How can you integrate sustainability into your ecommerce checkout? The correlation between a positive ecommerce experience and a rise in repeat orders and loyal customers is undeniable. Sustainability has never been more important to consumers and to our future, here we look at a few simple ways to improve your customer journey, and help to save the planet.
According to Statista, over 70% of eCommerce checkouts in the UK are left incomplete, highlighting the importance of optimising the checkout process to enhance customer satisfaction and retention.
Most consumers say the commitment of businesses to sustainability influences their trust in those businesses.
Deliotte
It is crucial to understand that by the time a customer reaches the checkout stage, they have already formed opinions about your brand and website. This is the moment when they are prepared to finalise their purchase, so adding an eco incentive could literally be a deal breaker. Whatever it is that your business does, whatever the main product is, there are lots of ways that you can incorporate sustainability into your customers ecommerce experience.
Meets customer demands for sustainability
The current trend among consumers is a growing desire for products that have a minimal impact on the environment, indicating a significant shift towards eco-conscious purchasing habits. According to a survey conducted in 2023, a majority of US adults, 74%, express concern about the environmental footprint of the products they purchase, with 68% showing a willingness to pay a premium for eco-friendly alternatives. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that customers care considerably more about sustainability and service quality than ever before.
To cater to this increasing demand, as a business owner, you have the opportunity to offer and promote products and incentives that contribute to the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions. For example, Patagonia, known for its outdoor clothing and gear, pledges 1% of sales to environmental groups, uses recycled materials, and aims for complete carbon neutrality by 2025.
1. Partner with environmental charities
Explore potential collaborations with environmental organisations that share your sustainability objectives, such as local wildlife societies, green energy projects, or groups dedicated to minimising plastic pollution. By teaming up with environmental charities, you can demonstrate your dedication to combating climate change and safeguarding the environment, benefiting both the planet and your customer’s experience.
2. Initiate a product repair program
Enhance customer satisfaction and prolong the longevity of your products by implementing a repair initiative, which enables customers to return damaged items for repair or replacement. This repair program not only reinforces your brand’s dedication to sustainability by minimising product waste, but also promotes a mindset of responsible consumption. By offering this service, you can build trust with your customers and demonstrate your commitment to providing high-quality, long-lasting products.
3. Plant a tree with every purchase
Incentivise sales by offering to plant a tree with every purchase made by your customers. Choose from environmental organisations such as The Future Forest Company, Ecologi and Tree App. Contribute to environmental sustainability by planting a tree for every new product launch, or seasonal offer through seamless integrations with ecommerce platforms such as Shopify. Take a step towards combating climate change by incorporating this eco-friendly initiative into your business practices.
4. Transparency is key, provide customers with details of your sustainability practices
E-commerce presents an opportunity to be more eco-conscious compared to brick-and-mortar stores by streamlining logistics operations such as centralised warehousing, route optimisation, and batch deliveries, which can help reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, e-commerce can contribute to lower resource consumption by minimising the need for physical infrastructure, and implementing effective inventory management systems. Nevertheless, achieving these environmental benefits requires the adoption of sustainable practices across your entire business. It is important that your communicate your sustainability initiatives clearly with your customers.
Make sure that there are many different ways for customers to be contacted and to contact your business. That can include email, phone, web chat and whatever else you might think works well. You should also ensure that the response is able to be fast. The best way to do that is to rely on outsourcing or on tech – you can employ a call centre, create a chatbot for website queries, and generally make sure that the tools are in place to enable all this. Create a website page that outlines your sustainability practices and goals and have a FAQ section to help inform your customers further.
5. Create a loyalty program with ecorewards
Over the past couple of decades, business loyalty reward programs have become more and more popular, and with good reason. There are a range of environmentally friendly ways to reward your customers. Platforms such as ecorewards where users have the option to log their eco-friendly travels using the application or an online submission form. The system will then compute the amount of CO2 emissions saved and the total distance covered in green miles. As time progresses, users will witness their carbon footprint reduction increase, both on a personal level and as part of the larger community. By participating, customers will automatically be included in various prize giveaways and have the opportunity to enjoy exclusive discounts and cash-back offers from retailers. Of course choosing how to reward your customer means learning about what they would like to receive as a reward, so you can provide prizes and offers that resonate with them.
6. Integrate carbon offsets at checkout
Carbon Checkout revolutionised the concept of carbon offsets for Shopify eCommerce stores back in 2015, making it possible for countless individuals to offset the carbon emissions generated by their online purchases directly at the checkout stage. By consolidating customer donations into various funds such as Earth, Ocean, Wildlife, and Climate Tech, your business can support projects that have a tangible impact on the environment, promoting collective action and sustainability with each and every transaction made through your platform.
Customers are demanding more from brands than ever before, by integrating sustainability into your eCommerce business, you are not only meeting the needs of your customer but helping to reverse climate change too. Win-win. Hopefully you are now inspired to go forth and integrate sustainability into your eCommerce checkout.
