ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When one "green" nonfood product is included in a shopper’s basket, the average order is about $100 — triple the normal $29 shopping basket, according to new Catalina Marketing research. Shoppers buy green nonfoods for four occasions: couples caring for their pets, families cleaning their homes, women caring for their bodies and families “going green” with a wide range of products. The last group accounts for 44% of all green nonfood purchasing, according to Catalina. The research illustrates the importance of understanding each consumer’s need for green when marketing these products, according to Catalina. In conjunction with the FMI Sustainability Task Force, Catalina analyzed the buying behavior of over 100 million unique shopper identities for over 2,000 green general merchandise products during a one-year period. About 5.2% of shoppers recently purchased a green product, up from 4.7% in July 2007. The insights were presented at the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s Environmental Sustainability Summit in Washington, D.C. last week.

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