74% of Holiday Shoppers Went Green in ’07

Going “green” will become increasingly important for multichannel merchants as consumers’ spending habits continue to be influenced by environmental concerns. According to the 2007 Annual National Shopping Behavior Survey by KPMG, a vast majority of holiday shoppers expressed a willingness to pay more for ecofriendly gifts and took note of the countries where items were made. The recent survey of 815 shoppers was conducted randomly by telephone. Here are some highlights of the survey:

* 88 percent of respondents said they were very concerned about the environment, with 74 percent saying they buy environmentally friendly products;

* 60 percent of those respondents were willing to pay more for such items, and 55 percent said they make a special effort to patronize retailers with a “green” reputation;

* 30 percent of respondents spent more for the holidays in 2007 than the previous year, down from 36 percent in 2006;

* 40 percent said they checked the country of origin on potential gifts, with 31 percent deciding against a purchase because of such information;

* 76 percent of shoppers said their spending decisions were influenced most when a store had the item they expected;

* 58 percent cited a store’s return policy as influential;

* 43 percent said a coupon figured into their buying decisions;

* 28 percent spent the most at mass retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.), 14 percent at power retailers (Toys R Us, Best Buy, etc.), 12 percent at specialty stores (Gap, RadioShack, etc.), 10 percent at midline stores (Kohl’s, J.C. Penney, Sears) and 8 percent at department stores (Macy’s, Dillard’s, etc.); and

* Retailers’ efforts to jump-start the holiday season by advertising heavily and lowering prices — even before Thanksgiving — had little influence on when consumers began their shopping, as the majority of respondents said they shopped at the same time they do every year.

For more information go to www.us.kpmg.com .