RevLifter is looking to combat global carbon emissions by giving online retailers the opportunity to plant trees in exchange for sales made by their customers.

The group’s new offer type – Green Offers – is powered by a partnership with environmental organisation Ecologi, which has offset over 2.2 million tonnes of CO2e by supporting reforestation projects in countries like Madagascar, Mozambique and Uganda.

In a typical campaign, brands will pledge to plant ten mangrove trees in return for the customer completing their purchase. Green Offers are delivered by RevLifter’s RevConvert technology, which uses real-time signals like the customer’s exit intent, their current spend, and cart contents, to inform the delivery of personalised incentives through native overlays.

RevLifter believes Green Offers can help to close the ‘intention-action gap’ that prevents the majority of customers from making positive contributions to the environment. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that 65% of shoppers want to buy from purpose-driven brands with strong sustainability credentials, but only 26% find a way to do so.

Simon Bird, RevLifter’s Co-Founder and CEO, says: “As RevLifter is the link between the brand and the consumer, we knew we could devise something that helped each side bring positive change to the world.

“Green Offers provide a way for the consumer to turn everyday actions into something that has a measurable impact on the planet. On the retailer’s side, it’s an opportunity to facilitate that contribution, but also drive sales through a totally discount-free method, and resonate with audiences that value more than just price.”

PerformanceIN spoke to Simon to understand more about Green Offers and what they can do.

How exactly do green offers work?
Green Offers is RevLifter’s way of helping e-commerce brands drive more sales while making a positive impact on the environment.

In a typical scenario, a brand will use our RevConvert technology to display a Green Offer via a native overlay. Most retailers pledge to plant ten trees in exchange for a sale (e.g. ‘Buy now and we’ll plant ten trees in your name’), but customers can also be rewarded for increasing their spend, subscribing to a mailing list, or another brand goal.

Once the customer redeems the offer, the baton is handed over to RevLifter’s sustainability partner Ecologi to action the tree-planting process. This involves making a contribution to a reforestation project to deliver on the original pledge. Meanwhile, the consumer is made aware of their contribution through a link to the brand’s very own ‘virtual forest’, where they can see their trees the moment a purchase is made.

Obviously, we think Green Offers are a positive move in the long term, but they’re also an ideal consideration for brands that want to become greener while making the necessary changes to their supply chains and packaging. It shows an instant intent to the customer and something they can implement right away.

Why is this something that is important to RevLifter?
Like most companies, we felt that it was important to reevaluate our own impact on the environment to see whether we could become more sustainable. We were already looking into ways of reducing our carbon footprint before the discussion turned to creating positive change through our day-to-day actions.

The seeds for Green Offers were sown after one of Team RevLifter pointed to a study from Harvard Business Review, stating that 65% of consumers want to shop with green-minded brands but only 26% find a way to do so. As RevLifter is the connection between brands and consumers, we felt it was important to make better use of this position. We wanted to do more for the planet while giving brands and consumers the chance to do the same, all through a simple action.

How do you expect consumers will react to Green Offers versus a regular discount?
It’s an interesting scenario and one we’re currently testing. Among a certain segment of shoppers, a Green Offer might be even more effective than a conventional offer. Research shows that two-thirds of consumers will pay more for sustainable products. We expect Green Offers to resonate highly with this audience.

It’s also worth noting that Green Offers tend to be well-received by brands that aren’t looking to discount – either due to brand policy or to safeguard their margin. It means there isn’t always a decision to be made regarding whether to run a ‘10% off’ or a Green Offer. Pledging to plant trees is a great way to drive a full-price sale.

Why did you choose to partner with Ecologi?
When assessing our options for sustainability partners, one of the biggest factors was the scale required to power Green Offers. Ecologi has already planted over 39 million trees through its partnerships with over 12,000 companies, equating to 2.2 million tonnes of CO2e. We want brands to be ambitious when setting their tree-planting goals and Ecologi definitely has the operation to support this.

We also placed great focus on transparency and measurability – two qualities that are absolutely vital for any sustainability initiative. Ecologi only purchases carbon credits from the most reputable standards, such as Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard. We also learned about its locations, land ownership, and biodiversity policies, which are essential for responsible reforestation.

As for measurement, there was a requirement to show the consumer’s impact in real time. Thanks to Ecologi, when someone redeems a Green Offer they can see their contribution within the brand’s very own virtual forest.

What has the reaction from brands been like so far? Can you give us an example of a positive outcome?
It’s early days but the reception has been as expected – that is, incredible! So many of our brands either had ambitions for a system like Green Offers or had experimented with something on a smaller scale. They all have plans to become more sustainable and reforestation is a great addition to their roadmap.

One of the first users is a major insurance brand, which has launched Green Offers as part of a campaign to drive app downloads and engagement. We can’t wait to share the case study, as the early results show the impact of being able to incentivise in a totally different way.

What is RevLifter as a company doing to become more sustainable?
While brands launch their first Green Offers, RevLifter will be working hard to bring down our own carbon footprint after gaining the Planet Mark Certification. This is an internationally recognised accreditation used by businesses like ours to report their carbon footprint and demonstrate continuous progress. We’ll be looking to reduce our footprint year on year while keeping the wide industry updated on all the tree-planting goals of our brands. To stay in the loop, be sure to follow RevLifter on Linkedin and sign-up to our newsletter.

While that’s happening, our team will also be working on the next offer type for driving conversions. We’re always keen to hear from brands that want to try new things in order to incentivise in a smarter way. If you’ve got a specific challenge in mind, get in touch.