What Consumers Want in 2025

Ever wondered what consumers want?  Recent research commissioned by Amazon of 2,000 British shoppers reveals a significant shift in consumer behaviour: 66% of UK shoppers prefer to buy products that have a more positive environmental and social impact, yet many struggle to identify them due to confusing product labelling.

In fact, only 7% of consumers say they always understand a product’s environmental impact when they shop, and fewer than 1 in 5 (18%) find it easy to determine a product’s sustainability credentials.

This disconnect between consumer intent and product transparency underscores the importance of clear ethical labelling. At The GOOD Shopping Guide, we’ve long advocated for brands to prominently display their values, both on packaging and online. Now, with one of the world’s largest retailers highlighting this issue, it’s evident that consumers are actively seeking trusted, recognisable ethical information, but often can’t find it.

The Amazon study indicates that 63% of shoppers want retailers to help them identify products that have a more positive environmental and social impact . This means that when a product features a visible badge of endorsement, such as a third-party certification, it becomes instantly more appealing.

This aligns with feedback from The GOOD Shopping Guide’s audience: people want to shop ethically but often don’t know who to trust or how to verify a brand’s claims. Ambiguous language, vague sustainability pages, or a lack of visible credentials can quickly undermine consumer confidence and lead them to choose alternative products.

The solution is straightforward yet impactful: make your ethical credentials visible and verifiable.

Whether that involves adding trusted certifications to your packaging, clearly publishing ethical policies on your website, or joining our Ethical Accreditation programme, making it easy for consumers to see your values builds trust and loyalty.

Want to showcase your ethics and gain consumer trust?  Apply for Ethical Accreditation with The GOOD Shopping Guide and let your values be known where they matter most- in front of your customers.