Founded in Amsterdam in 2008, by-bar started small with handmade accessories, inspired by founder Barbara Brenninkmeijer's passion for authenticity, quality and craftsmanship. The collaboration with Mr. Kapur in India marked the beginning of personal and long-term supplier relationships. That foundation is still visible in the collaborations with partners, also in Italy, Portugal and Turkey, among others.
Minimizing impact is the core of by-bar's mission, Monique Laheij said at Webwinkel Vakdagen. "We do that by making conscious choices and creating high-quality products that last. The fashion industry is characterized by a lot of carbon emissions and a huge amount of waste, 30 percent of the clothes produced are never sold."By-bar does things differently: "Planet, people and product are the three pillars of our so-called conscious journey. It goes without saying that the business operations must be healthy in the process. "
What began with jewelry has grown into a collection in which clothing plays a central role. The products are for sale at more than six hundred outlets mainly in Western Europe. By-bar has its own brand store in Maastricht and a webshop that supplies customers in 14 countries. The company owes about 70 percent of its turnover to wholesale, 30 percent to consumer sales. Turnover figures are not shared by the company with 50 FTEs.
In its presentation the e-commerce manager talked about the relationship between enduring promises and digital reality. "The average consumer wants as much as possible, as fast as possible and as cheap as possible, that's what we have to deal with. So sustainability often clashes with price, style and convenience; consumers are quite willing to be more sustainable, as long as a product is not more expensive, for example. They do not want to compromise on taste preferences and do not want to have to wait too long. On top of that, they are not always sure whether sustainable claims made by brands are true. Greenwashing is unfortunately a regular occurrence."
For by-bar sustainability is not a project but a compass, right from the start. It is in the DNA, as evidenced by, among other things, the long supplier relationships, the focus on lower impact materials, chain transparency and initiatives to extend lifespan. The company never communicated much about it - out of modesty, according to Laheij - but that has changed in recent years. "In e-commerce, we can make what we do very visible. We decided to work on that, using four questions: where do we show it, how do we communicate about it, how do we prevent overproduction and how do we reduce returns."
To start with the answer to the first question, by-bar makes sustainable choices visible in all four phases of the customer journey (defined as awareness, consideration, conversion and post-purchase). Sustainability shows up in ads, in emails, in stores, on product pages, in checkout and in packaging, among other things. It is everywhere, even outside the customer's view, right down to company outings: during a "SUP clean-up," employees hauled trash out of the canals in Breda. Sustainability goals have been formulated for all teams and these also play a role in recruitment. As a B Corp-certified company, by-bar publishes an annual impact report on its progress, challenges and ambitions in the field of sustainability and social responsibility. Laheij: "We want to tell the honest story."
Then the communication question: how does the sustainable message reach the customer? Laheij, speaking from eleven years of experience as e-commerce manager at by-bar: "It is a pitfall to communicate only the facts, such as the materials used, the production process and certificates. But people don't buy rationally. And so we respond to emotional choices, with product stories, transparency and experience. To mention some examples: we show the suppliers and partners we work with, we offer detailed product information via QR codes in our clothing items, and we emphasize contemporary design. We also make it clear how and when customers can wear items.The combination ensures that they not only understand and trust us, but also feel us. "
In several ways, by-bar tries to reduce overproduction. "We buy very consciously, using a lot of data and an AI forecasting tool. Our goal is to sell 90 percent of items before the sale. We bet on items that retain their value and never produce more than necessary. Therefore, a sold-out label is a positive sign for us. In addition, we don't do Black Friday." By-bar has renamed that sale day in November as Conscious Friday - "a commercially very exciting choice" - and communicates about it early. "If customers know that items won't get cheaper with us on Black Friday, they don't put off purchases. Newsletters about this have open rates as high as 50 percent." By-bar has seen its autumn dip in sales level off thanks to Conscious Friday. According to Laheij, the brand consciously opts for timeless quality, with items that customers enjoy for years and that retain their value, rather than going along with fleeting trends that drive overconsumption.
Finally, the return question: "We hesitated for a long time," says Laheij, "but by-bar charges a return fee to encourage conscious shopping. That's also where the biggest profit opportunity lies in terms of sustainability. We made a business case to clarify the impact of return costs: what is it expected to mean for the return rate? And for conversion? For customer satisfaction and for competitiveness? How do we cover the costs?" By-bar deducts Dutch customers 6.79 euros from their return refund. Every two weeks, the company analyzes return flows using data. "Based on that, we hone size and fit recommendations, improve or enrich content and optimize the balance in product groups." The company also incorporates return data into campaigns, all not without results according to Laheij. "Last year, our return rate dropped by one and a half percentage points."
By-bar's list of conscious choices and initiatives is much longer, as is its wish list. For example, Laheij and her colleagues have targeted plans for a circular proposition: "We want to make it possible for customers to re-offer previous purchases to us, in exchange for store credit. Other customers, from perhaps new target groups, can then choose to buy second-hand, giving items a longer life. We are currently in discussions with parties who can make this operationally possible."
Sustainability plays into everything that by-bar does. Laheij: "We make impact through all these things together. It adds up. Look: people don't choose on sustainability, they choose that dress. But with our conscious choices we do build brand value. We show that you can grow differently in this industry, sustainably and healthily.