How do you effectively translate sustainability efforts into greater business value and customer satisfaction?
Many companies are working hard to improve their sustainability efforts, and some have come considerably further than their competitors. However, there are still very few companies that have successfully capitalised on improved sustainability performance. A common problem is that mere product attributes are not sufficient, as the entire customer experience is not perceived as more sustainable to the extent that it makes people willing to pay more. This results in sustainability initiatives in many companies being viewed as a cost rather than an investment.
Designing the customer experience with this in mind can be an effective means of translating your sustainability efforts into business value. This article outlines eight factors to consider when creating a customer journey with the potential to increase the perception of sustainability.
Our experience and market observations show that sustainability is becoming increasingly important when consumers make purchasing decisions. This results in companies facing pressure to develop sustainable solutions, making them a key part of their value proposition and ensuring that the entire customer journey meets the expectations of the customer.
Let us start with an example
A company producing outdoor products, with tents accounting for a large share of their revenue, is investing heavily in becoming more sustainable.
They were differentiating themselves from the competition by offering products that not only met the standard requirements for tents in terms of size and use, but were also manufactured to minimise their environmental impact. The materials used were either renewable or recycled. They were actively working on their upstream supply chain, with tier 1 suppliers using 100% renewable energy. Since 2017, the company has been on a journey that entails exchanging all transport fuels for renewable ones and has actively engaged in inspiring others to do the same.
But the effort and investments that the company put into making their products more sustainable were not reflected throughout their customer journey, leaving the company feeling that they were not creating business value in terms of their own metrics for success and value.
So where did it go wrong?
The one thing that left many customers disappointed was the lack of opportunity to repair items and buy spare parts, months or even years after making their purchase. This resulted in low scores on reviews coming in many months after the purchase had been made – something that in the company’s experience is a matter of growing concern for their brand as customers become more aware.
One lesson to be learned from the example is the importance of ensuring that the sustainable customer journey is truly sustainable from A to Z, and that there are no slip-ups at individual touchpoints that will undermine the entire experience for your customers.
The sustainable customer journey
Below is an example of the customer experience when buying a pair of jeans, using MUD Jeans as an example. At each touchpoint in the customer journey, we provide specific information on how MUD Jeans currently communicates, along with tips on what they can do to improve the customer experience.