The sustainability push across apparel and fashion has now even extended to the “buy now, pay later” sector ahead of Earth Day. Afterpay has introduced a donation program within its checkout capability, and is set to debut a live shopping experience to encourage consumers to build a more mindful and eco-friendly wardrobe and give back to the environment.
In mid-April, Afterpay will launch its first-ever live shopping experience in partnership with “sustainable brands that create a more circular economy with eco-friendly fashion and beauty.”
The sustainable shopping event is targeted at millennial and Gen Z shoppers who prefer to shop in a more ethical way. Forty-five percent of millennial shoppers and 43 percent of Gen Z shoppers say they “actively look” for products or companies that have sustainable or environmental practices or reputations, according to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor Survey.
“We are thrilled to offer our customers the option to shop from fashion-forward brands in a responsible and sustainable way, while also giving back to these incredibly important organizations,” Melissa Davis, head of North America at Afterpay, said in a statement. “Gen Z and millennials are conscious shoppers who make mindful choices when they shop and we are proud to put the spotlight on organizations that are helping to tackle the complex issues facing our planet.”
B-Corp Certified social commerce company MagicLinks is powering the live shopping technology platform for Afterpay. MagicLinks is aimed at helping creators on social platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok share products they love and earn income as their fans shop. The company has committed to be carbon neutral by the end of the year.
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The integrated shopping experience will live on Afterpay’s site. Customers will be able to watch influencer-led content streams and shop live for their partner brands within the experience.
The installment payments platform plans to offer additional live shopping events in the coming months. The popularity of livestream shopping caught the eye of another “buy now, pay later” provider, Klarna, in 2020, with the Swedish fintech teaming with Cosmopolitan Magazine to deliver two separate “Hauliday” events last August and this March.
On April 5, Afterpay debuted a “top-up” program, which is giving shoppers the option to donate $1 at checkout to benefit Magpies & Peacock, a non-profit design house dedicated to the collection, curation and sustainable reuse of post-consumer textiles, and Surfrider, a non-profit environmental organization focused on protecting clean water and healthy beaches.
For every donation made, Afterpay says it will match consumers’ contributions.
“At Magpies & Peacocks we always ask ourselves how we can look at a solution from the perspective of People, Planet and Profit—how can we tackle something head on sustainably by doing right by it socially, environmentally and economically,” Sarah-Jayne Smith, CEO of Magpies & Peacock, said in a statement. “It is a mindset we apply to all things, no matter how small – everything from the products we create or buy, and how we teach a skill, through to our carbon footprint as a non-profit organization. It can create a tremendously influential ripple, not only in winning hearts and minds, but in affecting real change. We are thrilled to partner with Afterpay as part of that process and are humbled to be part of their Top Up Donation program.”