According to Deloitte’s 2020 Global Millennial Survey, climate change and environmental preservation are the top concerns for Millennials and Generation Z. Faced with consumer expectations, and considering image and business issues, companies must act and put these subjects at the heart of their marketing strategy. In this article, we will see how digital tools facilitate the implementation of an “eco-design approach for brands and how eco-design is inherent to the model of Digital Native Vertical Brands (DNVB)”. Let’s get started!
As a Reminder: What Is Eco-Design?
“Eco-design is by definition a preventive and innovative approach that aims to develop and design a product by analyzing all stages of its life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to” its end of life (recycling and recovery), including its manufacturing, distribution, and use in order to limit its impact on the environment and reduce pollution.
To implement an eco-design approach, companies integrate the concept of environment into their overall product development process. Thus, to reduce their environmental footprint, they must be able to progressively analyze the impact that the production of their products can have on the environment, in line with the international standard ISO 14 062, Environmental management, integration of environmental aspects in product design and development
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The benefits of “eco-design are numerous and benefit both the environment and” the company and the consumer. Among them are:
- The Development of an Optimized Product Offering
Indeed, to be able to respond positively to sustainable development challenges and reduce their impacts on the environment, companies – across all services – go further in product design and innovation. Eco-designing a product means analyzing it in detail throughout its life cycle. Thanks to this continuous improvement approach, companies are able to market more refined, higher-performing, and more robust products.
- Meeting Consumer Expectations and Needs
Following various ecological awakenings, consuming “green” has become one of the priorities of Following various ecological awakenings, consuming “green” has become one of the priorities of current consumers. Customers are now very attached to respect for the environment and wish to give meaning to their consumption. Moreover, according to a recent study “61% of consumers would be less inclined to buy a product if they discovered it was poorly performing environmentally.” (ING Source LE DÉFI).
- Modernizing the Company’s Brand Image
Environmental issues are more than ever at the heart of consumer concerns, which is Environmental issues are more than ever at the heart of consumer concerns, which is why adopting an eco-design approach and communicating about this commitment allows companies to offer a positive image to their brand.
- Constant Innovation During the Eco-Design Project
Eco-design is synonymous with innovation for your company. Designing an environmentally friendly product with your consumers allows you to develop new working methods and constantly innovate. Step by step, new processes and/or unprecedented partnerships can emerge to have a positive ecological impact.
The Web and Digital Tools Facilitate Eco-Design for Companies
DNVBs, these independent brands born on the Internet, have created a direct relationship between their customers and the products they manufacture and “sell. They completely eliminate intermediaries that stand between them and consumers, whether at the production or delivery level. By adopting this approach, DNVBs sell in smaller quantities, but maintain control over all components of the supply chain, which allows them to more easily respond to eco-design challenges”. Here’s how these brands use web tools to design more responsible products.
The analysis of customer reviews, surveys, and quantitative studies allows for the design of more optimized products
Now, thanks to The development of the web and social media has created a new dynamic between businesses and users. Now, internet users very easily share their opinions after using a product or service, whether on brands’ websites or on social media.
Product “evaluation feedback is a valuable source of information for brands. Data analysis allows brands to”be in a process of continuous improvement of their product or service offering.
Moreover, companies wishing to enrich their knowledge of their customers’ and prospects’ needs and expectations can question them via surveys or questionnaires on social media. All topics can be addressed: product design, new packaging, product material, distribution method, etc.
web, companies can reach out to their customers via social media, take the pulse, and conduct market research continuously… All this data collected at every moment on the Internet facilitates eco-friendly product design, as it allows for detailed analysis throughout their lifecycle.
In this way, brands can develop more optimized products that meet consumers’ real expectations.
This is indeed the strength of DNVB brands that constantly use data to create optimized products, to test them, to market them, to measure their performance in the field, and to continuously improve the customer experience.
The implementation of ambassador programs to co-create products
The implementation of ambassador programs helps brands to integrate their community into the process of co-creating more eco-responsible products.
Indeed, an ambassador program aims to recruit prospects, satisfied customers, employees, or influencers so that they participate in the development and promotion of the brand’s products.
Product campaigns and the resulting consumer insights are valuable! This helps brands to identify improvements more quickly regarding quality, functionalities, materials, resources, and technologies used to design each of their products.
Thus, brands can launch more refined products, more reliable and having a certain long lifespan on the market. These products, of better quality and more in line with consumers’ real needs, avoid consumer goods failures and the manufacture of unnecessary products whose creation and distribution have a negative impact on the environment.
Thus, the Trustt solution allows brands to install an ambassador program directly on their e-commerce site in order to collect relevant consumer insights. This fresh data helps improve products throughout their lifecycle to meet users’ needs and expectations.
The use of data and digital technology to manage inventory
Digital Native Vertical Brands also use the data they collect for order management and are able to adjust their production volumes according to their sales. This operation allows them to have a near-zero stock volume and thus limit the risks of overproduction and unsold items.
Besides the waste, debris, and considerable pollution generated by this overproduction, the manufacturing of products consumes energy, water, processed materials, and raw materials. Products, whatever they may be, also emit noises, vibrations, volatile substances, or electromagnetic waves. All of this can have a negative impact on the environment and worsen air pollution.
Being able to produce more accurately, with limited stocks, therefore allows for better alignment with current eco-design challenges and gradually entering into a circular economy system. Thanks to digital technology, this entire process is facilitated.
Moreover, announcing limited stock is absolutely not detrimental to the image of these brands, as they know how to communicate sincerely and transparently about their approach to the members of their community on social networks. In fact, the opposite effect occurs! This limited stock generates more interest from consumers and gives the company and its products an exclusive and high-end character.
Creating online pre-order campaigns to produce reasonably
Consuming better is at the heart of today’s brand considerations.
Regardless of the sector of activity, the impacts related to overproduction of products are significant. This is why more and more DNVBs are implementing a pre-order system for their products.
Pre-ordering means that customers buy their product before it goes into production. Companies set up pre-order campaigns very simply on the web by asking their community about their needs. This allows them to know the quantities needed to produce and therefore avoid unnecessary stock and unsold items.
It is no longer the brand that manages the quantities to produce but its consumers according to their needs.
This system involves a bit of waiting on the consumers’ side, however, the brands that implement it communicate with full transparency about the reasons why they wish to operate in this way via social networks, especially Instagram.
Consumers today are very sensitive to environmental causes and many wish to consume differently. This pre-order system, which is essential to avoid waste, is therefore very well understood and accepted by consumers.
Thanks to digital technology, brands are able to offer a supply that closely matches demand and thus align with eco-design challenges. The SaaS solution developed by Trustt supports brands in creating eco-responsible and innovative consumer products that are in line with real market expectations. The Trustt software can be used at every stage of the product lifecycle: enriched data, product campaign, authentic reviews…
