GREEN MARKETING
Esther Stein DO GOOD AND TALK ABOUT IT: HOW CAN RETAILERS WOW THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH SUSTAINABLE STORYTELLING?
REPORT
At the Berlin trade shows in July the key talking point was sustainability. Customers are increasingly expecting a bigger “green” commitment from brands and stores. Many retailers find it hard to communicate, however. How can stores inform their customers without overloading them with information, coming across as preachy, or reeking of greenwashing?
To start with, it’s important to decide for yourself how serious you are about sustainability. Is your company committed to a green strategy; or are you looking to come across a bit “greener” with a few PR initiatives? The former is extremely labor-intensive; the latter could backfire.
“Transparency is the pivotal thing here,” says Bert van Son, CEO of Mud Jeans, in response to the question of how best to talk about sustainability. There is not usually enough space in stores to offer information, so the products need to shine. The company’s website and social media offer ample opportunity for this, however. Mud Jeans, for instance, shows videos presenting its suppliers on site and provides a sustainability report for download. Denim brand Kuyichi showcases its retailers online – and it works the other way round too of course: manufacturers of sustainable fashion in particular have a wealth of stories to tell that retailers can tap into for their own websites. For example, introduce the labels in your store via regular newsletters. Making a business more sustainable is a long process. But even minor interventions along the way will be well-received by consumers: if, for instance, you use sustainable packaging, print a statement on it to say so; use a small sign in-store to tell customers about the environmentally friendly energy used. And, of course, make sure your sales floor staff is knowledgeable about your sustainable achievements and ready to discuss them with clients.
Don’t lay it on too thick though, or you might be accused of greenwashing. Greenwashing is the result of companies seeing sustainability as merely a shortlived trend to grow sales. A prominent example of this is the baby hygiene products from Hollywood star Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company: the label was forced to pay millions of dollars in fines because some of the ingredients were nowhere near as environmentally friendly as claimed.
Green marketing is a good way to raise awareness; but it mustn’t end in half-baked attempts. Stay real: the commitment needs to be discernible and transparent, otherwise consumers will assume hypocrisy. Also, be open to being educated by your customers and foster dialogue with them: what aspects of sustainability are they especially concerned about?