Background
Conducted a study on Green Building Products (M-Sand, Fly Ash, GGBS) in Bengaluru, for a leading Cement Manufacturer in Karnataka.
Research Objectives
• To study the growth and development of cement and concrete industry in India.
• To understand the awareness and usage of green building products.
• To understand the perceptions and attitudes of consumers about green building products.
• To study the factors that influence green marketing in the construction industry concerning the use of green building products.
• To study the impact of quality, service and cost economics of Ready-mixed concrete (RMC) vis-à-vis Site mixed concrete (SMC) with the use of green products in concrete production.
• To formulate strategies and plans for promoting, popularizing and marketing the green building products in the Indian Construction Industry.
Target Groups Surveyed
• Reference Group: Architects, Structural Consultants, Construction industry consultants, Govt. contacts
• B2B Consumers: Builders/Contractors/Construction Companies.
• As part of this study, we have covered 200 builders and developers (low, medium, high types).
• Research was done to understand their perceptions, usage and preference on these green building products.
Suggestions and Recommendations
Product Specific:
• Product awareness is there among industry experts and B2B consumers. It is also essential to create more awareness among the general public.
• The knowledge on usage and benefits of green building products need to be improved through consumer education and awareness programs.
• It is vital to gain the confidence of construction industry influencers like Architects, construction engineers, construction contractors, masons and construction supervisors.
• As end-users depend on these people, the decision making on the products and brands are decided by these influencers.
• The eco-friendliness and sustainability aspects should be communicated better to all the stakeholders of the building & construction industry.
• Quality standards of green building products need to be spread among all the stakeholders
• Usage for SMC or RMC or Both (SMC & RMC) – need to provide more clarity of production details and its benefits to the manufacturers.
Place Specific:
• Product availability: At present, green building products are available for limited purposes for a limited number of users.
• These products should be made available in urban, rural and semi-rural level so that these will reach the end consumers in a better way. Also, the usage of these products should be encouraged to all major cities, by Government by providing necessary industry support.
Price Specific:
• These products should be made available at a reasonable price so that the consumer shifts from regular products to these green building products can happen.
• If they are fixed a premium price level; the substantiate reasons for the incremental price should be provided clearly to the end-users and industry experts.
• In what ways they are cost-effective – need to be communicated to the end-users.
Promotion Specific:
• Product advertisements (includes nature of the product and its key benefits) in construction industry-related magazines, journals and real estate columns of news dailies.
• Participation in construction industry exhibitions, trade fairs and Builders Expos.
• Advertisements in real estate and construction industry-related websites, social media groups and other online advertisements.
Encouraging dealers/distributors/retailers of construction industry products to sell these green building products by providing better margins and affordable credit & payment terms.
• Regular interactions with industry experts, industry associations, industry bodies about the products.
