Orders just come in without any promotion whatsoever.
I never invested a cent in Facebook ads or really insist like: “Black Friday, come
on, buy, buy!”
No, no, I'm the opposite.
I'm like: “Please, don't buy, don't over-consume, only buy what you truly need and want!
I only want happy customers.”
Hey, it's Caroline from Printful!
It takes more than a good design to get sales these days.
Shoppers are looking for products and brands that are in line with their personal values,
and there's a growing interest in more environmentally friendly product choices.
We sat down with Ferdinand Beck, the founder of Vegan Savage, a lifestyle brand that's
dedicated to spreading the word about the power of plants, and how they lead to better
health.
We wanted to learn more about his success, and see what other store owners can learn
from it.
I turned vegan seven years ago and I experienced so many benefits, just being plant-based,
and my health got better.
My skin got clearer.
I gained muscle mass.
I felt so much better.
And I became an advocate for that.
And I started to wear motto shirts and saw how huge the impact is when I'm just in the
gym, people come up to me: “Hey, I read you're vegan!”, or they just observe me.
But I couldn't really find the shirts I was really excited about, like the slogans, like
“plant-based athlete” and the design, how I want it to be proportioned.
So I looked into print-on-demand suppliers, first just for myself.
I tried a couple and Printful really stood out.
Then, since I do social media, my community, my Vegan Savages, that's how I call them.
And they were like: “Oh, I want to get that as well.”
And then, okay, I made it public.
And then I created a simple WordPress site and the rest is history.
If you're not creating the products yourself, but still want to offer the most sustainable
options available to you, choosing the right partners is key.
Ferdinand didn't settle for the first print-on-demand partner he could find.
I tried a couple of different print-on-demand suppliers, but some seemed like they're not
developing anymore.
I saw that Printful is more and more into a sustainable future, which is really exciting
to me and important.
And the quality - I ordered, some other samples of different print-on-demand stores.
And I wasn't so happy about the fits.
And here I wear 24/7.
Choosing a good, sustainable business partner definitely means doing the research first.
Besides checking product quality, you should look out for businesses that are transparent
about how their products are made, are open to questions with good customer support, and
offer eco-friendly products and solutions.
Don't be afraid to reach out and ask for information on their sustainability efforts, request any
certificates they can provide on their production or other practices, and suggest solutions
to some of the challenges you are facing with them.
A good partner is always trying to get better, and nowadays that means striving to be more
environmentally friendly.
Once you've chosen your suppliers, it’s time to think about your customers and who
they are.
So my traffic is coming from my social media, mostly my friends and my influencer friends,
that is my community.
And many are not vegan.
Like when I do surveys like around 50-60% are vegan, the rest are plant-based, vegan-curious,
veggie, however you want to call it.
Then they buy merch, like "Be kind to animals", you know, or just a logo of a kiwi, or I currently
wear socks where there are figs on it, you know, just a reminder to eat more fruits and
vegetables.
Even if your shop isn't all about veganism, sustainability is a topic that's interesting
to shoppers from many different niches.
You can stand out just by being the only one of your competitors who actively talk about
being environmentally responsible.
That could be the one thing that pulls the customer towards buying from you and not someone
else.
We'd recommend communicating your sustainability message on your marketing channels at least
once a month.
Another thing that worked out really well for Ferdindand in terms of marketing was offering
freebies and relying on word-of-mouth.
I just wear my merch all the time and I wear them in my content and I vlog it often.
I have an Instagram page, which is called Vegan Savage so that they see how it fits.
Then I also constantly give away merchandise, like here just five hoodies arrived for friends.
They want something, and I always give it out for free because I know what you put out
is what you get back.
I don't expect something back, but it just happens because, for me, it's a universal
law.
People they're so appreciative that they can get something for free that they constantly
wear it, tag me in every picture, tell their direct environment about it.
And then more and more orders come in.
And thus it's growing so, so, so quickly, like big influencers, friends of mine that
are just plugging my merch constantly, they're always saying: “This is no advertisement,
Ferdinand just gave me that, but it's so comfortable, I wear it all the time.”
I'm writing them, that is like the best advertisement, but that's just true shit that people honestly
like it, and it just spreads organically.
It's true, people are much more likely to buy products recommended by people they know.
If you play your cards well, your customers can promote your brand by spreading the word
on their social media channels for free—that's called word-of-mouth marketing.
It's a simple and inexpensive way to sell a product without spending too much time,
energy, and money on marketing.
