Trendy vs. Purpose-Driven: What to Buy this Season
by Jennifer Suri
Looking for the perfect gift this holiday season? Make sure it’s purpose-driven.
Purpose-driven products are driven by values and strive to solve a problem. A recent poll conducted by Softly found that purpose-driven gifts are just what people are looking for this holiday season.
“Gift recipients want products with impact”, says Mollie Hughes, CEO of Softly. “We heard loud and clear that trendy gifts are simply not valued as much.”
Age Matters
Most people relate trendy gifts with younger people. However, 88% of Gen Zers say it’s important that the gifts they receive are purpose-driven over “trendy”, according to Softly’s poll.
Zoomers have tremendous purchasing power and influence on the future. They can also be hard to buy gifts for, so if you’re buying for someone born after 1997, keep these results in mind.
Green is Important
One of the biggest problems on our planet right now is keeping it healthy. This means using our resources wisely and buying products that don’t harm the environment.
The significance of this issue was reflected by Softly’s poll which revealed that receiving green and environmentally friendly gifts is most important, followed by gifts that are clean and free of harmful ingredients. Additionally 70% of teens aged 14–18 prefer to receive a gift that is “gentle on the environment.”
In this age of greenwashing it’s not always easy to find environmentally friendly gifts. The Personal Sustainable Shopping Assistant Softly can help online shoppers find sustainable and purpose-driven products. The no-cost Softly plug-in suggests Sustainable SWAPS!, based on a wide array of customizable product attributes, while shopping online.
“It takes a lot of time to research and find products based on what is specifically important to an individual, which is why we developed Softly,” says Kathryn Decker, Softly COO. “Whether you are concerned about the environmental impact of your purchases, need to avoid certain ingredients, or want to support social responsibility, we make it easy to find products made with the attributes specifically important to you.”
This holiday season, add environmentally friendly gifts to your list. Chances are that’s what your friends and family are looking for.
