Appetite for ethics and responsibility in online brands is surging

35% of online shoppers in the UK will only associate with ‘responsible’ brands, including those that treat staff fairly, source goods ethically, and do not misuse consumer data.

That’s according to research from commerce search and discovery platform Empathy.co.

A Censuswide survey of 4,000 UK online shoppers also revealed that 47% prefer to shop with brands they trust, and 22% pay more for those they trust.

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In fact, 40% said that they don’t like being asked for unnecessary or sensitive data, and 37% would like more control of the data that businesses have on them, due to an inherent mistrust around how their data is being harvested, used or sold by brands.

31%, meanwhile, prefer to associate with brands that are green, and use ecological packaging in their deliveries, and 37% actively try to order local, or national, to reduce their carbon footprint.

Elsewhere, 49% said they will not stop shopping online, even now that lockdown has lifted, and 30% revealed that e-commerce will be their default option for 100% of their purchases moving forward.

Conversely, only 13% don’t consider their online shopping behaviour to have an environmental impact, and 20% don’t think about the environment at all when buying online.

Angel Maldonado, Empathy.co Founder and CEO, comments: “The appetite for ethics and responsibility in online brands is clearly surging, and competition is fierce when customers have a plethora of options, should they realise that their favourite brand is not treating staff fairly, sourcing goods responsibly, or utilising customer data ethically.”

“To convey trustworthiness, businesses need to adopt a transparent approach to their operations and communicate these intentions in every aspect of what they do.”

“This requires brands to invest in a website and search and discovery function that is efficient and private by design, whilst remaining open and honest about how they use customer preferences and where they source goods and services.”