The conscious consumer is on the move

Conscious consumers are everywhere. Several decades ago, people were loyal to brands they knew and loved. Today, they’re shopping based on values, and brands that don’t meet consumers’ ethical standards are having a hard time. These consumers are the biggest spending individual in town, so understanding their motivations could considerably impact your bottom line. 

If I ask you to think about a conscious consumer, you might imagine a shaggy haired uni student wearing a ‘save the whales’ tee. Okay, so that might be a bit of an extreme cliche, but it’s probably not far off what most people imagine an ethical buyer looks like. 

Well, I’m here to tell you that those days are over. It’s not the 90’s anymore, and it’s no longer that simple to pick a conscious consumer out of a lineup. Conscious consumers are everywhere (and, thanks to you, they have better hair). 

In fact, odds are good you don’t just serve conscious consumers in your salon; you’re one of them. Do you buy your meat at the local butchers rather than Coles or Woolies? You’re a conscious consumer. Do you bring a reusable cup to get your morning caffeine fix? You’re a conscious consumer. I could go on, but you get the point. 

There’s now so much information out there on the web, on TV, or even just in people’s social circles that you’d have to have spent the last decade under a rock not to be aware of the environmental disaster we’re living in. 

Thankfully, most people haven’t. Instead, they’ve done their homework on brands’ eco-credentials, and they’re ready to put their hard-earned dollars to work for a better world. 

Today’s conscious consumers are asking some tough questions of the brands they engage with: where was this made? Did it provide a job locally? Under what conditions was it made? Where does it end up when I’m done with it? 

Consumers are moving towards a ‘glocal’ way of living. That means they want global connection, but they want to know that the money they’re spending is going back into their local economy, not into the economies of other countries. Aussies are buying less made in China and working to keep profits circulating around their own communities. 

This goes hand in hand with their desire to buy from brands doing their bit to protect the planet. A Planet Ark report from 2018 showed that not only are 91 per cent of Aussies worried about the environment and sustainability, 79 per cent think that companies should be responsible for the impact they have on the environment. 

More specifically, plastic pollution and landfill waste ranked as areas of greatest concern for consumers. If that’s not a clear directive to companies to up their environmental game, I don’t know what is.  

Let’s face it; the hair industry is notoriously wasteful. Hair trimmings, metres of aluminium foil and more empty shampoo bottles than you can poke a stick at all add up. Ethical consumers know this, and they’re asking salons like yours what you’re doing about it.  

I know this can seem like an overwhelming issue, but it actually represents a huge business opportunity. 

While the client’s focus is on people and the planet, as a business, yours is on profit. Luckily, your eco-credentials will be one of the things that keep your clients coming back again and again, referring friends and family, and leaving you reviews as good as your haircuts online! 

As a sustainable salon, you’re part of a whole-of-system approach that keeps jobs local, materials out of landfills, profits in the country and the planet happy. These are the things your clients want to see in the companies they support and will turn clients into valued friends. Besides, we know it works. Sustainable Salons in Australia and New Zealand are visited by over 65,538 clients every week! 

That’s because here at Sustainable Salons, we’ve understood the assignment. Our focus is on the planet, its people, and profits. The materials we recycle from salons like yours are processed in depots around Australia. These depots create jobs for locals, and the materials we recycle become part of a circular economy. 

Rampant globalism is out, and eco-chic is in. Luckily for you, you’ve got the ‘chic’ bit down pat. Just work on the ‘eco’, and the clients will come to you.

Keen to join the movement? See how easy it is to Become a Sustainable Salon