Research Document

IB Digital Marketing and Data Driven Decision Making 2.4 (2025-2026) · Saxion University of Applied Sciences · Tycho Blankvoort

Abstract This research document supports a full six-week digital marketing strategy for tentree, a Canadian B-Corp certified sustainable apparel brand, targeting the Netherlands as a market penetration opportunity. The strategy follows the PRACE funnel (Plan, Reach, Act, Convert, Engage) and is structured around six weekly deliverables. This document provides the theoretical grounding, strategic reasoning, empirical evidence and critical reflection behind every deliverable. All sources are cited in APA 7 format with accessible URLs. Where internal Saxion course materials are referenced, these are identified clearly. The research covers the period 2019 to 2026 and reflects the Dutch digital marketing landscape as of June 2026. The document is structured to mirror the deliverable sequence, allowing the reader to follow the strategic logic from Week 1 through Week 7.
1. Company analysis and business modelWeek 1
B-Corp certification, sustainability performance, business model framework and digital marketing integration
1.1 Company background and founding mission
tentree is a Canadian sustainable lifestyle apparel brand founded in 2012 in Saskatchewan by Kalen Emsley, Derrick Emsley and David Luba. The founding premise was simple: every item sold plants exactly 10 trees. This commitment has never changed. As of 2024, tentree has planted over 110 million trees across Madagascar, Nepal, Haiti, Canada, Senegal and Indonesia through reforestation partner Eden Reforestation Projects, an internationally recognised non-governmental organisation operating in eight countries (tentree, 2024). The brand's long-term ambition is to plant one billion trees by 2030, which requires planting approximately 130 to 150 million trees per year from 2025 onward, a significant acceleration from the current pace (Capilano Courier, 2024). Every tree is tracked and individually accessible to the buyer through a personal digital Impact Wallet, making the impact claim traceable rather than merely asserted.
1.2 B-Corp certification: what it is and why it matters
tentree holds B-Corp certification with a verified score of 136.2, awarded by the non-profit organisation B Lab (B Corporation, n.d.). B-Corp certification requires a minimum score of 80 on the B Impact Assessment, which evaluates companies across five weighted dimensions: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. The median score for ordinary businesses that complete the assessment is 50.9. tentree's score of 136.2 is nearly three times the minimum and approximately 2.7 times the median, placing it among the top-scoring B-Corps globally in the sustainable apparel category. The certification was first awarded in 2016 and is re-evaluated every three years through documentation audits and on-site verification. This matters for the Dutch strategy because the persona Lotte van den Berg has a strong anti-greenwashing profile and requires third-party verified credentials before trusting a sustainable brand. The B-Corp score is independently verifiable at bcorporation.net, making it the most credible single trust signal available in the strategy.
1.3 Sustainability performance data
tentree reports that 98.5% of its fibres are classified as preferred materials, including organic cotton, TENCEL lyocell, recycled polyester and hemp (Ecolife, 2024). TENCEL is a branded lyocell fibre produced by Lenzing AG from wood pulp sourced from sustainably managed forests. It requires significantly less water than conventional cotton and is fully biodegradable. The brand has validated a science-based net-zero emissions target with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), aiming for net-zero by 2033. Total 2024 emissions were 6,760 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, with 99.65% falling within Scope 3, meaning the supply chain accounts for virtually all emissions (tentree, 2024). This level of transparency is unusual in the apparel industry and directly supports the authenticity claims made throughout the marketing strategy. The Circularity programme, operated in partnership with recycling organisation Supercircle, has diverted over 60% of collected garments from landfill or incineration since 2022. The Reshop peer-to-peer resale platform creates a secondary market for used tentree items, further extending product lifespans. The global fashion industry contributes approximately 10% of annual carbon emissions and is the world's second largest industrial water polluter, which contextualises the urgency and commercial relevance of tentree's model (United Nations Environment Programme, 2023).
