Five Socially Conscious Online Shopping Sites

Online consumers are becoming more conscious of where their purchases come from. They want personalized shopping experiences, unique products they can't find anywhere else, and they prefer to shop on sites that are environmentally-friendly.

Fortunately, there are plenty of choices to pick from when you shop online. This article will highlight some of our favorite non-Amazon websites that offer carefully curated selection of products and environmentally friendly fair trade practices.

Rakuten

Rakuten is the biggest eCommerce marketplace in Japan. In 2019, its gross merchandise sales exceeded $37 billion. This makes it an enormous online marketplace, even by international standards. Rakuten is most familiar to Americans through its Ebates brand. This rewards-based shopping platform offers cash back on more than 2,500 brands and stores. Most of the other brands and services offered by Rakuten are not as well known in North America.

In addition to offering an array of products, Rakuten has many features that can help businesses keep customers. This includes free shipping, return policies and an accessible mobile website. In addition, Rakuten offers a variety of advertising options to reach potential buyers. These advertising options are available for both national and local retailers.

The extensive inventory of Rakuten is a further reason that makes it a great option for small- and medium-sized businesses. Its catalog includes a large range of products, such as clothing, food, and toys. This can help companies grow their revenue and create loyalty. Additionally, it offers an array of payment methods which include PayPal.

To make use of Rakuten users must sign up for an account for free on the site and then connect their credit card. Users can earn cash when they shop using the affiliate link of the platform. Additionally, users can download an extension for their browser which alerts users to cash back offers while they browse the web. The company also selects a store each day to provide double cashback for 24 hours. Cash back is accumulated for three months, and then paid quarterly via PayPal. Recommending friends to the site is another way to earn referral bonuses. These bonuses are an excellent incentive to shop on the site.

Etsy

Etsy is a global marketplace where small, independent crafters designers, and artists connect with buyers who are looking to purchase unique, handcrafted or vintage items. The site has a broad assortment of goods that include clothing, Professional Carpentry T-Bevel jewelry, home decor, and art. It also provides a variety of shipping options and accepts a variety of payment methods, including credit cards and Etsy gift cards.

It has a substantial customer base and provides many tools to help sellers promote their products. Its focus on vintage and handmade products attracts a segment of loyal shoppers. The site's secure platform and policies to protect buyers make it easier for buyers to trust it. Sellers also have access to a community of other sellers who are willing to offer assistance and guidance.

The platform offers a range of search and shopping features to assist customers in finding the perfect product. Its search feature lets users sort products by price, material, and location. Users can also save items, searches and shops to visit in the future. Furthermore, Etsy has a number of educational resources for sellers to assist them in growing their business.

Scammers utilize the Etsy platform to steal customer data and also to steal money. They can create fake shop names or listings, and list their items with faulty or incomplete descriptions. They can also make use of fraudulent shipping addresses or offer non-reversible payment methods to trick people.

While Etsy is an excellent option for small, indie sellers, there are a few disadvantages. The complex algorithm used by the platform can have a significant effect on search results and sales, and changes to the algorithm are frequently made without warning. Some sellers may also find the limited customization and layout options to be limiting.

Made Trade

Made Trade is a store online that sells a wide range of ethical and sustainable home and fashion items. Made Trade only offers high-quality ethically-made products and gives a description of how each item is sustainable. They offer a variety of clothing that is vegan and heritage and accessories and furniture pieces.

Made Trade was founded in 2018 by Cayley Pater and Andy Ives, two entrepreneurs with a passion for sustainability and fair trade. Their aim was to create an online store that offers the best made, sustainably and ethically sourced products.

The company's mission is to make shopping mindfully simple, and their beautifully curated online store makes it easy for shoppers to find the most sustainable home products as well as wardrobe staples and accessories to live their lives. The products of the company are made using eco-friendly materials, and they ensure that their makers get a fair wage, as well as secure working conditions.

Made Trade supports social enterprises and women-owned businesses in addition to sustainable and ethical products. In fact, the majority of their suppliers are owned by women. The company is also certified to be climate neutral. This is a sign of their commitment to sustainability.

Made Trade offers only USA produced products, which means that they adhere to strict ethical standards and use responsible sourcing processes. They are committed to ensuring that their employees earn a decent salary and work in safe, healthy conditions. They also place a high value on sustainable growth. They also employ recycled and upcycled materials, as also mineral and plant-based dyes that are better for the environment than chemical dyes. Made Trade is committed to protecting animals and will not sell products that have been tested on animals.

Better World Books

Better World Books, a socially conscious online bookshop, collects used books at libraries, bookstores and from other community members and sells them to raise funds for literacy programs. The company also donates books that are not able to be sold to literacy projects and other causes. Better World Books is a for-profit, Certified B Corporation business that creates social, economic and environmental value for its shareholders.

The company has a global presence, offering a variety of payment options and shipping options. Customers can select from millions of used and new titles. The company also offers frequent promotions across the entire site. These are listed in the Deals & Offers section of the website and are sent via text and email to customers.

In addition to being a socially conscious book seller, Stainless Steel Oven Thermometer Better World Books also supports literacy and sustainability initiatives. Better World Books has partnerships with nonprofit organizations, like the Internet Archive, to digitise and preserve books that may otherwise be lost or destroyed. It is also one of the few online bookstores offering a large collection of ebooks and audiobooks.

Better World Books has several programs that help students and libraries locate and purchase the most appropriate books to meet their needs. The library collection program offers free shipping and returns, while its textbook collection program lets students to rent or buy textbooks at a reasonable cost. Furthermore, it has several other educational resources available to students, including a student guide to studying. Better World Books is an excellent alternative to Amazon, especially for students and librarians who want quality titles at a reasonable cost. It also offers a broad range of international titles to draw readers from all over the world.

Overstock

Overstock is a retailer of closeout items such as furniture, home décor and other products. The inventory is sourced from big-box stores that no more sell the items they used or from suppliers who want to sell off surplus stock. It also buys directly from manufacturers. Customers can buy high-quality products for low prices.

Overstock offers a variety of ways to shop and shop on the go, including a mobile application that allows shoppers to visualize how furniture will look in their homes. Additionally, it has an augmented reality feature that lets customers see 3D renderings of thousands of items, including sectional sofas and memory foam mattresses. Customers can be assured that they've picked the right product for their needs, and avoid hassles of returning it.

The right inventory level is crucial to an online business. Insufficient stock can lead to lost sales, while excessive stock can bind capital and can prevent new products from reaching the market. A recent study conducted by Tyco Retail Solutions found that overstock costs retailers billions of dollars each year in lost revenue.

Although overstocks are a frequent situation, there are ways to prevent them from happening. One method is to employ a warehouse management system that enables you to track the level of inventory and order at the right time. Another way is to invest in a ship-to-customer system, which can cut down on storage and warehouse space costs, while also allowing you to offer faster shipping and return options.

Another way to avoid overstock is to make use of a listing tool that can automatically sync inventory across multiple marketplace channels. For instance, the multichannel listing tool from Shopping Cart Elite can manage listings on Overstock and other marketplaces in a single dashboard. This tool will reduce time by eliminating the requirement to manually enter each listing option.