Regenerative Ecommerce for CPG Brands
Is it time to take a more regenerative approach to ecommerce?
For many years, purpose-driven CPG brands have been built on the products of regenerative farming practices – and to great effect. Consumers are increasingly aware of regenerative agriculture as a shorthand for best practices when it comes to sustainable production.
How can the same sustainable approaches be applied to the practice of selling online – and can it drive the same kind of productivity?
What do we mean by “regenerative ecommerce?”
When we refer to “regenerative ecommerce” we’re alluding to an attitude to online retail that embraces the ethos of its agricultural counterpart. The principles that cross over include the intention for your operation to do no harm, to leave things better than you found them, increasing abundance and creating a community that has the ability to sustain itself in both the short and long term.
Just as conscious consumers are increasingly turning to CPGs that are produced via regenerative farming methods, interest in brands that adopt a regenerative attitude to their operation is also on the rise.
As our allies in regenerative agriculture point out, we are not talking about creating another buzzword for marketing. It's time to be reflective.
How can CPG brands benefit from taking a regenerative approach to ecommerce?
What are the principles we’d expect a CPG brand taking a regenerative approach to ecommerce to demonstrate? And what benefits can they expect to experience as a result?
Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash
A balanced system for a healthy harvest
In any productive business, a methodical approach that seeks balance is better for bottom lines and ultimately, better for customers. Just as regenerative farming sets out with the intention to “do no harm,” regenerative ecommerce can also adopt a more strategic approach to inputs and outputs.
What might this look like in practice?
A sensible approach towards scaling – growth that doesn’t overextend a business, but that is steady and reliable.
A good attitude towards investing back into the business – a realistic view of the internal resources needed to keep things running smoothly.
A holistic view of the ecommerce year – knowing how to operate to best effect in the fallow and peak seasons.
Going for organic growth
We commonly associate regenerative farming with organic principles, and once again, a comparison can be made with regenerative ecommerce. Consider the similarities between the concepts of organic farming and organic traffic and brand growth – healthy, sustainable, not artificially inflated or enhanced.
This ties back to the regenerative farming concept of “leaving things better than you found them.” When you focus on growing organically, you aren’t forcing a business into a model that doesn't fit. You’re laying the foundation for a truly authentic brand.
How can organic success be achieved?
Dedicate time, care and attention to creating authentic, organic social media posts and other content that have true resonance and value within your target audience.
Explore opportunities for non-paid advertising and marketing – word of mouth recommendations, the support of social causes, quality content and cross promotion with brands that hold similar values.
Respecting the value of community
A regenerative farming operation relies on the knowledge and skill sets of many – and so does regenerative ecommerce. In both cases, the importance of identifying, sustaining and investing in a supportive community cannot be overstated.
Just as those within the regenerative ecommerce community are happy to work together for the greater good, sharing knowledge and helping others to replicate their own successes, regenerative ecommerce brands can also collaborate and pull together. Uniquely within the competitive world of ecommerce, mission-led brands are typically driven by something bigger than their bottom line – the ethical treatment of our planet and its people. This helps unite us.
How can we improve the cohesion of our community?
Set up opportunities for skill sharing and learning from other brands.
Be open and encouraging – seeing a win for one as a win for all.
Stay vocal about sustainability intentions and activities – leading by example.
Share resources to enable access that would be inaccessible to others.
Embracing recycled traffic
Regenerative practices center around the concept of recycling – in fact, the cyclic repurposing of resources is a cornerstone of the regenerative approach. How might this show up with more regenerative ecommerce? Through the reciprocal recycling of traffic – most clearly, via cross promotion enabled by apps such as GoodCarts.
GoodCarts helps to connect CPG brands with shared values, common goals, similar ethics and perfectly aligned audiences to enable automated cross-marketing campaigns. It’s a free, organic method of marketing. This kind of promotion is an ideal fit when it comes to building up a balanced, self-sustaining system.
This approach to embracing and sharing recycled audiences and traffic mirrors regenerative agriculture’s desire to increase abundance. It supports the principle of replacing a scarcity mindset with a sharing mindset. Time to grow the pie, not outbid all of our margins away to the benefit of digital advertising behemoths.
A regenerative future for ecommerce?
Of course, a regenerative approach should be welcomed in all aspects of life, but the ethos feels increasingly viable when applied to ecommerce.
The brands going the extra mile to do the right thing for people and planet – leaving things better than they found them, and creating stable, sustainable operations – are richly rewarded for their efforts. The future of ecommerce? We certainly hope so.
Steven Clift
CEO of GoodCarts