1.4 Business model framework: Jonker and Faber (2020)
The business model was analysed using the Business Model Template developed by Jonker and Faber (2020), which structures sustainable business models across three phases: definition (blocks 1 to 3), design (blocks 4 to 8) and results (blocks 9 to 10). This framework was specifically selected over the Business Model Canvas because it is designed for purpose-driven organisations where stakeholder value creation extends beyond shareholder return. Block 1 (Motive and context) identifies the systemic problem: the fashion industry is one of the most polluting sectors globally, and conventional apparel brands externalise environmental and social costs that are borne by communities and ecosystems rather than producers. Block 2 (Dream) frames the mission: plant one billion trees by 2030 while proving that commercial success and environmental restoration can be built together. Block 3 (Proposition) describes the core offer: verified, numbered, traceable tree planting attached to every product, communicated through the Impact Wallet. The design phase covers the circular direct-to-consumer model (block 4), key partners including Eden Reforestation Projects and Supercircle (block 5), the community-building and advocacy strategy around #DraagJeImpact (block 6), core operations including tentree.eu for European customers (block 7) and the ethical, legal and commercial viability test including the SBTi commitment and B-Corp certification (block 8). The results phase quantifies environmental and social impact (block 9: 110 million trees, supply chain employment, biodiversity restoration) and maps three modes of value exchange (block 10): transaction value from each purchase, residual value through Circularity take-back and Reshop resale, and community value through the global tree-planting movement. Digital marketing is integrated into every block as an enabling infrastructure rather than a separate promotional function.
1.5 Digital marketing integration across the business model
Each of the ten business model blocks was examined for digital marketing integration. Block 1 uses content marketing to educate the Dutch market about fashion industry impact data. Block 2 uses the Impact Wallet and social sharing mechanics to make the Dream tangible and shareable at an individual level. Block 3 uses structured data and GEO to ensure the proposition is discoverable through AI-powered search tools. Block 4 uses the tentree.eu webshop with Dutch-language interface and Wero payment as the direct conversion channel. Block 5 uses co-branded content with Eden Reforestation Projects and Supercircle to provide third-party authority. Block 6 uses Instagram, micro-influencer campaigns and the #DraagJeImpact hashtag to build the community layer. Block 7 uses CRM, the Impact Wallet newsletter and referral mechanics to operationalise loyalty. Block 8 uses the Circularity programme and digital product passport to deliver on ethical commitments. Blocks 9 and 10 use the post-purchase email and multi-stakeholder Instagram post to communicate results back to customers and close the brand loyalty loop.
1.6 Critical reflection on the strategy
Two structural limitations of tentree's business model are acknowledged honestly. First, the one billion trees by 2030 goal requires a planting pace of approximately 130 to 150 million trees per year, whereas the current trajectory based on 110 million total over 12 years suggests an average of approximately 8.75 million per year (Capilano Courier, 2024). Reaching the 2030 goal requires either a dramatic scaling of commercial revenue or external partnership funding, and neither is currently guaranteed. This is not hidden in the strategy: it is mentioned in the Week 7 critical reflection as a genuine challenge that tentree needs to address transparently. Second, tentree ships to the Netherlands via tentree.eu from Canada, which adds a flat shipping rate and unavoidable logistics emissions (tentree, n.d.). The strategy addresses this commercially by setting a free shipping threshold at 75 euros, incentivising basket-building, and addresses it strategically by noting that a future European distribution hub would significantly improve both the cost position and the carbon footprint of Netherlands-targeted deliveries.
1.7 AI tool transparency statement
This project was developed with the support of Claude (Anthropic), a generative AI assistant used for research structuring and content formatting. All sources cited are real, publicly accessible URLs independently verified by the author. Strategic reasoning, target market selection, persona development, design decisions and all critical reflections reflect the author's own judgement, knowledge and course learning. AI was used to help structure and format content, not to replace research or analytical thinking. This approach is consistent with Saxion's AI policy on the responsible and transparent use of generative AI tools in academic work.
