PRESS RELEASE: 12/21/2005
Ideal Bite Forecasts a Green Christmas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEIdeal Bite Forecasts a Green Christmas
Eco-Gifts Are Huge Hit This Holiday
Brooklyn, NY and Bozeman, MT - December 21, 2005 - Though temperatures continue to drop, Ideal Bite says increased spending on enviro-friendly gifts has been heating up, making for a very green Christmas.
Over the past four weeks, Ideal Bite eco-living tips email subscribers -- more than 20,000 "light green consumers" -- have been receiving daily installments of the Green Gift Guide, which spotlights some of the hippest and greenest gifts around this year. Running through December 23rd, the guide will provide some essential last-minute-gift inspiration.
Online sales represent a huge portion on holiday spending this year, with NPD, a market research firm, reporting that 37% of surveyed consumers plan to purchase gifts online this year. Ideal Bite"s preliminary research suggests that green holiday gift spending is accentuating the trend of rapid growth seen in the market for health and sustainability products and services (LOHAS), which is now valued at more than $230 billion in the US alone.
Internally, Ideal Bite has tracked online gift giving trends since the guide"s debut this holiday season. Specifically it has analyzed the "click-through" rate, or the number of daily tip email subscribers that visited the websites of the products featured in the special month-long gift guide. Many of these sites that Ideal Bite "tipped" are seeing very high traffic and sales volume as a result. Among Biters" most visited green product sites are the following:
Reware"s Juice Bag ($200) - practical yet hip, this solar backpack can charge everything from cell phones to iPods.
VeganEssential"s faux leather card holder ($28) - stylish business card holder or a compact wallet.
Gaiam"s Still Point Inducer ($25) - sure to deliver relaxation amidst the stress of the holiday season.
And Anything Vintage: Vintage Trends" vintage and recycled tees ($38-45), uniquely themed gifts are perfect for that person who has enough sweaters and ties.
One-fifth of retail industry sales (19.9%) occur during the holiday season. The strong trend in eco-gift giving may suggest that green is on its way to the mainstream.
About Ideal Bite
Ideal Bite is the only online resource that provides daily education and entertainment for everyday people to be more environmentally and socially conscious. Founders Heather Stephenson and Jennifer Boulden extend the reach of traditional green advocates and empower consumers to implement green ideas into their busy lives. Applying what it refers to as "a sassier shade of green," Ideal Bite provides convenient, fun, inexpensive and feel-good ways for ordinary people to be green. Ideal Bite features daily green tips, facts, product and service suggestions, personal stories, and opinionated editorial to its community of more than 20,000 "Biters." Ideal Bite launched out of its dual offices in Brooklyn, NY and Bozeman, Mont. in June 2005 and will expand internationally in mid 2006. For more information on Ideal Bite and its clever ideas that are good for both people and the planet, or to sign-up for free email tips or join the blog discussion, visit www.idealbite.com.
###