“Leading By Example Is One Of The Most Powerful Things Brands Can Do!” Gumtree’s Erin Holt On How Sustainability Drives Customers

Marketplace Gumtree is always conducting research to better understand Australian consumers. The result is that the marketing platform is able to find new and interesting ways to connect with Australians. 

Gumtree is a platform where you can buy, swap, and sell used goods. You can get anything from an upcycled bike to a brand new puppy. It’s a platform that by its very nature relies on Australians embracing a circular economy and on Aussies wanting to find new ways to make and save money. Australians selling to Australians. 

It’s an established platform that has been around for over fourteen years, and yet it hasn’t rested on its laurels. Recently Gumtree partnered with Planet Ark and debuted its first-ever children’s book, Ollie and the Spectral Spectacles. The book was born after Gumtree conducted research to find out how parents feel about financial literacy and sustainability. 

Head of partnerships at Gumtree, Erin Holt joined the marketing platform in 2020 and has been a huge champion of creating partnerships that align with their research and data discoveries. 

Holt told B&T, “In the latest round of Gumtree research, we uncovered that parents place high importance on teaching their kids about finance and sustainability.

“We found that 9 in 10 Aussie parents rate teaching their kids about financial literacy as or more important than maths, yet 84 per cent cite barriers to educating their children on finances.

“Likewise, 90 per cent of parents say they could do more to teach their children how to live a more sustainable life, however, 1 in 5 say that they do not know how to.”

While that information is all very interesting, what’s perhaps most insightful is how Holt knows how to use this information to connect with consumers. In this instance, they have created a children’s book that would help parents discuss money and sustainability with their children and teamed up with Jimmy Rees. It’s all about making things accessible. 

Holt explained, “Parents are eager for more simplified ways to teach their kids how to be money savvy and sustainable at the same time. Therein lies an opportunity for brands to be more future-focused and help parents and families educate the next generation on how to embrace more sustainable practices.

“When brands step up and show people that they’re equally as concerned about the environment and want to work towards a better future, it’s up to them to drive this internally.

“Leading by example is one of the most powerful things that brands can do, but that decision is made easier knowing consumers are already aware and, in many cases, actively pursuing these choices.

“Through broad exposure, brands can cause a ripple effect and positively impact individuals in our society to be more conscious and place greater importance on creating a more sustainable world.

“If we look at where the market is heading right now, consumers tend to be pushing towards sustainable action based on their concerns for the future, and rightly so.

“Whilst there are many brands in Australia and worldwide beginning to take a stand for the good of our planet, there are many ways for brands to be more future-focused. For example, brands like Volvo and Ikea have changed their business model to adopt circularity and lower their environmental impact.”

Holt attributes Gumtree’s ambitions to always understanding its consumers as a testament to its success. Even during a pandemic, Gumtree was still thriving and still conducting research to understand its consumers more, they also partnered with Sendle to help consumers send and receive safely, “To build and maintain long, lasting relationships with customers, brands must first understand what’s important to their audience.”

“Gumtree has deep roots in audience life stages and behaviours accessing a wealth of data from its combined audience of 8.5 million Australians with Carsguide and Autotrader.

“Each unique user on the platform has an experience of life’s full circle. Customers might move out of the family home, perhaps get married or have a family of their own, or upsize their home and car – and that’s an exciting place for brands as 90 per cent of Aussie sellers consider replacing their pre-loved item with new.

“Gumtree can help brands discover what matters most to each individual through its unique offering, which provides a wealth of first-party data listening and trend watching. Using leading-edge data tools to target consumer journeys, while mapping trading activity to indicate purchase intent, we know what Aussies are searching for like few others.

“Not just as people, but as buyers and sellers. It helps us support brands in building their relationships with consumers through our platform’s predictive powers. We know what people wanted to buy last week, what they’re buying today, and what they want to buy tomorrow.”