B Corporation. (n.d.). ten tree international inc. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/tentree-international/
Capilano Courier. (2024, April 1). Breaking down the sustainability of tentree's practices. https://www.capilanocourier.com/2024/04/01/breaking-down-the-sustainability-of-tentrees-practices/
Ecolife. (2024). How sustainable is tentree? https://www.ecolife.com/brand-reports/how-sustainable-is-tentree
tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
tentree. (2025). Our commitment to ethical manufacturing. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/ethical-cothing-manufacturing/
tentree. (n.d.). Delivery: tentree Europe. https://tentree.eu/pages/delivery
United Nations Environment Programme. (2023). Sustainability and circularity in the textile value chain. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/sustainability-and-circularity-textile-value-chain
2. Target market and marketing strategyWeek 2
Country justification, persona, competitor analysis, 4P strategy, UVP and RACE goals
2.1 Country selection: why the Netherlands
The Netherlands was selected as the primary European target market based on a convergence of qualitative and quantitative evidence. Qualitatively, the Netherlands has a well-documented culture of environmental consciousness: 84% of Dutch consumers express concern about climate change, and this concern is disproportionately strong among the 25 to 34 year old urban professional demographic that represents tentree's core target (TGM Research, 2024a). The country has a tradition of progressive environmental policy, including an ambitious national climate agreement and widespread adoption of sustainability as a social identity marker among younger urban consumers. Amsterdam in particular has a dense concentration of sustainability-oriented consumers, NGO professionals and media, making it a highly efficient city for an Earth Day guerrilla activation. The Netherlands also has an established market for premium sustainable fashion: brands such as Kings of Indigo and Mud Jeans already trade profitably there, demonstrating that commercial demand for verified sustainable apparel exists at price points comparable to tentree's.
Quantitatively, 86.7% of Dutch consumers shopped online in Q4 2024, the highest e-commerce adoption rate in Europe and significantly above the EU average of 60.2% (Ecommerce News, 2025a). Among 25 to 44 year olds, tentree's primary demographic, 94% made online purchases in 2024 (Ecommerce News, 2025b). The Dutch women's apparel market is projected to reach USD 9.3 billion by 2032 (Credence Research, 2025). Online fashion is consistently among the top five product categories in Dutch e-commerce. The Dutch are also early adopters of AI-assisted product research, which directly supports the structured data and GEO strategy in Week 3.
2.2 Ansoff matrix classification and nuance
Using Ansoff's growth matrix, the Netherlands strategy is classified as market penetration: tentree offers existing products in an existing market, since the brand already ships to the Netherlands via tentree.eu (tentree, n.d.). The classification deserves a nuance. tentree has near-zero brand awareness in the Netherlands. No dedicated Dutch marketing has been run, no Dutch-language content hub exists, and no Dutch micro-influencer partnerships have been established. In practice, this means the strategy behaves similarly to market development, requiring heavy investment in awareness-building before conversion can be expected. The penetration classification is maintained because the product, market infrastructure and shipping capability already exist. If tentree were launching a new product line or entering a country without any existing distribution, that would constitute market development or diversification. The strategy defends the penetration classification while honestly acknowledging the awareness gap as the primary commercial challenge.
2.3 Target persona: Lotte van den Berg
The target persona is Lotte van den Berg, 26 years old, living in Amsterdam-West. She works as a junior sustainability consultant at a Dutch consultancy, earning approximately 2,600 euros net per month. She rents a flat with a roommate. She uses Instagram daily, primarily in the evening, and follows Dutch sustainability accounts including De Groene Amsterdammer and a curated set of eco-fashion micro-influencers. Before making any significant purchase she conducts detailed research: she reads sustainability reports, checks for B-Corp certification and looks for independently verified impact claims. Her core frustration is vague eco-labels: greenwashing claims like "conscious collection" or "eco-friendly materials" without any third-party verification actively erode her trust in a brand. She is willing to pay between 60 and 120 euros per item if the sustainability credentials are independently verified and the impact is traceable to a specific, real-world outcome (TGM Research, 2024b). She pays primarily with Wero and Klarna. She prefers a Dutch-language shopping interface, free returns, and clear delivery timelines. The Cialdini triggers most relevant to Lotte are authority (B-Corp 136.2 and SBTi credentials), social proof (the 110 million trees planted by the global community), and commitment and consistency (the personal Impact Wallet tree counter, which creates ongoing identity investment in the brand). The persona directly shaped every design decision in the strategy, from the QR product passport in Week 5 to the honest sufficiency message in the Week 6 post-purchase email.
