Sustainability and sustainable brands have become the talk of the town now!
A report by YPulse shows that GenZ and Millennials are the most conscious generations with respect to environmental impact and sustainability. “More than four in five Gen Z and Millennials tell YPulse they worry about climate change, and the majority agree that’s up to them to stop it from getting worse.”
Most brands have already or at least attempted to adopt sustainable choices in the past few years.
But starting and building a sustainable brand is no easy feat. With a misunderstood conception of what sustainability is, it can be challenging to make consumers pick the right products or understand the commitment they’re making by interacting with the brand.
Having done it all, Nitika, the CEO and Founder of ONEarth, shares her story on what made her start the brand and how she has built it from the ground up, educating one consumer at a time – for a lifetime, with unique eCommerce marketing strategies.
For anyone who wants to start a brand that promotes sustainability or those who want to bring it into their existing brands, this Content Kettle episode has a lot for you!
About ONEarth
ONEarth was designed with an umbrella mission of reinventing lifestyles to better reflect sustainable choices that our planet needs, and providing cost-effective, durable alternatives to do so.
From fashion to the kitchen, travel to wellness, and the entire spectrum in between, the brand provides value additions to our lifestyle that don’t burn a hole in the wallet and let us experience how good it feels to be One with the Earth. They’re even known for their sustainable packaging, where most brands promoting the cause tend to miss out.
Nikita describes ONEarth as a “one-stop eco shop”. She says, “We don’t want just 5 people leading a zero-waste life. Instead, we want millions of people leading a low-waste life.”
She further adds, “I want to educate people about sustainability while also increasing my customer (base)”.
Here’s a glimpse of what she had to share from her journey of building a sustainable ecommerce brand.
eCommerce marketing tips for a sustainable brand like ONEarth
Know what are you trying to do
Have a very clear idea of what exactly should your brand represent. This can also be rephrased as having a crisp brand story.
“You need to be sure of what you’re selling”, Nikita stresses. “Sustainability is a huge umbrella”, she continues.
Be clear on what you want to start with – home, lifestyle, skincare, stationery, pick a niche.
It is also very easy for people to get carried away by things that have the tag ‘biodegradable’ or ‘sustainable’ attached. However, usually things are a little more vague than they seem in this industry.
Nikita cited an interesting example. “Recently, we came across wheat straw toothbrushes. We then realized the process of producing these wheat straws uses a lot of chemicals and hence is more harmful than just a regular toothbrush”, she says.
Your best bet is to research, research and do some more research :).
Be honest
Do not use flashy keywords and tags like ‘eco-friendly’ just to cover up the actual ugly truth.
Customers expect you to be honest. Especially in an industry such as this which revolves around deep sentiments and concern for the world around.
Nikita tells us about how their bamboo toothbrushes use nylon bristles because there are no real completely natural alternatives out there yet. However, they do not hide this. Whenever they’re asked about it by customers, they straight up give an honest answer.
As ironic as it may seem, your honesty will actually prompt your customers to develop a sense of trust in you.
Focus on customer experience
You need to obviously prioritize your customers. You won’t last for very long in the market without them.
And so, give them the best you can! From smooth browsing experience, to cart additions, to checkouts, to post-purchase assistance – it all counts.
How you treat your customers is going to determine whether you will be able to retain those customers or not.
Experiment with collaborations
Collaborate with brands, influencers, celebrities who believe in the same ideologies as you.
Make the most of an already gathered audience.
However, while doing so, ensure the brand/person you’re collaborating with truly believes and practices your brand’s vision. Otherwise, it will backfire.
Do not stop innovating
In this fast paced market, it is very easy to become ‘irrelevant’.
Your only chance of preventing that is to continuously innovate and evolve. You stop doing that and you’ll soon be a thing of the past.
Listen more about Nikita’s take on the importance of social media, her two cents worth to budding companies and so much more in this episode here.
Content Kettle is our E-Commerce Special podcast. Starting an eCommerce business may have gotten easier. But taking your products to buyers is getting tougher by the day. In the age of rising competition and a digital-first take on consumer-brand relationships, what eCommerce marketing strategies really work? In this podcast, we talk to brand owners, marketers and eCommerce experts to help you reach ‘what works’, faster.
