Sustainability in E-commerce: How personalization can drive greener shopping habits

1. Promote eco-friendly products

The first one might sound like a no-brainer.  

But combining personalized recommendations with hand-picked promotions can be a hard nut to crack without the right software.  

With the right tools, such as Merchandising, you can create customized feeds where you can decide exactly what parameters to promote in your campaigns.  

For example, you can place items in recycled cotton or refurbished alternatives at the front of the module, making sure they get noticed first. This means that visitors are still presented with recommendations that fit their preferences – but the eco-friendlier choice gets prime placement.

2. Reduce returns and waste

Frequent returns are a major issue within e-commerce, putting a strain on the environment and wasting resources.  

Luckily, there are several things you can do to reduce returns and waste in e-commerce.  

• Size and fit recommendations: In Europe, 1 in every 5 garments sold online is returned. By recommending the size and fit that is most likely to work based on past purchases, body measurements, or user feedback, you minimize the likelihood of returns. 

• Clear out stock: Did you know that 4-9% of textiles put on the market in Europe are destroyed before use? After the EU has adopted new rules banning the destruction of textiles and footwear, retailers will need to find better ways to handle unsold inventory.
  
  To reduce this footprint, place items going out of season at the forefront of your product modules in special campaigns. This way, they get a much better chance of finding a home – and avoiding destruction.  

• Manage frequent returners: This one is controversial, but nonetheless necessary in some cases. By keeping an eye on customers with a high return frequency, you can segment them in a Customer Data Platform. This allows you to adjust your approach, whether by excluding them from certain campaigns or offering solutions that encourage more mindful purchasing. 

Playbook: Top 12 audiences for B2B and B2C

This playbook provides the Top 12 data-driven audience segments to help you identify and acquire your highest-value customers, segment customers who frequently return products to stop targeting them, and predict churning customers so you can reach out before they leave. 

 

Download the playbook right here

3. Personalized Content Recommendations to educate and inspire

A great way to put sustainability on the agenda is through inspiring content.  

Make sure to recommend relevant content pieces when users visit certain product pages – and vice versa. Consumers want to be educated on how to make greener choices, so make sure that information is available.  

This content could be on how to reduce plastic waste, choose ethical brands, or understand the impact of returns.  

Extra tip: Segment users who visit content pages about sustainability. This gives you insight into who your sustainability-conscious customers are, so you can target them with the types of products and content they might be interested in.  

Do you want sustainability to be a bigger part of your e-commerce strategy, but you’re not quite sure where to start?

Reach out to your usual Raptor expert, or talk to Jakob and he’ll help you with the next steps.

Jakob Djernes VP Customer Service Raptor Services +45 53 67 57 55 jdj@raptor.dk