A study on preference of natural personal and home care products by consumers for green marketing opputunity in trichy market

This year 2011 tied with 1997 as the 11^th warmest year since records began in 1880. The annual global combined land and ocean surface temperature was 0.51°C (0.92°F) above the 20th century average of 13.9°C (57.0°F). This marks the 35^th consecutive year, since 1976, that the yearly global temperature was above average. The warmest years on record were 2010 and 2005, which were 0.64°C (1.15°F) above average. Only one year during the 20^th century, 1998, was warmer than 2011. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced in 2010 that 2009 was the warmest year in India since 1901 (Attri and Tyagi, 2010). Again in 2011 it was stated that 2010 was the warmest since 1901 (IMD, 2011). The annual mean temperature for the country as a whole is estimated to have risen by 0.56°C over the period. This agrees with the widespread perception that the world is warming.

The above climate change and it's impact indicate the imperativeness of “GREEN MARKETING”. This research work focuses on green marketing of Natural personal care and home care products that is affordable to many consumers when compared to other product categories there by enabling mass purchase reducing climate change or global warming impact.

This research work is carried out in Trichy market, it divides the market into purchasers and non-purchasers of natural personal care and home care products and focuses on non-purchasers. If eco-friendly variants are introduced by regular personal and home care product manufacturers like Unilever, P&G as brand extension of their existing brands whether non-purchasers will buy or not will be a new area for exploration for creating green marketing opportunity in Trichy market. This paper studies demographic variables of Non-purchasers it’s relationship with non-purchaser’s willingness to purchase eco-friendly brand variants introduced as brand extensions and other relevant areas.