NMI Announces New LOHAS Consumer Segments

Harleysville, Pa. (May 2006) – What do 36 million U.S. adult consumers have in common? According to research by The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), they’re considered LOHAS consumers. LOHAS is the acronym for Lifestyles Of Health And Sustainability – a segment of the population that has been identified as having values and behavior that is conscientious of the environment, society, and corporate social responsibility that impacts their product purchasing behavior. NMI’s LOHAS Consumer Trends Database™ is the only consumer research and database that examines the LOHAS consumer.

The new segmentation model NMI has developed for 2006 is an updated version of the previous model and better represents current market conditions. This reflects the complexity of the LOHAS market and the increasingly subtle, yet important, differences that distinguish one segment from another. According to NMI Managing Partner Steve French, “Updating segmentations is a routine practice in market research and ensures that the segmentation variables are representative of current market situations. The new segmentation began with evaluating over 170 different variables, later refined to about 25. Each consumer segment is mutually exclusive and unique in their specific motivational and behavioral patterns and levels of influence.”

The five new LOHAS consumer segments are:

• LOHAS (17% of all U.S. adults): LOHAS consumers are dedicated to personal and planetary health. Not only do they make environmentally friendly purchases, they also take action – they buy green products, support advocacy programs and are active stewards of the environment.

• NATURALITES (21% of all U.S. adults): Focused on natural/organic consumer packaged goods with a strong health focus when it comes to foods/beverages. They are not politically committed to the environmental movement nor are they driven to eco-friendly durable goods.

• DRIFTERS (19% of all U.S. adults): This segment has good intentions, but when it comes to behavior, other factors influence their decision more than the environment. Somewhat price sensitive (and trendy), they are full of reasons why they do not make environmentally friendly choices.

• CONVENTIONALS (20% of all U.S. adults): This very practical segment does not have green attitudes but do have some “municipal” environmental behaviors such as recycling, energy conservation, and other more mainstream behaviors.

• UNCONCERNED (21% of all U.S. adults): The environment and society are not priorities to this segment. They are not concerned and show no environmentally-responsible behavior.




The LOHAS segment is further divided between “LOHAS Leaders” and “LOHAS Followers”. According to Gwynne Rogers, NMI's LOHAS Business Director, “LOHAS Leaders are top-of-the-pyramid opinion leaders and early adopters when it comes to green and healthy initiatives. They are an optimal target for new and innovative sustainable products. LOHAS Followers’ behavior is slightly moderated as compared to Leaders but they are still cutting-edge consumers across most attitudes and respective product purchasing dynamics.”

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NMI is a strategic consulting, market research, and business development company specializing in the health, wellness, and sustainable marketplace. For more information on NMI’s proprietary research reports and services, visit NMI’s web site at www.NMIsolutions.com.