Over the past few years, consumers have started to demand a more sustainable shopping experience, expecting more from companies than ever before. The rise of conscious consumerism cannot be ignored if you and your business want to stay relevant to your customers.
This desire for sustainability, albeit great for the planet, can put a lot of pressure on businesses to adapt to this new way of shopping. One of the main things which put businesses off, is the cost and the effort required to become more sustainable, so with this in mind, we have created our list of five free (or low cost) apps to add to your Shopify!
1. Ecologi
Ecologi is a popular app with the aim of combating the climate crisis by replanting trees cut down due to deforestation. This app allows you to play your part by donating a portion of your revenue to reforestation projects around the world, costing you the equivalent of just a few cups of coffee a month. All of the trees planted because of your store will be planted in your virtual Ecologi forest in real-time so that you can visually see the impact you and your business are having!
Cost – Free to install, then plans start from £4.70 per month.
2. Verdn
Verdn allows you to easily add different environmental pledges, like tree planting, or ocean plastic cleanup, to your products. Verdn separates itself from other apps with its unique post-purchase service. In order to engage customers and create a meaningful experience, customers are able to monitor their own impact on a performance tracking dashboard that is emailed to them where they can follow their pledge’s progress. There is a monthly fee to use the app along with some small additional costs, making this the most expensive of the apps listed here. However, unlike other apps, Verdn, creates added value for the customer, making them feel actively involved in the business, meaning the customer return rate is higher.
Cost – $29 per month.
3. EcoCart
EcoCart gives consumers the option to take control of their own carbon footprint, giving them the choice of paying a small fee to offset the carbon impact of their order. This small fee is undertaken by the consumer, meaning that there is no cost to you. EcoCart also allows you to track how much of an impact you have made to your carbon footprint because of the app, you can then share this information with your customers to show them where their money is going.
Cost – Free to install, and the customer pays the fee which is never more than $1
4. Handprint
Handprint believes that we should be taking a regenerative approach to the environment doing more than simply offsetting the carbon that we use. Their innovative green technology lets businesses go that step further, taking a proactive approach to help remove carbon from the air, rather than simply reducing their emissions. These actions also offer social benefits, such as providing a livelihood for local villagers that are involved in regenerative projects. There is a small fee to pay for each unit of positive impact, however this is flexible to suit your business requirements so you can adjust or pause your contributions at any time. There is also the option to set a daily limit so that you can keep costs under control.
Cost – Free to install and then a flexible fee that you can adjust to suit your business.
5. Cloverly
Cloverly sets itself apart from other apps, as it is able to calculate the carbon impact of a business on a holistic level no matter the sector, helping your business to go carbon neutral or even carbon negative! By calculating the impact of common carbon-intensive activities in real-time, Cloverly is able to then use verified, quality carbon offset projects to neutralise them. The flexible API can be integrated with a wide variety of industries, like ecommerce, flights, ridesharing, supply chain operations, fleet transportation, and more. This means that you can make positive changes, no matter the sector!
Cost – Free to install, either you or your customer can undertake the small fee of around 25 cents per transaction.
