ShopLocal Survey Reveals Majority of American Shoppers Will Pay for Green

For “Green” or Earth Day Print or Broadcast Reports

Chicago - April 4, 2008 - Americans today are concerned enough about sustaining the environment that they are willing to spend more, according to a recent survey by ShopLocal.com. Despite fears of the impending recession, 65 percent of the 2,455 people who responded to the survey said they were willing to spend more money for environmentally-friendly goods and 65 percent also expected to increase spending this year on eco-friendly products, despite the current downward trend in retail.

Other findings include:

• Eighty-one percent of the respondents said they were familiar with “green” products and 55 percent have purchased a specific item because it was considered “green-certified.”

• Forty-nine percent specifically looked for the Energy Star-rated symbol on appliances and consumer electronics and 24 percent responded that they check labels and shop specifically for organically-grown groceries and health and beauty products.

• Energy conservation is a primary concern with 51 percent of those surveyed showing an interest in reducing energy use while 39 percent search for biodegradable products and natural fabrics. Popular write-in answers to this question included “locally grown”, “fair trade” and “allergy-related” (hypo-allergenic).

Eva Yusa, ShopLocal’s shopping expert and resident blogger known as “Eva the Shopping Diva,” can discuss these findings and offer tips on how to shop smarter on earth-conscious products.

Contact:

Marcy Dockery
mdockery@shoplocal.com
312/768-7523

For more information, please go to www.shoplocal.com/green.

About ShopLocal
ShopLocal, the leader in multi-channel shopping services, offers a complete suite of solutions connecting advertisers and consumers online and in-store. The company’s consumer Web site, ShopLocal.com, provides users with choice and control in their shopping experience by offering the most comprehensive selection of timely online and in-store offers on one easy-to-use site. With ShopLocal.com, consumers can find millions of products and up-to-date weekly sales, deals, and coupons for consumer electronics, apparel, groceries and more. 

ShopLocal’s industry leading SmartCircular, SmartMedia and SmartCatalog solutions are used by more than one hundred of the nation’s top retailers, including Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, CVS and Sears. ShopLocal powers multi-channel shopping for hundreds of newspaper Web sites and other leading local and shopping sites, such as Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Arizona Republic, Google and SuperPages.com. ShopLocal is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI). For more information, visit www.aboutshoplocal.com.