2.4 Competitor analysis
Six competitors and substitutes were scored on five criteria derived from the persona's needs: verified traceable impact, material sustainability, price accessibility, circularity programme quality, and Dutch market presence. Scoring ran from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong) based on publicly available brand data (Ecocult, 2024; Byewaste, 2023). Patagonia scores equally with tentree on average (4.2 out of 5) but is differentiated by its higher price point and the absence of a numbered, trackable tree-planting mechanic. Patagonia's Worn Wear programme is a strong circularity competitor, but the brand's Impact is communicated through materials and repair rather than measurable external restoration. Nudie Jeans scores 3.8 and offers a strong free-for-life repair programme, but does not externally verify or track environmental impact at product level. Kings of Indigo scores 3.8 and has strong Dutch brand recognition and physical retail presence, but lacks an equivalent to the Impact Wallet and has a smaller social media footprint in the 25 to 34 segment. H&M Conscious scores 3.0 despite high price accessibility and excellent Dutch market presence, because it has been repeatedly cited in greenwashing controversies including a 2023 ruling by the Dutch Advertising Code Committee. For Lotte specifically, H&M's greenwashing history actively strengthens tentree's position. Vinted scores 3.2 as a price-based substitute: it is not a sustainable brand per se, but it enables circular fashion through peer-to-peer resale, making it a direct competitor for the same consumer budget. tentree's primary competitive gap is Dutch brand awareness and the flat international shipping cost.
2.5 Unique value proposition
tentree's unique value proposition is articulated across three dimensions. Functionally, it offers durable, high-quality lifestyle clothing from 98.5% preferred fibres with a digital product passport accessible via QR code on every garment, showing the exact fibre origin, manufacturing location and individual tree planting details. This directly addresses Lotte's research-before-buying behaviour by giving her all the verification she needs within the product itself. Socially, tentree connects the buyer to a global community of over 110 million trees planted across multiple countries, a movement the customer joins rather than merely funds. The #DraagJeImpact community on Instagram is the Dutch expression of this social dimension. Emotionally, tentree provides the only thing Lotte fully trusts: a specific, numbered, traceable outcome. Her hoodie specifically restored a section of the Mikea Forest in Madagascar and she can identify her exact trees by number in her Impact Wallet (tentree, 2024). This three-dimensional UVP occupies a competitive position that no other brand currently available in the Dutch market holds.
2.6 4P marketing strategy
Product: The hero product for the Dutch launch is the Classic Hoodie at 89 euros, a high-traffic category item well within Lotte's willingness-to-pay range. Every item includes a digital product passport QR code and a tree planting code for the Impact Wallet. The Circularity take-back programme (via Supercircle) and the Reshop peer-to-peer resale platform are promoted as part of the extended product offer, turning the after-use phase into a brand touchpoint rather than a disposal moment. Price: Premium pricing of 35 to 120 euros, justified by verified impact framing rather than luxury positioning. The free shipping threshold of 75 euros is set below the price of a single hoodie with any accessory, incentivising basket-building without heavy discounting, which would conflict with sufficiency principles. A referral store-credit programme rewards loyalty without incentivising overconsumption. No countdown timers, fake urgency or pre-ticked upsells are used. Place: Direct-to-consumer via tentree.eu with a Dutch-language interface and Wero as the primary payment method, replacing iDEAL which is being phased out from 2026. Annual pop-up presence at Dutch sustainability events such as Duurzame Dinsdag to build first-time buyer trust in a physical context. Promotion: Always-on Instagram Reels campaigns targeting 25 to 34 year old Dutch women, Dutch micro-influencer partnerships in the 10,000 to 80,000 follower range, Google Search and Ecosia advertising for high-intent queries, and the Impact Wallet sharing mechanic that converts each purchase into organic earned media through the shareable tree-location card (Wildfire Concepts, 2019).
