How Brands Can Win Eco-Conscious Shoppers This Golden Quarter

During this crucial shopping period of the year — the Golden Quarter — U.S. consumers are showing little sign of slowing down their spending. Retail sales have been steadily increasing since the end of the pandemic, with even high prices caused by inflation failing to curb consumer appetite for purchasing.

Shopper confidence remains strong at 41 percent, and while this could start to dip, the string of events that make up the Golden Quarter — including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas — will help to fuel further growth. U.S. shoppers are expected to spend $240.8 billion online during this year’s holiday period.

However, while this all spells Golden Quarter success for retailers, there's another quickly rising trend that could buffet brand sales: the rise of the eco-conscious shopper.

Who Are Eco-Conscious Shoppers?

Shoppers are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of their buying and are shifting their habits accordingly. Over three-quarters (78 percent) of U.S. customers consider a sustainable lifestyle to be vital to them. Of that segment, 27 percent show a strong commitment to environmental issues. And shoppers are keen to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to sustainability — 19 percent state they frequently seek out more sustainable options.

As this shift towards greener consumption gathers pace, more customers and brands have started re-examining their relationship to Golden Quarter events. Some brands, such as Patagonia, Typology, and Ikea, skipped Black Friday in 2023 for environmental reasons, while a growing number of brands and consumers are getting behind "Green Friday," a sustainable alternative to Black Friday.

Eco-conscious shoppers aren't confined to a single generation or social group; they're split across a wide strata of society in the U.S. While Gen Z are often cited as the most eco-conscious generation, 68 percent of millennials, 57 percent of Gen X, and 50 percent of baby boomers are concerned. In fact, the over 55s are more likely to be searching for eco-friendly products (e.g., sustainable investments or green transportation options).

To maximize their return on investment during this key shopping period, brands must engage eco-conscious shoppers.

Championing Ethical Advertising in the Digital Age

Marketers cannot aim to deliver an ethical message in an unethical way. As the advertising ecosystem continues its shift towards an approach that is grounded in privacy, those marketers not prioritizing privacy-first solutions risk being left behind. With Google’s latest announcement putting the choice back into the hands of consumers, cookies will only de facto disappear.

Reaching eco-conscious shoppers in this new landscape means that marketers must build a complete picture of shoppers and their habits in a nonintrusive way. While 62 percent of consumers want transparency on environmental issues from brands, 83 percent state that data privacy is their top concern. One tool that is indispensable to help close the attribution gap and empower precise targeting of eco-shoppers is zero-party data.

Not to be confused with first-party data, zero-party data is information that a consumer proactively and consentingly shares with a company. Collected through methods such as surveys, quizzes and giveaways, zero-party data can reveal a range of insights, including communication preference, purchase intention, personal context, product feedback, and more.

Building the Full Audience Picture

The transparent and consensual nature of zero-party data helps to build closer bonds with consumers. By increasing trust and engaging eco-shoppers, consumers will feel more comfortable sharing further insights. This positive feedback cycle creates a comprehensive understanding of customers as cookies continue to depreciate.

From here, brands can start to build a wider picture of what today's eco-conscious shopper looks like. Zero-party data can be combined with a number of other data sources, including contextual and semantic data, bid requests, and open source insights, to construct a more complete persona. Everything from their key interests, geographic location and demographic can be analyzed to enable more effective targeting. For example, while eco-conscious shoppers will be looking for products and services that relate to sustainability, that isn’t their only topic of interest — they can also be interested in finance, real estate, home and garden, and the latest news. Cutting through in this range of verticals will enable advertisers to better maximize the potential of their spend this Golden Quarter.

Eco-conscious shoppers are no longer a minority, however, that still doesn’t mean they're easy to reach. Success for many retailers this Golden Quarter will hinge on being able to reach these shoppers effectively while respecting their privacy. Zero-party data can help unlock and cut through to this demographic during this year’s Golden Quarter and beyond.

Anthony Flaccavento is general manager, Americas for Ogury, an ad tech company focused on privacy-safe targeting of personas rather than specific people.