For online store owners, social has a specific meaning. Social means Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
But there is another type of social that can drive growth at your online store — social responsibility.
As conscious consumerism continues to gain steam, making social responsibility part of your company DNA — and letting people know about it with social responsibility marketing — is an awesome way to distinguish your store. Even if your niche is saturated. Even if your prices are as low as they can go.
"Today's consumers (especially the millennial generation) are more conscious about what brands they support and buy from," Jeff Sheldon, founder of modern design store Ugmonk, wrote via email.
"I wouldn't say that the 'giving back' part of Ugmonk is why most people buy our products, but I think it does contribute to people resonating with what Ugmonk is all about."
Ugmonk is indeed all about giving back: Sheldon said the company has donated more than 82,000 meals to needy children in Honduras and Nicaragua.
Ugmonk isn't alone. Faucet Face, a store that sells glass water bottles, has also seen how much consumers appreciate social responsibility.
"To put in simply, it's our biggest differentiator and what sets our brand apart," Woody Kassin, owner of glass water bottle store Faucet Face, wrote of his social responsibility efforts. "We've received countless testimonials and feedback from customers that have described this feature of our business as the most important aspect of why they love our brand and products and are so happy to spread the word about what we do."
Ugmonk and Faucet Face are just two online stores putting socially responsible actions — and socially responsible marketing — front and center. This post will look at seven beautiful examples of social responsibility in ecommerce, and then wrap up with some social responsibility marketing best practices.
Conscious Consumers Dig Social Responsibility
Before we get to the examples, let's quickly give some context for what social responsibility marketing is all about.
Whether you have your own online store or are in the process of launching one, chances are that you don't own the market. Which means you'll need some way to set yourself apart from the crowd.
Enter social responsibility, which has emerged as an important selling point across numerous sectors. The importance of these values-driven approaches has grown dramatically — recent data shows that 90 per cent of the S&P 500 now publishes reports about their responsible business practices, representing a massive shift in corporate priorities over the past decade.
This tendency is even stronger among ecommerce's most important demographic — Millennials. Studies indicate that 43% of millennials claim to have made CSR-driven purchases.
Okay, so we know that there is business value in social responsibility. Now let's look at how seven ecommerce stores around the web are implementing — and marketing — their own social responsibility efforts.
6 Examples of Social Responsibility Marketing
1. Ugmonk
Ugmonk's social responsibility push is masterfully integrated into its brand identity, website, and marketing. Their website tells the story of their work with communities in Honduras and Nicaragua.
This is visually engaging — save cats, what has a higher cute score than smiling kids? — and immediately lends credibility. Ugmonk also touts its partnership with Rice Bowls, an organization committed to feeding children around the world.
"We've received lots of great feedback from customers about our charity efforts," Sheldon explained. "People like to know that part of their purchase is going to a good cause so it's a win-win for everyone. It's been fun to see so many of our customers embrace the cause and give very generous donations during our charity drives."
2. Taylor Stitch
Taylor Stitch wears its social responsibility heart on its sleeve. Their ethical credentials are up front and center on the home page with their promise to make their industry more sustainable ‘from top to bottom, seed to sew’.
Social responsibility messaging pops up throughout the site, tastefully weaving together the idea that its clothes last a long time with the idea that its clothes are sustainably sourced. The copy, the message, even the disappearing highway — all of it reinforces social responsibility marketing:
3. Harper Wilde
Harper Wilde believes that every woman is the product of an educated young girl. Yet with more than 62 million school-age girls lacking access to education, and women making up over two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults, the challenge is clear.
To help change this, the brand donates 1% of proceeds to Girls Inc., an organization that provides mentorship, education, and advocacy for girls ages 6–18. By equipping them to grow up strong, smart, and bold, Girls Inc. empowers the next generation to overcome barriers and build independent futures. Harper Wilde’s mission to #LiftUpTheLadies reflects its belief that when women lift each other up, they are truly unstoppable.
In addition to the charming social responsibility messaging, Harper Wilde works with a manufacturer whose workforce is 75% women. They have also partnered with Glamour Magazine's The Girl Project, which provides access to education in more than 100 countries. Choosing a partner was not something that Harper Wilde took lightly: "We spent nearly as long vetting a social impact partner as we did building this company."
Even the company's name is rooted in its values of empowerment and education: a combination of renowned female authors Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie).
The result? "We do see strong brand affinity for the Harper Wilde brand," Kerner wrote, "from customers, influencers, brand partners, etc."
4. Allbirds
Allbirds, which sells wool shoes, gets its social responsibility ideas in front of visitors quickly. Allbirds is built on the belief that better products can be made in a better way. As a certified B-Corp, the brand focuses on natural, renewable materials like merino wool, eucalyptus tree fibre, and sugarcane, reducing reliance on petroleum-based synthetics. Their sustainability roadmap, known as the “Flight Plan,” sets ambitious goals to halve their carbon footprint by 2025 and reach near-zero by 2030. Allbirds also takes a full lifecycle approach, measuring emissions at every stage and encouraging customers to extend product life through thoughtful care and resale initiatives such as ReRun.
5. BioLite
Outdoor supply outlet BioLite has loads of social responsibility content on its site. Some subtle, some overt, all of it solidifying the company's push to provide energy to those in need.
BioLite demonstrates how a business can power the planet and uplift communities at the same time. Their website highlights a clear commitment to environmental, social, and governance principles, showing that purpose and profit can go hand in hand.
Through their clean energy solutions (cookstoves, solar panels, and lighting systems) BioLite has reached over 14 million people in off-grid communities, avoided 5 million tons of CO₂ emissions, and helped families save $100–$150 annually on fuel costs. BioLite’s dedication to sustainability is reflected in their carbon-neutral operations, verified carbon offsets, and certifications like B Corp and the Climate Label. Their 2024 Impact Report provides transparent insights into emissions reductions, low-carbon materials, and renewable energy initiatives, demonstrating accountability at every step.
