Shoppers are keener than ever to invest in brands that are doing good things. Not only does it make them feel like they’re doing their bit for the planet, but it helps them connect with companies that share the same values (which is a top priority for consumers today).
Giving your customers the chance to give a bit of cash to charity when they buy something can strengthen trust and position you in a good light. In the same vein, donating to charity yourself overtly expresses your values and gives back at the same time.
So, if you believe in karma (or just doing a nice thing for the planet and the people that live on it), ecommerce donations can be a great way to establish strong customer relationships and differentiate your brand from the crowd.
Why give to charity with Shopify?
So, you have a Shopify store but you want to do more with it – perhaps you want to leave your mark or create a legacy that goes beyond how many dollars you pulled in last month. Tacking on a charity element to your store can do exactly this (and still have you pulling in those dollar bills each month).
Conscious consumerism is on the rise. According to research, 71% of shoppers have donated at checkout, and 55% like being asked if they would like to give to charity.
This is especially true for millennials and younger generations, where 70% like being asked to donate at checkout. It can actually push on-the-fence shoppers to make a purchase, but it also leaves a lasting impression (and a good one at that). 60% of respondents in this survey remembered and felt positively about the last business that asked them to donate.
If we’re going to break it down, giving to charity with your Shopify store can:
- Increase revenue: push hesitant shoppers to make a purchase with a donation incentive
- Secure customer loyalty: showcase your values and beliefs that connect with your ideal customer
- Stand out: differentiate your brand from others by offering a donation incentive
- Increase brand awareness: ensure customers leave with a positive impression of your brand
- Better understand customers: find out what causes your customers truly care about so you can create marketing campaigns around their most important beliefs
How to leverage Shopify charity donations
Ready to give your customers the chance to donate? Here are some key ways you can incorporate giving into the buying process.
1. Donation Incentives
Visit any ecommerce store today and there’s a high chance you’ll be greeted with a popup offering a percentage discount. It’s all the rage, but offering cut prices just because everyone else is can often be detrimental to sales. Not only does it devalue your products, but it can attract the wrong kind of shoppers (i.e. shoppers that want to save a quick buck and have no investment in your brand).
You can still offer incentives without shaving money off your bottom line, though. Donation incentives give customers the chance to donate a percentage of a sale to their favorite charity at checkout.
Givz makes it easy for brands and their customers to support good causes – and the results are pretty impressive. It can increase website conversion rates by 90% and increase the Average Order Value by 30% if you offer incentives to shoppers who spend a certain amount.
Sheets and Giggles offer discounts and donation incentives in tandem, which has increased their conversion rates by almost 100%. For Gear.com, the results are similar. After running an A/B test where half of their audience received the standard 20% off offer and the other half received 15% off and 15% to give to charity. The latter offer won on all counts, from open rates to conversion rates and increased revenue.
2. Add charitable donations at checkout
By the time a customer gets to the checkout, there’s a chance they might buy but there’s also a chance they could disappear into the sunset and never come back. In fact, abandoned cart rates are particularly high at 69.82%.
Adding the opportunity to donate at checkout can not only push on-the-fence shoppers to buy (especially if they’re weighing you up against a competitor), but it can strengthen the connection they have with you which, in turn, makes them more likely to come back in the future.
A Shopify charity app like Givz makes it easy to tack on donation incentives at the point of checkout that will either give hesitant shoppers the nudge they need to take the plunge or strengthen the connection with shoppers who were already planning on buying from you.
As well as offering a donation incentive before shoppers hand over their cash, you can also reward customers who have just purchased with a donation. Encourage those who have spent a certain amount to donate $10 or $20 to a charity of their choice.
3. Direct donations with no purchase required
Customer loyalty is crucial for ecommerce brands today. In order to stand out and stand the test of time, you have to foster a community of loyal fans who keep coming back for more (and who tell their friends about you).
This often means taking a step back and providing something without getting any monetary gain in return, like giving shoppers the chance to donate even if they haven’t bought anything from you.
It might seem counterproductive, but what have you got to lose? Direct donations show you care about a range of causes and are open to giving consumers the chance to do their bit for the planet (and, therefore, do your bit for the planet too).
How to set up charity donations on Shopify
Secure customer loyalty and provide incentives that stand out from the usual discount craze with Givz. Connect it to your Shopify store to get started and give customers the chance to do their bit for the planet and its resident communities.
Here’s how you can use Givz to offer donations through your Shopify store:
1. Choose your charities and non-profit organizations
Let customers choose their favorite charities to donate to or offer up some inspiration to get them started. Givz has a selection of charity collections that you can choose from, providing around five or so options for each category.
You can mix things up by offering up different charities at different times of the year and for different holidays. For example, around International Women’s Day, you can give customers the chance to donate to charities that focus on women’s rights around the world.
Categories of charities to support
If we’ve twisted your arm and you’re ready to start offering donations through your Shopify store, here are some charity categories you can get started with.
- Climate change charities: purpose-driven initiatives that are keen to make the planet a better place through sustainable activities
- Community-based charities: initiatives that are helping local communities and people by providing resources they don’t have through social causes
- Animal charities: initiatives that are helping our furry and four-legged friends all around the world
- Education charities: initiatives that are helping people access education in places where it can be difficult
- Arts and culture charities: initiatives that are keen to preserve and maintain historic and cultural sites
As well as choosing from pre-selected categories, you can curate your own list of charities for shoppers to donate to based on your brand’s beliefs and values. Just select the “campaign” tab in the Givz dashboard, click the “Feature Charities” sub-tab and use the search in the Handpick Feature Charities section to make your choice. You can make a Shopify roundup for charity that includes your favorite initiatives to get shoppers started.
2. Pick your play
How can customers unlock their donation incentives? Choose from four different options:
- All orders: every customer gets the chance to donate to charity when they buy from you
- Spend threshold: only customers who spend a certain amount unlock a donation incentive
- Coupon code specific: only customers with a coupon code can unlock a donation incentive
- Product-specific: only customers who buy a certain product can unlock a donation incentive
Each option comes with its own benefits, but it’s entirely up to you and your business model which type of “play” you choose to go with.
3. Choose your reward
How much can customers give to their favorite charity? Givz works with two options:
- Fixed dollar amount of total: customers each get to donate a set amount (like $10 or $25 per order)
- Percentage of the order subtotal: customers can donate a percentage of the total amount they have spent (like 10% of their order total)
Again, the option you choose will depend on the kind of products you sell, your AOV, and your overall business goals.
4. Time your donation incentive
Timing is everything, even when it comes to doing good. Think about when you want to serve customers their donation incentive – before they make a purchase to give them a nudge in the right direction? Or after they’ve bought something to secure that much-needed ongoing trust and loyalty?
Increase trust and make an impact through ecommerce donations
It’s no secret that Shopify ecommerce has a solid set of beliefs and values that it showcases through charity efforts and initiatives, so it’s no wonder that the platform makes it easy for merchants to do the same. With a Shopify donation app like Givz, you can incorporate charity giving at checkout to secure the trust of shoppers and keep them coming back for more, all while doing your bit for the planet.
