Green is in

This month a lot of industry magazines seem to be focusing on the emergence of green trends in retail. Chain Store Age had a green theme for its October issue where it discussed several trends emergining in green retailing. A few interesting findings from the perspectives section

1. Cost of Going Green: An interesting excerpt on cost of going green - "Despite popular notions to the contrary, it does not cost more to build an environmentally conscious facility than a traditional building, according to a recent report by Davis Langdon, a San Francisco-based consulting business that helps architects and building owners manage construction costs.Green building, however, does require a different mind-set, advised Langdon. Sustainable features are too often tacked onto a project as an afterthought, making them appear as an added cost that can be easily cut.“Until design teams understand that green design is not additive, it will be difficult to overcome the notion that green costs more, especially in an era of rapid cost escalation,” according to the Davis Langdon report, “Cost of Green Revisited,” which studied 221 new construction projects." With the fuel prices rising by the day, the recovery even for an added investment into greener technology might be fast
2. Young Generation's Perspective: The young generation seems to be spilt into half when it comes to retail preferences based on whether the retailer has green/environmentally friendly policies and infrastructure. An excerpt from a recent survey "According to the latest Maritz Poll, “Environmentally Friendly Retail Marketing—All Hype or Consumer Preference?,” Gen-Y shoppers (defined as being between the ages of 18 and 30 for the purposes of this survey) are split down the middle on influence of retailers’ environmental policies on their spending habits.Of the 1,062 Gen-Y shoppers surveyed, less than half (46%) said they would shop at a retailer more if the retailer were to go green. The research also revealed:Fifty-four percent said green doesn’t influence their buying decisions;Nearly half (47%) said they would pay more for environmentally friendly services, products and brands"

As green trend continues due to changing customer opinion and lifestyle, sooner or later going green might become a necessary criteria rather than just a differentiation strategy. Like technology trends, it might have its own leaders, followers and laggards but an eventual adaptation might become a reality - probably sooner than later.