BioLite’s approach shows that embedding ESG into your core mission can inspire trust, demonstrate impact, and engage audiences. By sharing tangible results and a compelling story, their website sets a benchmark for using digital platforms to showcase environmental and social responsibility.
6. Death Wish Coffee
In addition to the "world's strongest coffee," Death Wish Coffee offers shoppers a socially responsible shopping experience.
They have content that touts their USDA Certified Organic credentials, along with the links to prove it. After looking at BioLite's enchanting videos, these links are important: If you don't have the marketing budget to produce videos about your social responsibility, you can still prove you're serious by linking to external authorities. In this case, that's the United States Department of Agriculture.
By sourcing USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified™ beans, they support sustainable farming and fair wages, empowering communities while protecting the planet. Their commitment shows how ethical practices can build trust and resonate with conscious consumers, and these values are elegantly reflected around the website and in the copy.
Corporate Social Responsibility Categories
Business owners interested in developing their own responsible practices can focus their efforts across four key areas. Each category offers different opportunities for making positive impacts while building customer loyalty.
Financial responsibility: This involves making business decisions that benefit both your company and the broader community. Examples include paying suppliers promptly, offering fair wages to employees, supporting local job creation, and partnering with ethical vendors who share similar values.
Environmental stewardship: With climate concerns growing, many businesses focus on reducing their ecological footprint. This might involve using sustainable materials, minimizing energy consumption, adopting renewable power sources, or offering carbon-neutral shipping options to customers.
Community giving: Many companies dedicate resources to improving their local or global communities. This could include donating products to disaster relief efforts, encouraging employee volunteer programs, or supporting educational and healthcare initiatives in underserved areas.
Ethical operations: This means going beyond basic legal requirements to operate with integrity across all business activities. Examples include sourcing materials from fair trade suppliers, maintaining transparent business practices, and ensuring all partnerships align with your core values.
Authenticity Matters
So there we have seven beautiful examples of online stores doing awesome things with social responsibility marketing. Making a difference, and making sure that shoppers know about it.
What are some of the common themes that you can incorporate into your own socially responsible marketing?
First and foremost, authenticity matters when it comes to social responsibility. Remember those stats about how social responsibility can drive sales? Well, doing social responsibility marketing without actually, you know, being socially responsible will have the opposite effect.
According to studies on consumer behavior, the vast majority of shoppers would boycott a company's products if they discovered misleading or dishonest business practices. It doesn't get much more deceptive than bragging about donations that aren't getting donated.
Deceptive social responsibility peaked with the Dieselgate story, when Volkswagen cheated on emissions standards tests. The company's share price dropped some 35% within days. Now, many years later, it still hasn't completely recovered.
In other words, don't fake it.
Social Responsibility Marketing Works for Any Sector
In a single blog post we've covered socially responsible marketing from companies that sell designer apparel, coffee, camping gear, water bottles, and more. You don't need to be a "do-good" company to find ways to be charitable.
There is, for example, no clear line between "bras" and "education." But Harper Wilde makes it work by directing its charity efforts toward young girls, a twist that its shoppers — most of whom are presumably women — can identify with.
BioLite is also savvy with its social responsibility: The company specializes, among other things, in providing energy and electricity to campers. So why not also provide energy and electric to the less fortunate? Once again, a link has been cultivated between the cause and the consumer.
Conclusions on Marketing Social Responsibility
These stores represent a tiny fraction of all the great social responsibility marketing out there. Still, they offer a proven roadmap for turning ideals into action — and enhancing brand affinity at the same time. So let's remember:
- Consumers like socially responsible companies. Data shows that consumers favor brands whose ideals align with their own. Social responsibility is a proven differentiator among the endless choices out there. This is especially true among Millennials.
- There are all sorts of ways to market your social responsibility. And you don't need professional videos to do it. If need be, partnerships with bonafide charities and organizations can substitute for hot multimedia content. (Of course, hot multimedia content works, too.)
- Be genuine. Even setting aside karmic retribution for deceptive social responsibility marketing, stretching the truth about charities and donations is a surefire way to alienate customers. Your credibility could be totally shot if you run marketing around social responsibility initiatives that don't exist. So if you don't have the time, margins, or inclination to make social responsibility part of your business, then leave it out of your marketing too.
Social Responsibility Marketing FAQ
What is social responsibility marketing?
Social responsibility marketing involves promoting a company’s ethical, environmental, and community-focused actions to customers. It highlights efforts like charitable giving, sustainable practices, or ethical sourcing, creating brand differentiation and building trust with conscious consumers.
Why does social responsibility marketing matter for ecommerce?
Today’s consumers, especially Millennials, are more likely to support brands that align with their values. Social responsibility can drive sales, strengthen brand loyalty, and help your store stand out in saturated markets, even if prices or products are similar to competitors.
Can social responsibility marketing work for any type of business?
Yes. Whether you sell apparel, coffee, outdoor gear, or home goods, any business can find authentic ways to support causes, operate ethically, or reduce environmental impact. The key is connecting your initiatives to your brand and target audience in a genuine way.
What are common categories for corporate social responsibility (CSR)?
Businesses can focus on four main areas:
- Financial responsibility: Fair wages, timely supplier payments, ethical vendor partnerships.
- Environmental stewardship: Sustainable materials, carbon-neutral shipping, and renewable energy use.
- Community giving: Donations, volunteer programs, educational or healthcare initiatives.
- Ethical operations: Transparency, fair trade sourcing, and integrity in all business practices.