It’s Not Easy Being Green

Do you shop consciously? I bet you try really hard to be as responsible as you can when you shop and travel. And I bet you read labels and spend hours on the internet doing your research to find products that are organic, fairtrade, cruelty-free, vegan, biodegradable, plastic-free, etc. And you may even make your own stuff, which I admire wholeheartedly. Isn’t all this work a pain in the a** though?

Hi, I’m Jessica and I’m lazy. I’m also a conscious consumer wishing that wasn’t anything special. All I want is accessibility, transparency and honesty when I shop. That’s all. It’s shouldn’t be that hard but unfortunately, it is.

It’s not easy to find ethically-made products. We can’t shop at one store and be done with it. We have to go here and there by car because everything is so spread out. Either that or we have to buy things on several different websites.

Many people want to buy ethical products and are willing to pay a higher price for them, but don’t because they don’t spend the time to do the research. Understandable, who has time these days?

And then there are people who downright don’t want to know. As heartbreaking as that is to hear, I just have to accept that some people just don’t want to know that leather is not a by-product. That cows are skinned alive and children work knee-deep in a toxic blue chemical to process the leather. I’ll never understand the unnecessary torture done to humans and animals, but it’s our society that created this monster, because we want cheap, so all we can do is our best to continue trying to turn this monster into a precious, caring living being.

Those who put blinders on are not the right customers for you though. But I bet you anything that they would buy ethical products if they were more accessible.

It’s a good thing there are labels on products. But, unfortunately, you can’t be 100% sure they are what they claim to be. Organic is sometimes not organic, I’ve seen the documentaries!

Cruelty-free is not easy to prove. The end product may not have been tested on animals, but the ingredients may have been. And a particular brand may be cruelty-free, but the company who sells the product may have other product lines that aren’t.

There are also a bunch of names for things that we’ll never get straight let alone understand or be able to pronounce.

Conclusion? Labels serve a purpose, but a workaround was created so that the harm to humans and the environment can live long and prosper.

‘Hi, my name is Jessica and I am lazy’. When I finally have time to relax, I don’t want to spend it researching for products or shopping in malls or online. I’d rather spend it with my family or doing something else, anything else. Some people just say ‘forget about it’ and buy what’s convenient and I totally understand that, but it’s not going to help our society, environment or animals.

Purity has its Price: Inconvenience

Unfortunately, shopping consciously means spending more time and money than ‘normal’ and the typical lazy person won’t make the effort.

Short Summary

Video: How Ethical Brands Can Help Lazy People Shop Consciously

Facebook Live Discussion

Video: Can You Help Lazy People Shop Consciously?

How Can You Help the Lazy Consumer Shop Consciously?

#1: Spread Awareness

#2: Don’t Just Tell, Show

#3: Make Life Easier

#1: Spread Awareness

More and more people are becoming ill because of all the garbage we’re putting on and in our bodies. The powerful and toxic industries continue to abuse humans, animals and our environment because consumers want cheap, fast and convenient products. It’s a vicious cycle and it’s heartbreaking.

As consumers become more aware of the problem, we’re slowly figuring out how we can change things and that is to shop consciously.

But it doesn’t stop there. There are so many things we don’t know as consumers, but you do as a producer. You know your industry inside and out. You’ve seen the damage first hand. And that’s why you’re in the business you’re in – to make positive changes in your industry. If you want your business to grow, it’s time to share your knowledge.

Here’s How

Share your story with your customers about how your industry normally works and what you’re doing differently. This will not only raise awareness about your industry but also build trust with your brand.

#2: Don’t Just Tell, Show

Seeing is believing and believe me when I say that it’s easier to gain trust when you expose yourself. I don’t mean to walk around naked. I just mean to be more transparent and honest in your communications. Conscious consumers need to see what’s going on behind the scenes.

Here’s How

You want to create an educational environment for your customers and answer their questions before they’re able to ask them. You can do this via video. Create a video or video series of your entire production process – from start to finish and answer questions such as:

Where did you buy your materials?
How do you nurture and harvest your ingredients?
Who makes your products?
How have the lives of your employees improved since you hired them?
What changes are you making in your industry?
What do your labels mean?

#3: Make Life Easier

You can’t fix lazy, but you can make life easier. Since you have this amazing company that is putting a positive effect on our environment, health and/or well being, your products are not mainstream or standard. Instead, they’re considered to be ‘the green alternative’.

Because of this, your products are exclusive and not available everywhere. Sure, you have an online shop, but people have to find you first. And that’s where the ‘inconvenience factor’ plays an important role.

If you successfully target lazy conscious shopper wannabes, that’s where the true magic happens! People who want to shop consciously, but are lazy is a huge market! HUGE! Not only will your business thrive, but the demand curve will change and your product will become a standard, a must-have in every household!

You think I’m overexaggerating? What happened to the music industry when Napster and the iPod came along? The music labels had to adjust the way they sold music. All in the name of consumer convenience.

I know this to be true: You can not motivate most people to be inconvenienced. But you can make it easier for people to shop consciously by making your products more accessible and communicating to them directly.

Here’s How

Create a marketing strategy that rocks! When your strategy rocks, you’ll be able to find the right customer by going exactly where they are. They won’t have to research to try to find you. You’ll find them. You’ll also figure out how to speak their language so that they say to themselves, ‘I want to support this company because they share my values.’ When you start to attract the right customers, you can then turn them into raving fans and start rockin’ your revenue.

By creating an educational environment for your customers and answering their questions before they ask, you’ll create trust and support for your brand.