How sustainability will shape marketing in the future

Sustainability in marketing has been an important social trend not only since the emergence of the "Fridays for Future" movement, which is also reflected in marketing. In this context, sustainable behavior refers to far more than classic environmental issues, but also includes social behavior and governance practices.

On the one hand, this involves the fair manufacture of products using environmentally friendly materials, transparent supply chains, but also sensible reusable packaging and responsible returns processes in the sense of a circular economy. Six out of ten customers say they pay attention to environmental and social criteria when selecting products. 45 percent avoid environmentally harmful ingredients and 41 percent of customers support CO2 avoidance by companies. At the same time, 68 percent of customers would be prepared to pay more for a product that demonstrably does not harm the environment. Incidentally, this applies more often than average to groups of shoppers between the ages of 18 and 39.

In short: Today, no manufacturer, no retailer, no brand can avoid the topic of sustainability, as the Smarketer agency points out. The agency, which is one of the most important partners of Google and Microsoft in Europe, has published a comprehensive guide on the topic of "Sustainability in e-commerce and online marketing. In it, the digital company shares its wealth of experience and comprehensive know-how with companies looking for the right way to do good and use their own commitment for marketing.

Sustainability marketing requires sincerity and transparency

It is essential that brands are serious about sustainability. After all, nothing damages a brand more in the long term than greenwashing, i.e. the transparent and dishonest emphasis on the obvious or hiding behind green advertising phrases. "Companies should set themselves ambitious goals and present progress transparently and honestly. It's about involving customers and sharing a common perspective," explains Eric Hinzpeter, content marketing expert at Smarketer.

What manufacturers and brand owners can actually do to improve sustainability depends very much on their own product portfolio and industry. While the Supply Chain Act already sets some requirements with regard to transparency in manufacturing and material selection, sustainability can be demonstrated in transport and packaging through the use of environmentally friendly materials and reusable systems. In e-commerce, too, i.e. with regard to green IT and sustainable web design, resources can be saved, for example, through mobile first and reduced resolutions for moving image content, and target groups can be better included in the context of accessibility.

Making sustainable products findable in a targeted manner

But sustainability is above all a communication issue. Because consumers are increasingly making their purchasing decisions (also) according to such criteria. "More and more online retailers and branded companies are therefore making mission statements and sustainability reports available, providing information about the materials used and making it easy to find particularly sustainable products," says Hinzpeter. The marketing expert also advises companies, especially in e-commerce, to transparently address relevant details on return, repair, disposal and recycling and to refer to corresponding seals and partnerships in this context, as customers are also specifically looking for these.

Furthermore, sustainability can also be reflected in search engine advertising. Here, Smarketer advises including terms such as "sustainable," "ecological," or "fair" in ads, as long as the advertising claims are really tenable. "If customers*in with the purchase not only do themselves, but also the environment something good, the feeling of social confirmation is aroused", explains Eric Hinzpeter. It is also advisable to include your own sustainability page in one of the sitelinks and to place values and USPs relating to sustainability topics in the callouts. Special offer extensions and image extensions can be used for special campaigns and sustainability days (such as Veganuary, Green Friday, Fair Friday or Circular Monday).

In addition, the sustainability theme can also be extended to the actual creatives such as banners and videos. Here, clear icons, natural backgrounds and earth tones can transport emotions around the topic. Last but not least, the choice of appropriate keywords also ensures improved conversion and contributes to the message reaching customers*. "Depending on the competition and search volume, it can be worthwhile to include general terms in your keyword set. This applies, for example, to terms such as 'refurbished', 'fair trade' or 'circular economy'," observes the Smarketer expert.

The 60-page Smarketer guide on the topic of "Sustainability in e-commerce and online marketing" can be downloaded here for free be

About Smarketer

Founded in 2011, Smarketer is now the largest pure Google Ads agency in the DACH region and, with 200 employees, supports around 900 customers from various industries in their digital growth. Smarketer is one of the most important partners of Google and Microsoft in Europe and maintains a close exchange with both companies. This enables the company to participate in selected workshops and betas for the search engines, distribute the knowledge within the agency and efficiently incorporate it into customer projects. Customers include brands such as PIN AG, Walbusch, Schuhe24 and Audible.