Did you know e-commerce product personalization helps sustainability?

Anyone who spends time in the ecommerce multiverse – whether browsing, shopping, selling, or tracking trends – bumps into plenty of lists like the one CNN published in May touting 61 sustainable products the editors loved. 

First up is a blanket shown wrapped around a cute dog that’s made from recycled plastic bottles. There’s swimwear made from post-consumer waste, shoes made with vegan ethically sourced materials, and so it goes in a list that reflects admirable innovation and a commitment to sustainability.

As consumers increasingly become aware of their carbon footprint and personal contributions to environmental issues, e-tailers have responded not only by producing products that embody eco-friendly principles but also by recalibrating the way things are made, packaged, and delivered.

And then there’s an X-factor we’ll call the Robert Lennox shaving cloth paradigm.

Lennox was Deputy Governor from 1736 to 1744 of Fort Marlborough in Sumatra, Indonesia, built by the largest, most successful commerce operation in the world at the time, the British East India Company. His name and legacy may be lost to history but Lennox’s cotton chintz shaving cloth with a hand drawn and dyed pattern endures in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, no doubt preserved because Lennox’s initials are cross-stitched with black silk in the upper left corner.

In the act of being personalized, the shaving cloth became indisposable. Personalization of consumer products adds value and creates emotional attachment that gives products a much longer lifespan. 

While engraved cufflinks and monogrammed shirts are nothing new, integrating product personalization into the logistics and fulfillment process as part of the e-tailer/3PL partnership represents an innovation that provides a fresh value-added twist to embracing environmental responsibility. 

Think of expectant mothers and new mothers, for example, being delighted with products like maternity and postpartum clothes and baby blankets, swaddles and more transformed by personalization from utilitarian necessities with a limited “shelf life” into something enduring.

While ordinary baby blankets that have done their duty are consigned to a second-hand store or the trash bin, one embroidered with a baby’s name and birth date becomes a family heirloom for the child to have and cherish forever. Even postpartum loungewear with the benefit of personalization might remain a favored choice for late night lounging, while an unadorned version typically gets discarded as an artifact of a chapter in life once it has passed.

“Personalized products perfectly embody conscientious consumerism,” the Co-Owner and CEO of the company I work for, Thomas Unterseher, says. “Because they have higher intrinsic value, and deep emotional value, they’re not going to a thrift store or the landfill.”

As a young man, Tom was a touring musician and his experiences inspired him and his future wife, One World Direct co-founder Heather Bohr, to launch a product line with audio and book components to teach English as a second language – a venture that was essentially about connecting people. 

“Humans want to be connected,” Tom reflected in a recent conversation. “Most businesspeople, especially entrepreneurs who have created a product, want that connection to the people.” 

Product personalization creates that connection and helps brands and e-tailers enhance their sustainability initiatives in the process. As a result, it can be a game-changer.

Industry surveys have documented that a majority of consumers want to align themselves with the best practices of sustainability, finding satisfaction and emotional comfort in making socially responsible choices. It’s a relationship that enhances customer loyalty and leads to repeat purchases.

It also translates into higher AOV, as consumers from all generations are willing to pay a 25% premium for personalized or customized items on average, according to Forbes, and tend not to return personalized products, another plus for the sustainability model.

Want to know how all of this could work for your e-commerce company? See my full article here. I'm also interested in your thoughts. Is this one of the biggest trends? Which e-com companies have embraced a more sustainable footprint? Leave a comment, DM me, or send an email to jwyne@owd.com.