Marketing

Sustainability top consumer priority

Photo by istock.com

November 10, 2022

More than three-quarters of consumers believe it's important for a brand to highlight eco-practice data online, and if it's missing, a majority will look elsewhere to buy a product.

Those are top findings from an inriver study regarding the role sustainability plays in consumer shopping and purchases.

The report, "Inside the mind of an online shopper," polled 6,000 consumers across the U.S., U.K. and Germany and found 18% of respondents thought it wasn't important for a brand to showcase their sustainability or eco-practice product information online.

Research is king during the purchasing process with many consumers looking to compare and shop in more than one place to find the best deals. The report found even if a website provides all the production information, 83% said they will look elsewhere.

The need for "now" overtakes brand loyalty almost every time, with 62% stating they would switch to a competitive product if their first choice was out of stock, with only 12% saying they would be unlikely to switch.

"Brands are bracing themselves for the most unpredictable holiday shopping season yet. Issues surrounding health, supply chain disruption and rising living costs are impacting consumer trends like never before," Niels Stenfeldt, CEO at inriver, said in a press release on the findings. "Our report highlights the need for brands to build a digital shelf customers can rely on. This is true across all sectors, with even B2B industries like manufacturing seeing buyer behavior that now reflects B2C trends. For companies looking to exploit these behaviors, the importance of better product data has never been clearer. Not only to drive revenue and customer experience but to also create the product stories that truly matter."