At Household, we have been tracking the rise of a more conscious generation of customers who are increasingly aware of the ecological impact of their purchases and, in turn, demanding assertive action from brands, beyond their ESG statement.
Circularity is a hot topic with smart brands incentivising repair over disposal by making services more accessible, easy, and affordable. This gives customers greater control over how and when they want to repair an item, and in some cases even teaching them how to do it themselves. Brands also benefit, as they can use these services to establish a deeper relationship with customers post-purchase, whilst boosting their sustainability credentials.
UK start-up Sojo is dubbed the ‘Deliveroo of clothing repairs and alterations’ due to its ease and convenience. Users can choose to alter or repair an item via the Sojo app, and a rider will pick-up and drop it at a local repair shop. Users have the flexibility to select a designated time for the item to be returned to their home. Sojo is also partnering with fashion brands to reach more customers, it recently announced a partnership with Ganni, which allows customers to book free alterations via their website.
In the tech world, Apple has announced a ‘Self Service Repair’ programme, enabling customers to fix their products at-home, rather than outsourcing it to stores or third parties. Parts, tools and instructions will be available in early 2022 for iPhone 12 and 13 models, followed by Macs with M1 chips.
Household takeout
Circularity is about more than just repair and alteration services, for brands it’s an opportunity to stay better connected to customers post-purchase, and build relationships by demonstrating an understanding for the same things that customers care about.
Get in touch if you’d like to discuss how Household could help you define and design more sustainable brand behaviours, and explore how physical experiences could function as a centre point for circularity.
Also in the news:
Retail:
Sainsbury’s opens check-out free store with Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology
Glossier opens second permanent flagship store in LA
Hospitality:
Accor introduces new hotel collection for boutique hotels and luxurious resorts
Campaigns:
Visit Sweden playfully uses IKEA products to encourage tourism
Initiatives:
Apple announces a Self Service Repair programme for iPhone
UK startup Sojo makes clothing repairs and alterations more accessible
Pret A Manger trials loyalty programme to encourage more purchases
Getir acquires UK rapid delivery firm Weezy
Harvey Nichols launches NFT competition
Image courtesy of Apple
