How have you optimized your e-commerce store to create a strong user experience for your community, (through content, education, reviews etc.) and what results have you achieved?

At Green Room, we prioritize our customers experience right from their first interaction with our brand. We want to create an online community where people are confident about their purchase and who they are supporting. 1. Educational & entertaining daily social media content Our content is made with the purpose of educating and fostering a sense of community of like-minded people, both online and IRL, who share a passion for the environment but also, great skin and haircare. Our product line is still somewhat “niche” so we share about our products through content that focuses on our ingredients and packaging, R&D and production process, lots of BTS, and just general funny and entertaining concepts. 2. Partnerships We participate in creator partnerships and have an organic ambassador program to reach a larger audience and spread a wider net with our education efforts. We are very selective with our creator partnerships as we only do a couple a year and all our chosen partners must use their platforms for an overall greater purpose and produce content that brings value. In contrast, our ambassadors choose us. Customers who are enthusiastic about our products and want to share them with their friends and family are able to sign up as an ambassador themselves at any point and receive a commission on any sales they facilitate. 3. Hair type quiz To personalize our customers shopping experience, we have an integrated hair type quiz that helps customers identify their hair type and what their desired results are. With this information, our quiz recommends products that will help them reach their hair goals. 4. Educational Blog Our blog is a little mix of everything. We have business tips, opinion pieces, gift guides, DIY blogs, informational blogs, and lots of Green Room specific blogs. For customers looking to do a little more in-depth research before they buy, our blogs are a great source of valuable information that goes beyond a simple product description. 5. Customer Reviews We have an automated flow through our marketing email platform to encourage our customers to leave reviews and to share their personal experiences with our products. These reviews help build trust with our customers and are the social proof Green Room curious customers need to make a confident purchase. 6. Customer Support Chat We offer a 24/7 customer support chat online to provide our customers with a direct line if they have any questions while shopping. With this chat, we have been able to help customers with their purchases in real time, helping to establish a reliable customer rapport. For customers who aren’t on social media, we have found that people also use this chat to ask us very informal non-Green Room related questions as well … it functions sort of like our ‘website DM’. 7. Practice what we Preach We preach conscious consumerism and live by our own ethos! We actively keep our office operating with sustainability in mind by: • Implementing paperless systems when possible (invoices, pay stubs, bank statements, client files, etc..) • We don’t purchase single use products • We have a compost and specific sorted recycling, including soft plastics • All office supplies/equipment are second hand when possible • The majority of our paper packaging is made out of post-consumer recycled content. • We use eco-friendly and low-waste cleaning products. • We also offer local pickup to avoid packaging waste & emissions related to shipping. • We re-use all of our packaging material waste! Some suppliers still use plastic bubble-wrap or Styrofoam peanuts – we use these to pack wholesale orders. 8. In Person Events Now that COVID is behind us, we want to rebuild our adventurous eco-conscious community on the island. We are kicking off our fall/holiday series with customer appreciation events. Our first event is scheduled for the end of this month, where we have organized a free Pickleball & Pizza event for our Green Room Community. We have tons of events planned for the fall and holiday season including a book swap, a clothing swap, a beading workshop and more! Implementing these practices into our business has allowed us to grow our business sustainability and intimately with our customers over the last 4 years. Some business milestones include upgrading our production equipment and methods, offering more and better products, and getting our products into stores around the world, across 3 continents! We remain true to our values and work to create an excellent customer experience. We are a small team of two gals and over the last two years, our customer return rate has been 33.2% - goes to show we are doing something right!

Why do you deserve to win the E-Commerce Experience Award?

Green Room began with a vision for a plastic-free world of personal care and has grown into a 6-figure business with an engaged and loyal customer base, selling our products globally. We go above and beyond to make sure our customers not only have a good interaction with our business on social media and at point of sale, but also with our products. Making the sale is great, but we want to ensure long-term product satisfaction. We want to bring quality products to the market that are not just eco & travel friendly, but are also effective! Actively seeking feedback from our customers is essential to our on-going education and innovation. Our goal is to become an integral part of our customers daily routines… something they look forward to using for years to come. As we expand, another goal is to become a one-stop-shop for all things beauty and self-care that are sustainable, plastic-free and provide RESULTS! Winning this award would validate our efforts in providing an excellent online experience for our customers.