沃尔玛的绿色降价蓝图
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沃尔玛（Wal-Mart）启动了一个规模庞大的绿色项目。公司CEO迈克•杜克在2009年就曾经表示，这家零售商将设计一种可持续性指数，来跟踪它销售的每一款产品整个生命周期的环境影响。出于许多原因，这将是一个充满挑战的过程。 但在加州拉古纳尼古尔召开的《财富》杂志（Fortune）头脑风暴绿色大会（Brainstorm Green Conference）上，沃尔玛山姆会员商店（Sam's Club）部门CEO罗莎琳德•布鲁尔表示，消费者们很快就能够看到这个项目所带来的回报。沃尔玛将在未来12个月内，启动一个试点系统，为消费者提供产品详细的可持续性信息。 这个举措很好，但它能不能改变消费者的行为呢？布鲁尔称，现在已经有证据表明，消费者、尤其是山姆会员商店会员的行为会因此而发生改变，因为他们的生活比沃尔玛普通消费者相对更加富足。山姆会员商店的顾客一直以来都乐于购买高端产品，如希腊酸奶、草饲牛肉和有机奶等。考虑到目前的经济环境，这样的消费趋势有些出人意料。 但即便如此，消费者依然希望沃尔玛和山姆会员商店降低商品价格。沃尔玛2月21日召开收益报告会时，布鲁尔在会上说：“我们会员企业近期的流量模式显示，由于当前的宏观经济因素，消费者对于花钱消费更加慎重。”换言之，当前的经济仍然不景气。 可持续性指数会对沃尔玛的销量产生什么样的影响？准确评估这个问题仍然需要一段时间。不过，有意思的是，这个零售业的巨无霸怎么把它的可持续性指数应用到食品之外的产品。例如，公司期望截至2020年，提高能源效率，节省10亿美元开支。布鲁尔称公司计划利用所节省的成本，让沃尔玛和山姆会员商店的顾客们获得实惠。 “我们知道年收入4万美元的家庭对我们来说有多重要，”她说。“他们本就应该花更少的钱买到更好的商品。”（财富中文网） 译者：刘进龙/汪皓 |
Wal-Mart has taken on a massive green project. CEO Mike Duke said, in 2009, that the retailer would build a sustainability index to track the environmental impact for the entire life cycle of every single product it sells. For many reasons, this has been a challenging process But soon, consumers will be able to see the payoff, said Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Wal-Mart's Sam's Club division at Fortune's Brainstorm Green Conference in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Wal-Mart (WMT) is looking to launch a pilot system that will offer detailed product sustainability information to consumers within the next 12 months. That's fine, but will it change consumer behavior? There's evidence that it will, Brewer said, especially for Sam's Club members, who are, in general, more affluent than the average Wal-Mart consumer. Sam's Club customers are willing to spend on premium products such as Greek yogurt, grass-fed beef, and organic milk on a consistent basis, a surprising trend considering the current economic environment. Granted, consumers still want Wal-Mart and Sam's Club to keep prices down. During Wal-Mart's February 21 earnings report, Brewer said, "Recent traffic patterns of our business members indicate that they are more deliberate in their spending due to macroeconomic factors." Or, in other words, times are still tight. It will be a while before Wal-Mart can evaluate how its sustainability index will affect sales. But one of the interesting parts of the mega-company's index is how it will apply to projects beyond food. For example, the company wants to increase its energy efficiency in an effort to save $1 billion in costs by 2020, Brewer said, claiming that the company plans to pass on those savings to Wal-Mart and Sam's Club customers. "We know how important that $40,000-a-year household is," she said. "They should not have to pay more for things that are better for them." |
