Dive Brief:
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Some 55% of consumers worldwide would pay more for items produced by companies doing some good socially or environmentally, according to research by Nielsen. That’s up from 50% in 2012 and 45% in 2011.
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Willingness to pay extra is highest in Asia and Latin America, but is increasing in North America by 7% and Europe by 8%.
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Nielsen looked at actual retail activity in addition to its research, and found an average annual sales increase of 2% for items that touted sustainability on their packages and a 5% increase for items with social good marketing. Sales of goods without such claims or campaigns rose 1%.
Dive Insight:
This research shows that consumers, at least when they’re made aware of social or environmental positives, are willing to pay more for them. And that interest, while not huge, is growing. It’s not clear from the report how savvy consumers are about such claims, but this tendency is worthy of attention from retailers.