If you want to learn more about word-of-mouth marketing, check out this video, link in the
description below.
But back to sustainability.
Your sustainability efforts should impact every area of your business, and you can communicate
that with your customers in your marketing message and through the products themselves,
like Ferdinand does.
First of all, it's also the message what's on the shirt.
That's really important.
And people see that, okay, this person is caring.
Maybe I should also care more.
And the impact you have with those motto shirts, it's huge, you know, and also when you wear
them on social media, just like a healthy reminder for healthy lifestyle choices.
Once you've decided on your message, it's important to include it not only in your designs
but also in product descriptions and elsewhere on your website.
Create a sustainability landing page or a special section in your home or about us pages.
You can check out the templates we offer for communicating with your customers about this
topic on our Sustainability and Responsibility page, link in the description below.
When talking about sustainability, don't be afraid to encourage your customers to buy
only when they need something.
I constantly tell my Vegan Savages to only buy what they truly need, not to over-consume.
I don't really push my merch like, yeah, buy this, buy that.
No, no, no, no, no, only buy what you truly need and wear it until you can wear no longer.
Another way to push for more sustainability is to ask your customers to donate or upcycle
your products when they get tired of something they have bought at your store.
You could offer coupons in exchange for photos of donations or create an upcycling contest
where you encourage your customers to be creative and turn something old and unwanted into something
new and exciting.
And then, you can choose to sell eco-friendly products.
I currently ordered some samples of your environmentally friendly products because not all of mine
that are in my shop are I currently test them.
Because, you know, it needs to be super comfortable.
Otherwise, I wouldn't put it in the shop.
So I'm so happy you offer more and more products in that direction.
And hopefully things like organic cotton, like organic aren't even terms in the future
that it's just the norm.
Choosing eco-friendly products should be the norm and you shouldn't be afraid to raise
your prices if you're offering more sustainable products.
You can easily upsell your designs —offer more expensive eco products with the same
designs as a more sustainable option, and let the customers choose for themselves.
Always be on the lookout for any other pain-points your customers might have in terms of sustainability.
For example, Ferdinand found that some of his customers are reluctant to buy because
of the packaging we offer.
So I also talked to your team two days ago about that, that maybe the plastic that comes
with with each delivery could be like not plastic, but another material.
Because that prevents many of my Vegan Savages to buy from my shop because they are like
zero waste.
While there isn't a single one-size-fits-all packaging solution because different products
require different packaging types, we are looking forward to making changes in the way
we handle packaging.
We've already eliminated the second layer of plastic packaging for all single-item shipments
in all locations and we're testing the best paper tape to switch over from acrylic tape.
To eliminate the need for plastic caps in poster packaging, we’ve switched from cardboard
tubes to triangular boxes and we're adding recycling instructions to the poly mailer
bags we're currently using, as well as looking for ways to replace plastic packaging.
We definitely encourage our customers to ask questions like that, and you should do so
with other partners you have as well.
And once you have the answers, talk with your customers about those issues as well.
I constantly show, when merch arrives, how it looks, what they can expect.
And so they see what they can expect.
Many of my Vegan Savages and myself, I can justify that because it's not something I
buy every day.
If it would be something I consume every day, then I wouldn't consume it, but clothing you
often wear for a long time.
And then the impact you have with a motto shirt that spreads compassion, sustainability
for me outweighs the little plastic, the not a hundred percent sustainable and ecological
materials because you wear it for a long time and you have a big impact with what's on it.
Now that I have the Vegan Savage merch online, I get stories that: “Hey, I met this guy
in the gym.
He also wore Vegan Savage merch, and now we're friends.”
And I'm like: “Yes!”
You can always take it a step further and be proactive about the impact you have on
the environment.
You can choose to donate a percentage of your revenues to a cause your brand resonates with,
or you can offset your carbon emissions from shipping with apps like Offset and Shop for
Shopify.
We’re looking forward to working with Fredinand and many other store owners just like him,
and are excited about what the future will bring.
Moving towards a bright green future where Printful and I become great partners, no plastic,
organic cotton, organic material.
Fair trade, transparent, honest communication, happy customers.
That’s it.
Thank you to Ferdinand for sharing his story with us.
You can follow Ferdinand at vegainstrength on Instagram, Vegains on YouTube, and check
out his store, link in the description below.
What else do you want to know about selling sustainable apparel?
Let us know in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe to never miss out on our
latest videos.