How to Shop Vegan Online by Carmella Lanni-Giardina, VLCE

Congratulations! You’re vegan! You’ve made the decision to adopt a compassionate, plant-based lifestyle. You’re getting a handle on food shopping in stores. You may have an idea of where to get your vegan clothing, beauty products and more. But, what about shopping for all of your needs online?

Shopping online, known as e-commerce, is meant to be easy. There are parallels between how you shop in a physical store to how you shop from your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Online categories are like store aisles and departments. Their product lists are like shelves and clothing racks. Well-designed e-commerce sites will provide a great deal of product information through text and media (images, videos, etc.) to help consumers make the best informed decisions without having to use all five senses.

You can choose to shop vegan businesses online, such as Alternative Outfitters, MooShoes or Vegan Cuts. They’re great and should be supported, especially for peace of mind while shopping. However, you don’t need to change where you shop, if you’re loyal to a particular business. Many top-named online retailers do carry vegan or veg-friendly goods.

Here some key things to check to help you confirm online if an item is vegan:

Search terms like “vegan” and “cruelty-free” on shopping sites. Note: “cruelty-free” does not mean the same as “vegan,” but it can give you product lists to get you started.
Identify logos such as the Vegan Action certification “heart” or The Vegan Society symbol. Note: Leaping Bunny is another logo to recognize, but they will not confirm ingredients or materials as “vegan.” They only verify whether animal testing is used by the manufacturer.
Read product descriptions, including nutritional facts, ingredients and materials.
Read product/store reviews from other customers.
Ask your fellow vegans about brands and products.

Now you have the tools to start on your online vegan shopping adventure, but like any savvy shopper, you also want to save money, right? Here are a few tips to set you on your way:

Social media: Follow your favorite stores & brands to get exclusive deals, coupon codes and free stuff
Email: Sign up for your favorite stores’ newsletters for email-only special offers
Cash-back/coupon sites: Sites like RetailMeNot and Ebates list discounts and coupon codes for many popular sites. By signing up and using Ebates, you can earn a percentage back on your online purchases
Loyalty programs: Sign up for your favorite store’s rewards program. You may earn points, credit and rewards by shopping online and in-store
Comparison shopping: Shopzilla, Pricegrabber and Google Shopping will allow you to compare prices of products to find the best deal online
Deal-of-the-Day sites: Groupon, LivingSocial and Woot are just a few. You can get deals for local businesses, but also shop for goods with huge markdowns online through these sites too

According to eMarketer, e-commerce accounted for 5.8% of $4.5 trillion in 2013 retail sales in the United States. It continues to have double-digit growth year-over-year. While the percentage may seem small, when you look at the numbers, it’s pretty huge and growing fast! What does that mean for the vegan shopper? It means greater accessibility to vegan items and convenience of not having to drive long distances, wait on a line or spending a fortune (especially during the holidays). Reference: eMarketer, April 10, 2014 Total US Retail Sales Top $4.5 Trillion in 2013, Outpace GDP Growth http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1010756

Happy Vegan Shopping!

Carmella Lanni-Giardina, VLCE is an e-commerce specialist and marketer, who just happens to be VEGAN! She’s a savvy social media enthusiast, blogger and co-host of the weekly #VeganFoodChat & #Luv4Social Twitter chats, She uses her voice to spread the messages of compassionate living and community building. Carmella lives in NYC with her husband Carlo (soon-to-be VLCE) and 2 cats, Connie & Mozzer. Want to learn more about Carmella? Her About.me page is quite telling!