Women Biz Owners Influenced by
Environmental Friendliness
A
strong majority of women business owners are influenced by environmental
considerations when making consumer purchasing decisions, according
to research by Center for Women's Business Research. The research
brief reveals that three quarters (76 percent) of women business owners feel
that the environmental friendliness of a product is either a moderate
or major influence on their purchase decisions. Similarly, 77 percent of
working women said that environmental friendliness is either a major
or moderate influence.
Entitled
"Environmental Consumerism Among Women Business Owners,"
the brief is based on previous Center research and explores several
aspects of how the "environmental friendliness" of products
and services influences purchasing decisions by women business owners.
"Although
some businesses are questioning the impact of using a 'green' marketing
approach in today's society, women business owners are citing environmental
friendliness as one of the top three factors in making consumer purchasing
decisions," said Dr. Myra Hart, Chair, Center for Women's Business
Research. "In fact, it ranks just below quality (98 percent) and price
(85 percent) as an influence on purchasing decisions. Women business owners
are more likely to cite environmental friendliness as a major or moderate
influence (76 percent) than they are to point to advertising (57 percent), a company's
social responsibility (55 percent), or coupons (33 percent)."
Women
entrepreneurs' concern for environmental friendliness in products
and services also appears to be linked to how long they have owned
their firms. Women business owners who have started or acquired their
firms within the past five years are the most likely to say that environmental
friendliness has either a moderate or major impact on their purchasing
decisions (85 percent). In comparison, only 64 percent of the women
who have owned their own firms for 20 years or more indicate the same
impact.
The
brief also demonstrates the influence of environmental considerations
on women business owners' philanthropic behavior. Although the sample
of women business owners is very small in this analysis, 9 percent of women business owners provide financial support to environmental
organizations, placing the environment among the top ten causes that
women business owners support. Environmental causes rank ninth, behind
religious, youth-related, local community service, education, health,
social/human services, woman-related, and arts organizations.
(Source:
Center
for Women Business Research)
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