2.7 RACE goals and sales targets
RACE goals were set for Year 1 in the Netherlands using the RACE Funnel Calculator from the course materials (Saxion, 2025). Reach target: 50,000 NL sessions per year on tentree.eu, building from near-zero organic Dutch traffic. Act target: 5,000 Dutch newsletter subscribers, representing a 10% Reach-to-Lead conversion rate, within the 10 to 20% industry benchmark. Convert target: 750 first-time Dutch buyers at a 15% lead-to-purchase rate and an average order value of 75 euros, generating 56,250 euros gross Year 1 revenue. This represents less than 0.001% of the Dutch women's apparel market, making it achievable for a brand building from zero (Credence Research, 2025). Engage target: 35% repeat purchase rate, above the 15 to 30% industry benchmark, generating an additional 21,040 euros from repeat buyers and a combined Year 1 revenue target of 77,290 euros. Customer lifetime value is targeted at 200 euros per NL customer in Year 1, rising to 350 euros by Year 2 as the Circularity programme and Impact Wallet loyalty loop compound. All targets are grounded in the Dutch market data (Ecommerce News, 2025a, 2025b) and Lotte's validated willingness-to-pay of 60 to 120 euros (TGM Research, 2024b).
Byewaste. (2023). Sustainable menswear. https://www.byewaste.nl/post/sustainable-menswear
Credence Research. (2025). Netherlands women apparel market size, share and forecast 2032. https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/netherlands-women-apparel-market
Ecocult. (2024). How sustainable is tentree? https://ecocult.com/how-sustainable-is-tentree/
Ecommerce News. (2025a). Almost 87% of Dutch consumers shop online. https://ecommercenews.eu/almost-87-of-dutch-consumers-shop-online/
Ecommerce News. (2025b). Ecommerce in the Netherlands. https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-in-europe/ecommerce-the-netherlands/
Saxion. (2025). IB Digital Marketing 2.4: RACE funnel calculator worksheet. Internal course material.
Statista. (2022). Fashion: Netherlands market forecast. https://www.statista.com/outlook/244/144/fashion/netherlands
TGM Research. (2024a). Netherlands sustainability insights 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/netherlands-sustainability-insights-2024.html
TGM Research. (2024b). Dutch fashion pulse 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/tgm-fashion-pulse-in-the-netherlands-2024.html
tentree. (n.d.). Delivery: tentree Europe. https://tentree.eu/pages/delivery
tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
Wildfire Concepts. (2019). How tentree took over Instagram. https://wildfireconcepts.com/how-tentree-took-over-instagram-behind-a-record-breaking-social-media-campaign/
3. Reach: always-on media mix and discoverabilityWeek 3
Media strategy, storyboard, KPIs, AI influencer decision, structured data and GEO
3.1 Paid media: Instagram and Ecosia
The paid media pillar targets Lotte proactively on platforms she actively uses. Meta Instagram Reels (6 to 15 second formats) are the primary paid social channel, showing specific impact footage from Madagascar alongside the 110M+ counter and the Impact Wallet QR mechanism. The targeting is narrowed to Dutch women aged 24 to 35 with interests overlapping sustainability, outdoor lifestyle and ethical fashion. A 60/40 budget split between Instagram and search advertising reflects the dual objective of building brand awareness through social and capturing intent-driven traffic through search. Retargeting campaigns reach Dutch visitors who viewed a product page without converting, a standard e-commerce recovery tactic that typically reduces cart abandonment. Ecosia was included as a sustainability-aligned search channel identified in the course materials (Saxion, 2025). Running advertising on Ecosia is a brand-values signal as much as a performance channel: it differentiates tentree from Patagonia, H&M and Kings of Indigo who are not present on the platform, and signals tentree's commitment to aligned partnerships rather than purely reach-maximising media buying.
