This is for you if you are a nature NGO or biodiversity business with a physical product.
Why it matters:
If you created a product & or an NGO, you want it to sell/people to support you
Yepoda (sustainable skincare) has one of the best online shops I have seen, so let's learn from the best
Disclaimer:
First, I am not a big fan of consumerism.
However, by now, I have seen many inspiring models where people launch products to create a finance stream for nature.
Socks, gin, jewelry I have seen plenty. For me these companies are part of the solution to get us to a wilder world, as long as big amount ends up in nature.
Yet, we can't consume ourselves out of this crisis, so these models should never be the final destination.
13 best practices to boost your nature product online shop
#1 Give away free articles
Yepoda gets people to commit to their shopping by gifting the customers free articles when they hit certain spending amounts. Free shipping when you hit 50€, a brush when you hit 79€, etc. Like this, they make it hard for you to desert your basket.
#2 Remarket them
I found this brand via my fiancee. After checking the shop, she abandoned her cart and went back on Instagram. Guess what happened?
She immediately got a sponsored ad with a discount code, making it very hard for her not to buy. This technique is called remarketing. If you haven't done it already, I highly recommend it.
#3 Make it seamless to pay
The most overlooked part of the customer journey that kills plenty of your sales/donations right now. You have to make it as easy as possible for customers to pay for your products; otherwise, they will leave you at the last meter.
#4 Create an offline experience
The biggest advantage offline stores have over online stores is that you have a service person who can assist you. So, with online shops, you try to mimic this. Yepoda is doing this through a Skin Analyzer that helps people find out what cream works for them.
#5 Show that sustainability is a journey
Yepoda has plenty of labels and pages to show its sustainability approach. But I think the most important bit is that they are transparent about this being a journey and that they will keep innovating to make the product less harmful.
The smartest move is that they invite the customers to give them ideas on where they can do better. They are transparent and inclusive, which strengthens the bond with customers.
#6 Provide clear USP
In simple terms, your USP (Unique selling proposition) is what sets you apart from your competition. They share those frequently across the website so the customer never forgets why to purchase from them. For example, vegan, K-beauty, all-natural, etc.
#7 Give your product catchy names
They make the shopping experience more joyful and entertaining by giving their products fun names, from "The Depuff Eyespresso" to "The Mist Have." These tiny details make a difference.
#8 Blow customers away with product descriptions
Most online shops are incredibly lazy regarding product descriptions. For example, a White T-shirt made of Cotton. Wohooooo that makes you really want that shirt.
Yepoda hit the sweet spot. They have all the info you need, but it's short enough so people actually read it. From skin types to experience to reminders, they are first-class in that area.
#9 Show your product in action
A video shows each product in action, making it much easier for the customer to see and feel the product. Plus, as pointed out above, many people don't read anymore, so a video helps to convey your message.
#10 Highlight customer recommendations
In this part, they push it a bit (because their sample size is tiny), but the general idea is good. Get deep insights about your product, what the customers say about it, and whether it actually does the job. If it doesn't improve your product, share it inside every product description like them.
#11 Implement cross-selling & up-selling
I hope this is a no-brainer, but make sure for the nature product that you cross & sell products. Cross-sell = offer products from different categories. Up-sell = offer products that make the initial product better. This little addition will increase your average basket considerably.
#12 Recommend products in new places
It's the first time I have seen product recommendations in the shopping cart window. It makes sense. They imitate the offline shopping experience, when you are waiting at the checkout and there are these tiny little things on the counter. Smart.
#13 Remind them about your commitment
When you finally check out the cart, they give you a transparent reminder of their 1% for the Planet commitment and how much your positive contribution is. Genius, to show again their contribution to a better world.
5 Actions you can take from Yepoda
#1 Map out obstacles. In order to improve your customer's experience, map out all the different obstacles they usually encounter that would stop them from buying.
#2 Explore Solutions. Below the obstacles, write out all sorts of solutions that you can tackle to overcome them.
#3 Make it unique. Go the extra mile. Check how much effort you put in so far for each single product on your page. Be critical, is this the best you can do?
#4 Capture. Even if you don't manage to get a sell, ensure that you have measures in place to keep the potential customer. Remarketing, Newsletter capture, Social Media etc.
#5 Make it exciting. Our work is pretty grey and dark. Check if yiou can bring more humor and joy into the entire experience.
Cheat Sheet to learn from other nature shops:
💡 More Case Studies of products that boost nature:
⚒️ Tools:
Shopify - Best Online Shop Platform
Teemill - Best Drop Shipping
🤓 Learn:
Online shops frequently get a bad rep and rightly so.
But occasionally, even we biodiversity builders need some socks, a new T-shirt, or a bottle of gin. So, if we consume, let's consume so that nature benefits, too.
And exactly for those shop builders I attended this article. Have fun implementing those best practices and let me know how it goes.
Have a great week, and stay wild!
Best,
Oli
P.S. If you find this newsletter useful, please consider sharing it with one ecopreneur friend. Together, we can make the world wilder.
🦧 Whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways Wild Business Mates can help you grow and double your impact:
1.1-to-1 business consulting. Detailed and personalized consulting to double the impact of your biodiversity organization in the shortest possible time. Book a free intro call.
2. Wild Business Mates in Action. Wild Business Mates help you execute in areas you are struggling with. Tech, Marketing, Sales, Communication, etc. We can realize all the steps I mentioned above.