In 1994, in collaboration with former US President Jimmy Carter’s foundation, the Carter Center, a humanitarian aid company. Vesterguard They developed pipe filters, and later straws, designed to help filter bacteria and parasites from water. The goal was to make water safer to drink and eliminate Guinea worm disease in Africa.
Over the next few years, outdoor enthusiasts became interested in straws and their potential for hiking and camping trips, and customers and retailers began asking where they could purchase LifeStraws. By 2012, life straw We entered the consumer sector and business took off.
As a result of the product’s success, LifeStraw reversed its business model to allow its consumer arm to fund its impact-building efforts. “We started reorienting the company towards a retail model that could fund humanitarian work, rather than a humanitarian model with a little side hustle as a retailer,” said Chief Brand Officer at LifeStraw. Tara Lundy says.
Today, e-commerce is the fastest growing segment of the business, and the company continues to evolve its product line, including debuting its super slim travel Sip straws. Learn how LifeStraw continues its humanitarian efforts by expanding its e-commerce business.
Customizing products for home and travel consumers
LifeStraw originally started making consumer products for adventurers and nature lovers who could use a water filter when drinking water from a nearby river or lake. To develop a product for these customers, we needed to design a sophisticated filtration system that could be used outdoors and not be too heavy or take up too much space. “We’re always trying to create things that are smaller, lighter and more packable, especially in outdoor spaces,” says Tara.
The company now also makes products for home users who want to filter their tap water and for travelers who want to be careful about the water they drink when abroad.
Tara says LifeStraw could not have entered these new categories without data from e-commerce sales channels. “It’s great to see who our customers are and how we’ve been able to evolve them over time as we move into offering more lifestyle products. , I think that’s really great,” she says.
Managing e-commerce channels
In LifeStraw’s first foray into consumer products, the company worked with distributors to manage shipping, logistics, and retail relationships. But as that side of the business grew, LifeStraw began managing some of his distributor responsibilities in-house and launched his own Shopify website.
“Shopify has become our second largest sales channel, which is unusual for a hard goods company like ours,” Tara says. She believes that the dedicated customer base comes from the company’s history and commitment to making an impact not only through humanitarian work but also through her B-Corp certification.
Checkout optimization for donations
By managing its own e-commerce sales channel, LifeStraw can now customize its website and interact directly with customers. LifeStraw’s highest performing product is a checkout cart add-on called “Give Safe Water.” This will allow customers to add a donation to safe water projects at the time of purchase. Additionally, Give Safe Water donations count toward the free shipping minimum.
LifeStraw received over 50,000 donations through this checkout add-on last year. “People see our work, understand that we are an authentic brand, and are willing to donate a little extra money to do impactful work.” says Tara. Give Safe Water donations help LifeStraw fund both long-term projects in countries where access to safe drinking water is difficult, as well as short-term projects to support areas where water supplies are limited due to natural disasters or war. It helped me.
Building trust through transparency
Tara says this generation of consumers is smart. They are quick to criticize brands that jump on social trends or post performatively. LifeStraw avoids this by staying focused on its mission to provide clean water and being transparent with its customers about its efforts.
For example, we segment customers who have donated to Give Safe Water and send them an email providing updates on how their donations have been used in recent months.
Whether your company started with a humanitarian purpose or not, there’s always an opportunity to find a mission that aligns with your company’s values, Tara says. The key is to focus on your company’s unique value proposition and incorporate it into your social impact efforts.
To learn more about LifeStraw and how they developed consumer products from their humanitarian work, listen to the full interview on Shopify Masters.