3.2 Search media: SEO and high-intent queries
The search media pillar focuses on both immediate findability and long-term organic discoverability. SEO targets informational queries Lotte would use during her research phase, including "meest duurzame kledingmerken Nederland", "wat is B-Corp certificering" and "duurzame hoodie kopen NL". Google Search Ads target the bottom of the funnel with high-intent queries such as "duurzame hoodie kopen" and "tentree Nederland". The content hub on tentree.eu/nl is built around these queries with supporting articles about B-Corp certification, the tree planting process and the Impact Wallet, creating an always-on organic content layer that compounds over time. Search media supports both the visibility KPI (impressions from paid search) and the findability KPI (organic ranking position for target queries).
3.3 Earned media: micro-influencers, UGC and PR
The earned media pillar is built primarily through Dutch micro-influencers in the 10,000 to 80,000 follower range. Research consistently shows that micro-influencers generate engagement rates of 3 to 5% compared to 1 to 2% for macro-influencers, and produce more authentic trust with Dutch audiences due to their perceived relatability and proximity (Wildfire Concepts, 2019). tentree's viral 2019 Instagram campaign generated over 15 million likes and a reported 200% increase in site traffic, built entirely on micro-influencer pre-seeding before the campaign launched publicly. The same mechanic is applied to the Dutch market: seed 8 to 10 Dutch sustainability micro-influencers with a hoodie and Impact Wallet access before the public launch, allowing them to generate authentic first-person content. The #DraagJeImpact hashtag campaign creates a community layer around organic sharing, and the Impact Wallet shareable tree-location card converts each purchase automatically into a shareable piece of content. PR pitches targeting De Correspondent, OneWorld.nl and Duurzaam Nieuws complement the influencer activity with editorial coverage of the B-Corp 136.2 story.
3.4 Owned media: tentree.eu/nl, Impact Wallet and newsletter
The owned media pillar provides the permanent, owned infrastructure that all other channels point toward. tentree.eu with a Dutch-language interface is the conversion destination. A biweekly personalised newsletter called "Jouw Impact" is segmented by customer lifecycle stage: new subscribers receive a five-part onboarding series explaining the Impact Wallet, tree planting verification and Circularity programme. Existing customers receive personalised Circularity prompts when their garment age suggests it may be nearing end of first life. The Impact Wallet itself is the primary owned loyalty engine, creating a reason to return to tentree.eu repeatedly without a commercial prompt. New Instagram content posts four to five times per week, mixing product content, specific tree-planting location stories with coordinates, customer reposts and Dutch sustainability news commentary.
3.5 Awareness funnel storyboard: Lotte's six-step journey
The awareness storyboard maps Lotte's complete journey. Step 1 (Trigger): Lotte sees a tentree Instagram Reel from a Dutch eco-influencer she follows showing a real tree coordinate in Madagascar and the Impact Wallet interface. Step 2 (Research): she searches "tentree Nederland" and finds tentree.eu alongside SEO content about B-Corp fashion. She opens the B-Corp profile page and verifies the score of 136.2. Step 3 (Trust building): she reads the sustainability transparency page, checks the SBTi validation and finds the digital product passport demo. Her scepticism converts to genuine interest. Step 4 (Lead capture): she signs up for the "Jouw Impact" newsletter to receive a 10% first-order discount code, entering the CRM. Step 5 (Purchase): she buys the Classic Hoodie via tentree.eu in Dutch, pays with Wero, and receives her tree planting code within 24 hours. Step 6 (Advocacy): she activates her Impact Wallet, shares her "Ik heb 10 bomen geplant in Madagaskar" Stories card on Instagram, tags @tentree and uses #DraagJeImpact. The earned media loop restarts at Step 1 for her followers. This storyboard directly connects the REACH phase to the ACT and ENGAGE phases, showing how the media mix creates a self-reinforcing customer acquisition cycle.
