Eco-Actives and Retailer Choice
Out of the four segments created based on attitudes and behaviour around plastic (link to previous) the eco-actives are most concerned and it shows in their shopping behaviour: For example, 80% of them state that they always or frequently avoid plastic in non-FMCG products and try to eliminate plastic bottles from their shopping baskets (75%). Besides these self-imposed pro-environmental activities, Eco-Actives may also reward specific retailers by allocating disproportionately more of their FMCG purchasing to them. We compared the market shares of the top 5 retailers in 12 European** markets among Eco-Actives:
- In nearly all markets a mainstream non-Discounter retailer is the mostpopular destination for Eco-Actives.
- Only the Czech Republic, Germany and Netherland stand out: In these countries, a discounter is the top choice (among the top 5 retailers).
- “The eco impact” differs: We find countries with a relatively small difference across the five retailers (e.g., Sweden, Hungary) and countries where the gap is substantial (e.g., France, Poland, Spain).
Retailers need to watch out: If the number of Eco-Actives increases some of the low index retailers could lose business. Eco-Actives seem to evaluate retailers according to their pro-environmental actions and plastic waste might become a point of differentiation between retailers. For retailers the time is now to work on their green positioning.
