LOHAS Market

FREE - Living LOHAS 2 Overview

Communicating with LOHAS consumers

FREE - LIVING LOHAS 2 OVERVIEW

The conscious consumer has awoken from their carefree, and often careless, slumber to become a huge movement for positive change around the world.

The upshot of this is that consumer spending on sustainable lifestyles, or LOHAS, is set to explode - both in Australia and internationally in the next five years!

Living LOHAS 2 is the second round of research undertaken by Mobium and was released on October 1 2008. It provides the latest insights into the Australian consumer mindset around issues of health, sustainability and environmental products.

For a free Living LOHAS 2 Overview click here

WHAT IS LOHAS?

These conscious consumers have been identified as LOHAS aligned.

LOHAS simply means Lifestyles of Health & Sustainability.

The term LOHAS was first coined almost ten years ago in America, in an attempt to define an emerging trend of consumers making values-based decisions about what they purchased.

Research indicates one in six American adults now identify the concepts of health and sustainability as major elements forming their world view and how they live their lives. The LOHAS trend has also spread across many parts of Asia, including Japan, where 70 per cent of consumers recognise the term.

WHO IS A LOHAS CONSUMER?

LOHAS consumers:

make decisions about where and how they shop based on their values and world view, reflecting their desire for healthier and more sustainable lives.
seek out & support companies / organisations that operate in ways that are consistent with their own values and beliefs.
could be anyone from any town in Australia; they are just as likely to shop in a major supermarket and buy a full range of consumer products and services but price and mainstream availability remain the main barriers to further uptake.
are seeking to integrate healthier more sustainble options into all aspects of their lives by making consumption decisions in six key LOHAS market segments.

Some of the products & services include:

FOOD & NUTRITION - e.g. organic and natural food, vitamin supplements

MIND & BODY - e.g. yoga, meditation, personal development

HOME LIFE - e.g. natural cleaning products, efficient appliances, recycled paper

BUILDING & ENERGY - e.g. water tanks, solar hot water, 'green' energy

TRANSPORT & LEISURE - e.g. low impact commuting, eco-tourism

WORK & MONEY - e.g. socially responsible investing, 'green' loans

WHY DO THEY MATTER?

The New York Times called LOHAS, "the biggest market you've never heard of".

Mobium Group's research shows that:

almost 4 million Australian adults are already LOHAS aligned

Consumers who choose lifestyles of health and sustainability (or LOHAS) have a desire for healthier and more sustainable lives and have a worldview that takes into account personal, community and planetary outcomes.

According to extensive research undertaken by the Mobium Group, Australians spend $12 billion annually on sustainable and healthy products and services - and this figure is set to double within five years. This is led by a surge in spending by values-driven, conscious consumers.

Andy Baker from Mobium said that:

'businesses that adapt their product and service range to suit the values and aspirations of this emerging consumer group will have a great platform for growth'.

COMMUNICATING WITH LOHAS CONSUMERS

No "greenwashing"
Choose words that sell positivity, hope & solutions
Tell a story - storytelling for sustainable development
Make sure your marketing is ethical, sustainable, responsible & authentic

WHO IS MOBIUM?

The Mobium Group is a Melbourne-based company specialising in research, strategy and innovation in the markets for sustainability and wellbeing.

Mobium Group's founders have worked at the nexus of consumer behavior, innovation and business for more than ten years and have been applying the LOHAS framework in their activities since 2005.

Its principals, Andrew Baker and Nick Bez, conduct extensive and ongoing qualitative and quantitative research, in Australia and across the world, into LOHAS consumers and markets. Their research deals primarily with the consumer characteristics, buying behaviour and purchasing patterns of this substantial and growing market segment.

Watch Andy Baker present an overview on the LOHAS market.