ideas convenience retailers could execute easily, and with minimal investment.

The interactive session focused on two broad ideas: Get credit for what you are already doing and be part of the solution.

In general, many convenience re­tailers are already doing things that are good for the environment, but they are not communicating their efforts to consumers.

And if you’re not "green," some of the workshop attendees suggested ac­tivities to drive in-store traffic in­cluding: placement of battery and ink recycling bins, fountain refill pro­grams and joining or sponsoring local environmental groups. Investments in energy-efficient lighting, coolers and pump technology also demon­strate a positive environmental busi­ness model.

Consumer Insights
Much of the insight presented at the Show workshop stemmed from the survey results of the three focus groups in Atlanta (coordinated by MillerZell, which develops selling en­vironments for retailers). Respon­dents revealed a huge information gap between what they expect to be green and what they already know about green.

For example, focus group consum­ers want to know more about how al­ternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel are developed, but they don’t know where to buy the fuels, what the labels at the pump mean or how these fuels impact the environment.

For retailers who sell alternative fuels, this provides a huge opportu­nity to provide information and build brand equity. One focus group partic­ipant asked, "Why don’t retailers put that information at the pump?" noting that the time spent filling up is a cap­tive time to be learning about alterna­tive fuels.

However, survey participants re­vealed that they find sustainability claims more credible in the fuel and energy categories than any other cate­gory, such as cleaning products or ap­pliances, because the claims can be measured (i.e., carbon footprint).

For a claim to be credible to con­sumers, retailers need to show the benefits in solid terms, such as sig­nage highlighting the environmental savings of energy-efficient lighting and cooler investments, accompanied by specific metrics related to emis­sions or electricity reduction.

If you’re still foggy about the impor­tance of green to your business, look to our focus group. They ranked green on a scale of attributes important for con­venience stores. Location, cleanliness, friendliness and price still came out on top. However, once those are near par­ity, green becomes a powerful influ­encer in whether a customer chooses to shop your store â€" or not.

John Wilkins is the vice president of retail strategy at MillerZell. He can be reached at john.wilkins@millerzell.com.