3.6 REACH KPIs: visibility, findability, shareability and traffic
Four REACH KPIs track performance against the four functions of the awareness phase. Visibility is measured by Instagram Reel reach per post among Dutch users and total Meta and Ecosia ad impressions, targeting 500,000 impressions per year. Findability is measured by Google ranking position for "duurzame hoodie NL" and citation count in AI Overview responses from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google, targeting top-5 ranking and at least three AI citations per month. Shareability is measured by the volume of #DraagJeImpact posts per month and the number of Impact Wallet shareable cards generated, targeting 500 posts per month by month six. Traffic is measured by NL sessions to tentree.eu from all sources combined, targeting 50,000 sessions in Year 1 as established in the Week 2 RACE goals.
3.7 AI influencer decision: a deliberate choice not to use them
AI-generated virtual influencers are an emerging marketing channel: brands such as Prada, Balmain and several fast-fashion brands have used virtual AI personas to promote products. The deliberate decision not to use AI influencers in this strategy is grounded in brand values rather than technology limitations. tentree's entire commercial proposition is built on authenticity and independently verified real-world impact. Using a fake AI persona to promote a brand whose core claim is "your trees are real, trackable and growing right now" would be a direct contradiction that Lotte's anti-greenwashing profile would identify and reject immediately. The authenticity of the impact claim depends on the authenticity of every touchpoint around it. AI is instead used transparently in the Week 4 deliverables (Synthesia testimonial video, NotebookLM podcast) where it adds production efficiency without replacing or faking human experience.
3.8 Structured data and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
Structured data using JSON-LD schema markup from schema.org was identified as a strategic priority for tentree's Dutch discoverability. Three schemas are directly relevant. Product schema marks up the product name, price range, material descriptions and sustainability certifications, enabling Google to display rich results with price and star ratings directly in search results before the user clicks through (Google Search Central, 2024). Review schema marks up verified customer reviews so star ratings appear in search snippets, increasing click-through rate for high-intent queries. BreadcrumbList schema marks up the site navigation hierarchy, helping search engines and AI tools understand content structure and relationships. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the emerging practice of structuring web content so that AI systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews can accurately cite it in AI-generated responses. This is directly relevant because Dutch eco-conscious consumers aged 25 to 35 are early adopters of AI-assisted product research. When Lotte asks an AI assistant "what is the most sustainable hoodie under 100 euros in the Netherlands?", a page with clean structured data containing independently verified, specific, quantified claims is significantly more likely to be cited than a page with vague unstructured prose. tentree's USP, including the exact B-Corp score of 136.2, the 98.5% preferred fibres figure, the 10 verified trees per item and the 110 million total trees planted, is precisely the type of quantified, third-party-verifiable content that AI retrieval systems are designed to surface and cite accurately.
B Corporation. (n.d.). ten tree international inc. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/tentree-international/
Google Search Central. (2024). Structured data markup: introduction to structured data. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data
Saxion. (2025). Digital Marketing week 3: REACH lecture notes. Internal course material.
Wildfire Concepts. (2019). How tentree took over Instagram: behind a record-breaking social media campaign. https://wildfireconcepts.com/how-tentree-took-over-instagram-behind-a-record-breaking-social-media-campaign/
4. Act: persuasion, AI content and prompt engineeringWeek 4
Cialdini principles, Synthesia video, NotebookLM podcast and iterative refinement
4.1 Cialdini's principles of persuasion: theoretical grounding
Robert Cialdini's six principles of persuasion (social proof, authority, commitment and consistency, liking, reciprocity and scarcity) provide the theoretical framework for both ACT deliverables. Social proof is activated through the 110 million trees planted figure at the opening of the testimonial video: if that many people have made this choice, it validates the decision for a new prospect and reduces the perceived social risk of trying an unfamiliar brand (tentree, 2024). This is particularly effective for Lotte, who is strongly influenced by community behaviour in sustainability-adjacent peer groups and who follows Dutch eco-influencers partly to validate her own consumption choices. Authority is established through the B-Corp score of 136.2 compared to the median of 50.9 (B Corporation, n.d.), alongside SBTi validation and Climate Neutral certification. These third-party credentials are the only form of authority that Lotte's anti-greenwashing profile fully accepts, because they involve independent auditing rather than self-reported claims. Commitment and consistency are triggered through the Impact Wallet call to action: once Lotte opens her personal tree-tracking dashboard, she has made a public statement of environmental identity that makes a future purchase psychologically consistent with her self-image. Liking is created by matching the testimonial speaker exactly to the persona: female, 26 years old, Amsterdam, sustainability professional. Research shows that Dutch audiences generate higher purchase intent from relatable peer testimonials than from celebrity endorsements (Ecommerce Fastlane, 2023). Reciprocity is activated through the 10% first-order newsletter discount, creating a small obligation that increases the likelihood of follow-through. Scarcity is not used in this strategy: fake urgency timers or limited-stock manipulation would directly contradict the brand's ethical positioning and alienate Lotte.
