
Plastic Freedom
Plastic Freedom is an anti-plastic online shop that’s a curation of earth-friendly products from many different companies around the world. It was founded by Beth, a passionate environmentalist based in Southport UK.
Beth’s mission was to become completely plastic-free and she’s using her shop to spread the word about products she uses and loves. If you’re passionate about reducing your carbon footprint, shopping with Beth will make sure that you’re ordering from brands that are conscious of packaging, shipping and distribution to reduce waste.
When launching a brand based on selling products that you don’t own and produce yourself, selecting a strong theme like Beth has allows you to build a business and an e-commerce store without having to actually make the products yourself. You don’t even need to directly carry any inventory if you choose to dropship. Plastic Freedom is an excellent example of an affiliate marketing e-commerce shop that’s tied together well with an engaging theme and a consistent visual brand.
Plastic Freedom supports their online shop through a strong social media presence as well. Since they have such an inspiring cause, they are able to share new products that they stock and tell stories about their suppliers that help to drive sales and grow a following. Beth has also built a strong personal brand through the store and when she posts updates about her life she gets incredibly high engagement. It’s clear that her community has really banded together to advance the cause and is supporting her personally when they shop at Plastic Freedom.
When you visit the Plastic Freedom shop, the first thing you notice is that there is an incredible amount of inventory and product categories on their site. It gives you almost a Whole Foods feel, like you’re shopping in an earth-conscious health food store that’s online instead of IRL.
When you scroll down the ‘inspo’ page the first products featured are the best sellers paired with an empowering statement on how Plastic Freedom came to be. Since the online shop has so much merchandise to offer it’s a great idea to feature the top selling items prominently to increase their conversion rates for new visitors.
Scrolling through the best selling SKUs you’ll notice that the product photography has an Instagram-like feel with small thumbnails in grids of six across featured on each page. This allows them to really maximize their visual inventory to show off many products at once without it being too busy looking. They make the products stand out by adding custom labels like “vegan” and “recycled” as overlays on the photos.
Plastic Freedom offers flat rate shipping within the UK and internationally using Royal Mail. They have a predominant shipping banner at the top of their site which notes that if you spend over $100 domestically in the UK your orders will ship for free.
In terms of aesthetics the Plastic Freedom site has a green theme with some illustrative elements. They use their signature light minty green across the website and social media channels which give their digital experience a sense of consistency.
If you’re looking to start a store that resells products from suppliers, Plastic Freedom is a top example to look at for tips on how to effectively carve out a brand as an affiliate marketer.
As Plastic Freedom has demonstrated, the key is to build brand familiarity. Choosing a theme, cause or mission that unites the efforts can give a shop more meaning. They’ve done an excellent job at positioning their best selling products and giving engaging personal tips that help shoppers feel connected to the greater goal of their organization, and they’ve built an attractive shop site in the process.