Score in the German e‑commerce market with sustainability

The sustainability topic is of growing interest to German customers from year to year. It is currently the third most pivotal condition in Germany when choosing goods. We have prepared an article, in which you will learn how to make your business more sustainable and engage more German customers with that.

1. Developing Sustainability Is Trending
2. How Online Stores Get Attention In A Sustainability Field In Germany
3. Sustainability At The Level Of Comparison Engines And Marketplaces

Developing Sustainability Is Trending

Environmental friendliness and ecology take an increasingly important place in German e‑commerce. Over 1 million packages are sent every day in Germany. It results in large consumption of packaging materials and a substantially large carbon footprint. Many customers are not indifferent to the future of our planet, so they want to contribute to the development of sustainability in the world of online shopping, at least with small steps. Seemingly simple measures such as the reuse of packaging materials, fewer returns, local purchases, or demand for greener transport also help.

How Online Stores Get Attention In A Sustainability Field In Germany

1. Offer “Green” Transport In Germany

Several courier services operate more environmentally friendly. The German companies DHL, DPD, and GLS are currently committed to carbon-neutral shipping, which they offer even at no extra cost within the federal state. According to a Trusted Shops survey, 86% of customers prefer such services. One in five would pay extra for greener shipping.

2. Recycle Packaging And Reduce Aaste

It is not a shame if you send the goods in a carton that already has a few shipments in a row. Exactly opposite. As many as 86% of German customers welcome this way of packaging products. Ideally, work even on the necessary filling of the cardboard box. Above all, use cardboard cut, paper filling, or ecological air cushions, avoid bubble wrap and polystyrene padding. You better pay attention to the product packaging itself. The less packaging material you use, the better.

3. Be Fair To Your Suppliers And Employees

Sustainability includes not only environmental principles but also a fair approach to employees and suppliers. Adequate salary, regulated working hours, and fair treatment of employees are criteria that 9 out of 10 German customers take into account when making purchasing decisions. If your company actively participates in sustainable projects, you will gain additional plus points.

Sustainability At The Level Of Comparison Engines And Marketplaces

Sustainable filtering

The largest German comparison engine Idealo.de recently allowed customers to filter so-called “sustainable” products. Customers can filter over 100,000 products in 200+ categories. For each of them, sustainability is different. Among drugstore goods, you can easily distinguish natural products without silicones, oil derivatives, microplastics, and other harmful substances. When choosing children’s goods, you can exclude products without phthalates or BPA. Among the foods, you can easily find products of organic quality.

In addition to sustainability, Idealo also relies on the product’s reuse, which is why there is also a filter for used goods, which is often a more economical and environmentally friendly option.

Green marketplace

Avocadostore.de has been offering German customers more sustainable alternatives to conventional products since 2010. It is currently the largest “green” marketplace in the German e‑commerce market, where you will find mainly clothing, but also toys, food, decorations, and household products. To list your products there, they must meet at least one of the following ten criteria.

According to the Similar Web service, the Avocadostore website is visited by over a million users a month. So if your goods match the range and meet the above criteria, consider entering this marketplace.

Not yet selling abroad? If you use Mergado to manage comparison engine advertising, you can easily convert the formats that you already use to the ones you need for expansion. The first 30 days of its use are free.

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