Ecommerce Software Shows Who is Going Green

Ecommerce Software Shows Who is Going Green
leading online retailer and proponent of all things green, has released sales numbers showing the amount of green goods sent to various parts of the US, and also breaks down which types of products were shipped where. It’s an interesting use for their ecommerce software, which allowed them to analyze ordering and shipping data for a variety of categories and localities. Overall, the trend should be heartening for environmentalists, with more Americans purchasing environmentally friendly products and energy-saving devices from Amazon year-over-year.

The four main categories as determined by Amazon were Water Conservation, “Garden to Table” (which means books and products targeted for at-home gardening), Renewable Energy, and Green Parenting.

Green Parenting is an especially-targeted look at orders placed through Amazon’s “Green Baby” and “Green Toys” ecommerce software sub-stores. The states with the most green-centric parents were Vermont, Massachusetts, and Washington. Overall, the northeast led the way in this regard.

The water conservation data collected by Amazon is related mainly to sales of rain collection buckets and water-saving devices and books about the subject. According to their numbers, the states bulking up on saving water are Arizona and New Mexico, which makes a lot of sense given their arid climates.

To put together energy savings data, Amazon took into account sales of energy-efficient devices and electronics, plus anything powered by or relating to solar or wind power. Examples of energy-saving devices include LED lighting (light emitting diodes, which are much more efficient than conventional light bulbs) and any product with the Energy Star or EPEAT seal of approval. This category also includes books on the subject. The leading states for energy conservation were Florida, California, ans Nevada. This also makes a lot of sense, as these states get tons of sun which would allow for a lot of solar panel use (Daytona Beach actually bought the most panels).

Frankly, all of the data presented, while interesting, is only representative of Amazon’s sales through their own ecommerce software, not all orders and sales of green-related products, books, and resources, from all outlets. It also doesn’t take into account any energy-saving or environmentally-protective steps that households can take on their own (lights off, shorter showers, etc.), or environmental home improvements made using store-bought equipment from hardware stores or specialty shops. But that’s all rather cynical, with the increased prevalence of green daily deals programs and even a green auction to benefit New York City trees, I say shop on, green shoppers!