Five Socially Conscious Online Shopping Sites

Online consumers are becoming more conscious of where their purchases originate 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 many options to pick from when it comes to online shopping. This article will cover our top non Amazon sites that offer a carefully selected selection, eco-friendly and fair trade practices.

Rakuten

Rakuten is the largest eCommerce marketplace in Japan. In 2019, its gross merchandise sales exceeded $37 billion. It is a huge online marketplace by international standards. Most Americans are familiar with Rakuten through its Ebates brand which is a rewards platform for shopping that provides cash back on more than 2500 stores and brands. However, most of the other brands and services offered by the company aren't as well-known in North America.

Rakuten offers a range of products and features that help businesses draw and keep customers. Free shipping and return policies as well as mobile-friendly sites are just a few of the features. Rakuten also offers a variety of advertising options for reaching potential customers. These advertising options are available to local and national retail stores.

Another benefit of Rakuten is its vast selection of products, which makes it a fantastic option for small and medium businesses. The catalog contains a wide range of products, such as clothing, Hikari Fish Food Pellets and toys. This helps businesses increase their revenue and increases loyalty. It also provides a range of payment options that include PayPal.

To make use of Rakuten users need to first sign up for an account free of charge Rakuten account and connect their credit card. They can then earn cash by shopping via the platform's affiliate link. Alternatively, users can download an extension for their browser that alerts them to cash back opportunities when they browse the internet. The company also picks a store every day to give double cash back for all hours of the day. Cash back is earned over three months and is paid quarterly via PayPal. You can also earn referral bonus by referring friends to the site. These bonuses are an excellent incentive to shop on the site.

Etsy

Etsy is a marketplace where small, independent crafters designers, and artists connect with customers who want to purchase unique, handmade or vintage items. The site offers a variety of products including jewelry, home decor, and clothing. It accepts credit cards, Etsy gift certificates and various shipping options.

It has a huge customer base and provides a range of tools to help vendors promote their products. Its focus on hand-crafted and vintage items attracts a niche audience of dedicated buyers. Its secure platform and buyer protection policies help buyers to trust the website. It also gives sellers access to a community of other sellers who are willing to offer assistance and guidance.

The platform has a range of search and shopping features to assist customers in finding the perfect product. The search function lets users sort items based on price, material, and location. Users can also save items, searches and shops to visit in the future. Additionally, Etsy has a number of educational resources for sellers to assist them in growing their businesses.

Scammers make use of the Etsy platform in order to steal money and customer information. They can create fake shop names or listings and advertise their products with incorrect or inaccurate descriptions. They also try to fool customers by using fake shipping addresses or Ultrashield Ex 1 Gallon offering non-reversible payment methods.

Etsy has some disadvantages, even though it is an excellent option for small-scale independent sellers. The platform's complex algorithm can have a significant impact on search results and sales and any changes to the algorithm are frequently implemented without warning. The limited customization and layout options may be too restrictive for certain sellers.

Made Trade

Made Trade is a store online that provides a range of eco-friendly and sustainable home and fashion items. The company curates top-quality, ethically manufactured products and explains how each item is sustainable. They offer an assortment of heritage and vegan clothes footwear, accessories, and home decor items.

Cayley Pater, a sustainability enthusiast, and Andy Ives founded Made Trade in 2018. Both entrepreneurs are passionate about fair trade and sustainable development. Their goal was to establish an online store that offers the best designed, sustainably and ethically produced products.

The goal of the company is to make shopping mindfully simple, and their beautiful online store makes it easy for customers to locate the best sustainable home items as well as wardrobe staples and accessories to live their lives. Their products are all made of earth-friendly materials and they work to ensure that their workers are paid a living wage and are provided with safe working conditions.

Made Trade supports social enterprises and women-owned enterprises, Music Production Interface as well as ethical and sustainable products. In fact, a majority of their suppliers are owned by women. The company is also certified as climate neutral. This shows its commitment to environmental sustainability.

Made Trade sells only USA produced products, which means that they adhere to strict ethical standards and follow responsible sourcing practices. They are committed to ensuring that their makers receive a living salary and work in safe and healthy conditions. They also prioritize sustainable growth. They also employ recycled and upcycled products, as well as plant and mineral-based dyes that are more beneficial for the environment than chemical dyes. In addition to these environmentally friendly practices, Made Trade is dedicated to protecting animals by not selling products that are tested on animals.

Better World Books

Better World Books is a socially conscious online bookseller that buys books that are used from bookstores, libraries as well as other community members, and sells them to raise funds for literacy initiatives. The company also donates books that are not able to be sold to literacy initiatives and other causes. Better World Books is an for-profit Certified B Corporation that creates value for its stakeholders in terms of economic, social and environmental impact.

The company has a global presence, offering a variety of shipping options and payment methods. Customers can select from millions of new and used titles and frequently offers sitewide special promotions. These are displayed on the Deals & Offers page of the website, and sent to customers via email or text.

In addition to being a conscious book seller, Better World Books also supports sustainability and literacy initiatives. The company has partnered up with non-profit organizations like the Internet Archive to digitise books that would otherwise be lost or destroyed. It is also one of the few online bookstores that offer the largest range of ebooks and audiobooks.

Better World Books has several programs that help libraries and students find and purchase the most appropriate books for their needs. Its library collection program provides free shipping and returns, and its textbook collection program lets students to rent or buy textbooks for an affordable price. In addition, it offers numerous other educational resources available to students, such as its student guide to learning. Better World Books is an excellent alternative to Amazon, especially for librarians and students who are looking for quality titles at a reasonable cost. It also has a wide selection of international titles that will be a hit with readers all over the globe.

Overstock

Overstock is an online retailer of items that are on sale such as furniture, home decor and other items. The inventory it sells comes from big-box retailers who can no longer sell their products or from suppliers who are looking to clear out excess inventory. It also buys directly from manufacturers. The company's customers can get top-quality products at affordable prices.

Overstock offers a variety of ways to shop and shop on the go, including a mobile application that lets shoppers imagine how furniture would appear in their home. It also has an augmented reality function that allows shoppers to see 3D renderings of thousands of items, including sectional couches and memory foam mattress. Customers can be confident that they have chosen the best product for their needs, and avoid the difficulties of returning it.

Management of inventory is essential to the success of an online business. A low inventory level can result in a loss of sales. On the other side, a high stock level can stifle innovation and hamper market access. Tyco Retail Solutions conducted a recent study which found that overstocking costs retailers billions in lost revenue each year.

Overstocked items are not uncommon however there are ways to prevent them. One method is to employ a warehouse management system that enables you to keep track of the level of inventory and order at the right time. A ship-to-customer program can help you cut warehouse and storage costs, while also allowing for faster shipping and returns.

A listing tool that can automatically sync inventory across multiple channels is another option to ensure that there is no overstock. Shopping Cart Elite's multichannel listing software, for instance, lets you manage listings across Overstock and other marketplaces on one dashboard. This tool can reduce time by eliminating the requirement to manually enter each listing option.