35% of UK online shoppers will only purchase from responsible brands

Research from Empathy.co, the global commerce search and discovery platform, has discovered that 35% of UK online shoppers will only associate with ‘responsible’ brands – such as those that treat staff fairly, source goods ethically, and do not misuse consumer data.

The data was obtained through 4,000 UK online shoppers, who were surveyed via global research company Censuswide. The data also revealed that almost half of consumers (47%) prefer to shop with brands they trust, and 22% will pay more for the brands they trust.

The survey also revealed that 31% of online shoppers prefer to associate with ‘green’ brands which use eco-friendly packaging, and 37% try to order from local or national businesses to help reduce their carbon footprint.

Angel Maldonado, Empathy.co founder & CEO, comments: “The appetite for ethics 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 behaving responsibly.”

She continues, “To convey trustworthiness, businesses need to adopt a transparent approach to their operations and communicate these intentions in every aspect of what they do. The brand’s website should be open, honest and efficient, clearly explaining details such as how they use customer preferences and where they source their goods and services.”

This rings especially true, as the boom of online shopping shows no sign of slowing down, with 49% of consumers sharing that they will not stop shopping online, even now that lockdown has lifted.

Thirty percent revealed that online shopping will be their first choice for their shopping moving forward, with 20% of consumers disclosing that they don’t think about the environment when buying online.

Click here for the Empathy.co website.