Shopify Store - Corporate Social Responsibility

Whether you’re an established brand or a first-time seller, Shopify is easy to set up and expand to multiple sales channels. The platform also helps with sustainability by promoting low-impact or sustainable packaging and shipping options.

For example, CarbonClick enables brands to add green carbon offsetting buttons to their checkout pages. This is a great way to reduce online shopping’s environmental footprint while demonstrating a values-led approach to business.

1. Share Your Passion

When you run a business, it is your responsibility to share your passion with customers. That includes your passion for your product, but also your passion for the cause you’re supporting with that product. Whether that’s the environment, humankind, or another issue that is important to your brand, it is important for potential customers to know how their purchases are making a difference.

One of the most important things you can do to drive social impact in your Shopify store is to make sure that customers see how their purchase is helping a good cause. Many people are willing to buy a product that is associated with an issue they care about, and if you can show them that their purchase is helping in a tangible way, they’re more likely to come back and buy again.

The best way to do this is to use a marketing automation tool like OptinMonster, which allows you to create and display popups on your site. You can customize these to exactly how you want them to appear, and can even set up triggers like exit-intent technology to only show them to users who are about to abandon your site.

By using a tool like this, you can make sure that the right people are seeing your message and only those who have agreed to receive marketing emails from you. You can also collect email addresses at the checkout by enabling the checkbox “Subscribe to marketing emails”.

A great example of this is the Bookstore for the Future, which is an online bookstore that is dedicated to providing access to classic books in digital format. They have a social media presence and blog, and use their website to promote their products to readers who are passionate about reading and literature.

They are able to connect with their customers in an authentic way by sharing their passion, and their audience in turn is more interested in them as a brand.

2. Share Your Purpose

Shopify has a lot of tools that make it easy for its users to promote their stores and build their audience. They provide social media integrations to help you get your products in front of a bigger audience, as well as SEO optimization to boost search engine visibility. Additionally, they offer a mobile-friendly website so that customers can access your site from any device.

If your product or service is geared toward making the world a better place, you can use these tools to share that message with your audience. For example, if you sell a productivity tool that helps people work smarter and faster, you can encourage your clients to talk about it with their communities by asking them to spread the word on social media. This could lead to more sales and more satisfied customers.

Another way to share your mission is through the way you run your business. Many Shopify merchants have a strong focus on environmental and social responsibility in their operations. This can include promoting sustainable packaging, using eco-friendly materials for production and shipping, or partnering with ethical manufacturers to ensure that their workers are paid a fair wage. You can also make a statement about your social responsibility by donating to a charity of your choice or offering employee volunteering days.

Aside from allowing you to sell on multiple channels, such as marketplaces and social media, Shopify offers a full range of apps to help you with specific marketing tasks, such as email management or POS card reader integration. Some of these apps are free, but others may cost a little extra money to use.

Finally, if you are selling physical goods in your Shopify store, the platform has a shipping app that can help you handle logistics. This is one of the easiest ways to automate and streamline your fulfillment processes. If you are selling a consumable or recurring product, adding a subscription option is an excellent way to increase customer retention.

The biggest challenge for any entrepreneur is turning their idea into a profitable business, and even more importantly, into a socially responsible company. But Shopify has a chance to be the leading force in lowering barriers for entrepreneurship and transforming eCommerce into a force for good. The Canadian tech giant has already started by setting a higher bar for itself and focusing on the wellbeing of its employees, community, and the planet.

3. Share Your Story

Shopify has positioned itself at the forefront of sustainable eCommerce, offering cloud-based servers powered by renewable energy and a large sustainability fund. Their approach is also reflected in the growing ecosystem of apps designed to help you run your store more responsibly.

To build a strong connection with customers, your brand needs to be able to tell a compelling story. The story should highlight the journey that has led to your products and how they’re changing people’s lives. It should also share the obstacles that have been faced along the way, and how they were overcome.

Social media is an excellent platform for sharing your Shopify store link and telling your story. Optimizing your website for easy sharing is essential, and you can do this by including social sharing buttons on every page and post. Incentivizing sharing with discounts and rewards programs is another effective strategy.

Sharing your story with influencers is another great way to amplify the reach of your Shopify store link. Influencers have a significant following and credibility within their niche, making them an ideal audience to target. Ensure that any influencers you work with are aligned with your goals and values and that their audience is a good fit for your business.

One of the best ways to connect with new followers on Instagram is through Stories. This feature allows you to share photos and videos, and create a real-time dialogue with your followers. It’s a great way to share lifestyle images of your products in action and to connect with your audience on a more personal level.

You can also create a connection with new followers through direct messages. This is a way to thank them for following your brand and can be an opportunity to offer a discount on their first purchase. Creating documented brand guidelines is an excellent way to ensure that all staff members are on the same page when it comes to telling your story.

Recycled goods are a huge trend in retail, and many brands are embracing this by adding a resale marketplace to their stores. Shopify has partnered with Recurate to provide a fully-integrated, white-labeled resale platform for their merchants.

4. Share Your Impact

Shopify is a high-growth tech company, but they prioritize giving back and have an impressive list of corporate social responsibility initiatives. They’ve supported small businesses during COVID-19 closures, donated to Indigenous communities, provided work-integrated learning opportunities for aspiring developers, and invested $5 million in carbon sequestration. They’re also leading the way in sustainable workplace practices, including paperless operations, reusable water bottles, and organic cleaning supplies.

Incorporating a charitable component into your eCommerce business helps you connect with and engage your audience. Provide your audience with an easy opportunity to support your efforts by integrating social media sharing and donation buttons in your website and product pages. This increases your reach and boosts brand loyalty as Millennials tend to associate brands with how they align with their values.

Promote your charitable initiatives by featuring success stories or progress updates on your website and in email newsletters. This will boost engagement with your audience and increase the likelihood of them sharing your Shopify store link. Additionally, encourage your team to spend time volunteering in the community for morale and a sense of purpose. Make this a regular practice to build long-term relationships with the local community and become an authentic and trusted resource for your customers.

Visual content is an effective marketing tool for promoting your social responsibility and is especially appealing on visually-oriented platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Use professional product images, lifestyle shots, and customer testimonials to build credibility, attract attention, and drive click-throughs on your Shopify store link.

While the Shopify platform does a lot to support sustainability, it’s important to use third-party apps to add extra finesse and custom polish. For example, CarbonClick makes it easy for brands to offset their carbon footprint, a feature that’s attractive to audiences keen on mitigating the impact of their shopping habits. This app can be easily integrated with your online store and offers a seamless, branded experience.

Shopify Development Trends: Most Shopify store owners focus on their digital marketing alongside their web development. Keeping up with the cutting-edge Shopify Apps in ensuring a frictionless checkout for their online store, with additional tools to fill the Shopping Cart. Online shopping continues to grow year-over-year as the user experience improves with tailored customer service practices. Behind the scenes, are Shopify partners such as TheGenieLab. We are helping business owners and shopkeepers to drive continuous improvements through digital marketing services. Furthermore, they are providing Web Development in Shopify, BigCommerce, and other eCommerce store architectures. If you need a hand in any aspect of eCommerce, feel free to reach out to use at wish@thegenielab.com