The Future of Sustainable Ecommerce Advertising: Trends to Watch Out For
Sustainable e-comm is an ever-evolving industry, and advertising is no exception.
Customers are increasingly demanding more and more environmentally-friendly products (hurray!); we know it’s heavy on resource, but it's really important for growing ecomm businesses to stay on top of continually changing advertising trends.
These are the top 5 emerging trends in sustainable ecommerce advertising that we are watching very closely and adopting with our clients:
1. Personalisation
Personalisation isn’t new - email marketing has had this one in the bag for ages - but it’s becoming more and more popular across ads, and for good reason. Ads tailored to individual consumers, result in higher engagement and conversions. Adidas is a great example of leveraging personalisation - “miadidas” allows customers to design custom shoes and clothes, and its ads show personalised content based on the customer's location, purchase history, and other factors all leading to a big boost in engagement and sales.
2. Video Ads
Whilst we’re always testing other formats, video is our favourite for Ads across all platforms. They’re attention grabbing, can hop on the trends (hello TikTokers), they can build trust and affinity with your audience much more quickly and they allow for more creative expression than a static image. Video ads are a powerful way to showcase your products and brand values. As advertisers, video at top of funnel will also build great video views audiences for retargeting! In a recent ad campaign Patagonia showcased its sustainable practices and encouraged viewers to repair their clothes rather than throwing them away. The video received over 2 million views and helped reinforce the brand's commitment to sustainability, as well as build them some handy retargeting audiences.
3. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is still growing in popularity and partnering with influencers who share your company brand values can be a powerful way to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness - the rapid rise of TikTok’s ‘Spark Ads’ show how this is also evolving as businesses can piggyback on authorised content from influencer accounts. Reformation teaming up with Emma Watson, Everlane with Lee Vosburgh, Love Island with eBay - all recent partnerships where sustainability led brands leveraged new audiences.
4. Augmented Reality
Definitely one to watch! Augmented reality (AR) allows consumers to interact with products in a virtual environment. Popularity of the tech is really growing in ecommerce - think consumers trying on clothes or seeing how furniture would look in their home before making a purchase (yes please!) The IKEA Place App is a good example, driving increased engagement as consumers can use AR to visualise future purchases, but also reducing risk of returns and waste.
5. Cause Marketing
Partnering with a charitable cause or organisation and donating a portion of your profits to their mission can help build brand loyalty and increase consumer trust. I first bought a pair of TOMS shoes about 10 years ago when they really stood out from the competition marketing their "One for One" program - they donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes sold.
They still do it and it’s certainly helped them build a loyal customer base, differentiate from their competitors and reinforce their commitment to social responsibility. In 2023 we’re anticipating more and more cause marketing tied to environmentalism helping businesses communicate their commitment to lowering carbon footprints and protecting the planet.
Advertising is certainly an ever changing space and the trends are to be ignored at the risk of being left behind and watching the Shopify stats crash. But, by continually watching and learning what’s working in the sector and staying on top of trends, product businesses can continually improve their chances of being discovered and reaching new audiences. Additionally, by maintaining integrity and transparency in their advertising practices, these businesses can build trust and loyalty with consumers who are looking for sustainable and socially responsible brands to support.
Our speciality is helping ecommerce businesses sell more of the good stuff via ads.
Follow us for more tips and inspiration or get in touch to find out how we can help your brand in 2023.