Focus 02: Building Brand Loyalty: Sustainability

This week in our daily bite sized snippets we explore BUILDING BRAND LOYALTY.

Today’s topic is: SUSTAINABILITY

Brands and retailers who acted compassionately and projected a positive message throughout the pandemic are on a strong footing from which to build recovery. We explore how maintaining this momentum and direction is key to building brand loyalty.

With a heightened sense of the world’s fragility, consumers want reassurance that brands care about sustainability and are following best practice in relation to product development, production, recycling, re purposing, sourcing locally where viable and protecting the environment.

Sustainability has been a prominent topic for some time, but the cost of implementing meaningful policies was a barrier for many brands and retailers before coronavirus. These challenges are likely to escalate as brands and retailers have suffered huge losses during the pandemic and face difficult times ahead.

Equally, sustainable practices in store have temporarily taken a backwards step through essential measures to keep staff and shoppers safe. These include installation of acrylic sneeze screens, increased use of cleaning products, single-use PPE, plastic bags and packaging to protect products from human contact.

But contrary to this, consumers have seen a positive impact on the environment during lockdown. With less road and air traffic they have experienced cleaner air, less pollution and a resurgence of wildlife. Many consumers will embrace this and gravitate towards a simpler, more self-sufficient life. Hot topics before the pandemic such as rental and borrowing, recycling, reusing and refashioning will come to the forefront.

This approach to sustainability is likely to be appealing to many consumers as their own financial situations are compromised, and they may not be able to pay the premium that is often associated with sustainable products and practices.

Consumers desire to care for the environment comes with renewed enthusiasm post-coronavirus, but initiatives need to be affordable for consumers as well as brands to have the desired impact.

Alongside the bigger picture of your businesses sustainable policies incorporating sourcing, production and operations, there are many things you can do within physical stores to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability and protecting the environment.

• Consider introducing services or facilities in store such as upcycling, recycling, alterations, repairs and exchange models, with rewards preferably not encouraging consumers to buy new products.
• Introduce other services in store that encourage sustainable living such as free water refill stations.
• Deliver services with conviction, ensure they are built into the fabric of the store and have the appropriate prominence – services shouldn’t look like an afterthought.
• Ensure your consumers understand the objectives of your services and how they work.
• Educate store staff so they fully understand the businesses sustainability policies and are enthusiastic to talk to consumers about them.
• Employ sustainable practices as part of shopfitting and manufacturing processes, together with exploring methods of reducing energy consumption.
• Ensure you clearly communicate across all channels your commitment to sustainability, using an appropriate and honest tone.
• Overall consider how as you can play a part in moving away from a throwaway society and reassure consumers that you are a responsible brand or retailer.

Based on our knowledge and expertise, we can help you communicate to your consumers across all channels your commitment to sustainability, and support with the creation of additional services in store to build upon your cause.

As your consumers find themselves living in a changed world, what can you do now to project your positive brand values, demonstrate your commitment to what’s important to them and earn their loyalty.

Get in touch if you would like to arrange a virtual workshop with our founding Directors Adrian & Jenny to see how can help you work through your opportunities, or download the full document HERE