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BOULDER, Colo. September 27, 2006 – Umbria, Inc., a market intelligence company that specializes in blog research and consumer generated media (CGM) for market insight, today released results of its Q2 study of consumer attitudes and trends in organic food purchasing. Key insights show that health benefits, taste and the effect on the environment are the most important reasons bloggers cite for buying organic.
Health and wellness issues are a popular discussion among bloggers. Notable in this recent study was the dominance and passion of female bloggers across all age groups for this topic, driven most markedly by Gen Y females[1]. Bloggers in this demographic segment talked about the attraction of organic retailers offering luxury items such as premium juices and prepared sushi. They also discussed how in-store free samples often brought them to the store and had them return. Other insights included:
- Health benefits are the most commonly cited reasons for buying organic products
- Taste and appeal of the products was the second most commonly discussed motivation for consumers
- The effect on the environment and buying locally was the third major theme among bloggers discussing organic food purchases
- Consumers blogging about organic foods are also concerned with animal welfare, specifically ducks being raised for foie gras, ethical issues around the catching of wild seafood and treatment of cows.
- The organic movement is gaining force with pet owners as well. Some owners mention purchasing natural/organic pet food, even though it costs more than traditional pet food.
- Whole Foods dominates blogosphere conversations as a retailer, cited in 3 out of 4 mentions of organic retailers; Wild Oats follows with more than 1 out of 10 mentions
- Wal-Mart spiked conversation in June with its announcement of its entry into organics, but few bloggers talked about buying from them
- Safeway garnered just 4% of the conversation in Q2, but appears to be growing in awareness;
- Trader Joe's was also mentioned frequently for its affordable and tasty organic products
“We are passionate about our health and wellness, and that passion can be found in discussions throughout the blogosphere,” said Janet Eden-Harris, Umbria CEO. “This study confirms that there is a growing market of sophisticated consumers for organic products, and they are not shy in talking about what they want.”
Highlights of the study can be found on Umbria's website at http://www.umbrialistens.com.
Umbria is unique in its ability to assess both what is being said, and who is doing the speaking in the online world. Umbria's patent-pending technology enables the company to classify posts and estimate gender and age of the speaker, as well as rapidly identify and eliminate bogus spam posts.
[1] While there is no precise definition of Generation Y, these are the offspring of the Baby Boom generation. It's generally accepted that those born between 1978 and 2000 in North America comprise Gen Y. This generation follows its cohort, Gen X, those born roughly between 1961 and 1981. While birth year provides an estimate, generation types are defined more by major influencing events and political environments shaping opinions and attitudes.
About Umbria
Umbria is unique in its ability to assess both what is being said, and who is doing the speaking in the online world. Umbria’s patent-pending technology enables the company to classify posts and estimate gender and age of the speaker, as well as rapidly identify and eliminate bogus spam posts. Umbria analyzes voices of the online community by using proprietary Natural Language Processing and machine learning algorithms to dissect the who, what and why of online opinion, offering in-depth insights for some of the world’s leading brands. For more information on Umbria, please visit www.umbrialistens.com.
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate
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