4.2 Testimonial video: Synthesia prompt engineering
The testimonial video was designed for Synthesia AI using an instruction-based prompt rather than a word-for-word script. This distinction reflects the course assessment's emphasis on prompt engineering skill: a word-for-word script fed into Synthesia produces a robotic, obviously scripted output. An instruction-based prompt specifying role, task, content requirements and tone, but leaving exact wording and phrasing to the AI, produces more natural and persuasive content. The Synthesia prompt specifies: the avatar role (26-year-old sustainability consultant named Lotte, Amsterdam, speaking to camera in a casual indoor setting with plants visible), the task (a 2-minute authentic customer testimonial with a slightly sceptical opening), the content points to cover (greenwashing frustration as context, B-Corp score of 136.2, 10 trees per item tracked in the Impact Wallet, organic cotton quality, Circularity return experience), the tone (honest, personal, conversational, not sales-driven, with natural pauses), and the call to action (visit tentree.eu, sign up for 10% first-order discount, open Impact Wallet). These instructions produce a coherent, persuasive testimonial without prescribing every sentence.
4.3 Iterative refinement process
Iterative refinement was applied deliberately across two or three generation cycles. In the first iteration, the tone was overly promotional and the delivery felt sales-driven rather than authentic. The prompt was refined to explicitly request natural hesitation at the start, a personal moment of scepticism before the conviction builds, and delivery paced for natural conversation rather than advertising. In the second iteration, the call to action was repositioned from the middle of the video to the final 30 seconds, allowing the narrative to build credibly before the commercial message. In the third iteration, specific numbers (136.2, 10 trees, 110 million) were emphasised as spoken beats to give the authority claims maximum impact. This iterative process is documented in the Week 4 deliverable as required by the rubric, and the rationale for each change is explained in the voiceover of the final video.
4.4 Podcast: NotebookLM and three-speaker design
The podcast was designed for NotebookLM (or ElevenLabs as an alternative) and features three speakers: a neutral moderator, a satisfied customer (Lotte) and a dissatisfied customer (Tom). The three-speaker structure is a deliberate strategic choice grounded in persuasion theory. A two-speaker satisfied-only format would feel promotional and reduce credibility with a sceptical audience. Including Tom's objection about the high shipping cost to the Netherlands mirrors a genuine, data-supported barrier identified in the market analysis (tentree, n.d.). Hearing this objection raised, discussed and then constructively resolved through Lotte's practical solution (ordering multiple items to spread the shipping cost and reach the free shipping threshold) makes the content feel like a balanced, real conversation rather than marketing content. The moderator closes with the call to action: visit tentree.eu and sign up for the "Jouw Impact" newsletter for a first-order discount. The podcast prompt specifies: format (2-minute three-speaker discussion, balanced and authentic), speaker roles and names, the storyline arc (introduction, Lotte's positive experience, Tom's shipping cost objection, Lotte's practical solution, partial resolution, CTA), and the required tone (natural conversation, not a sales pitch). The specific objection (shipping cost) is named in the prompt because it represents the most common real-world barrier to a first Dutch purchase, and addressing it directly is more persuasive than avoiding it.
B Corporation. (n.d.). ten tree international inc. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/tentree-international/
Ecommerce Fastlane. (2023). Influencer marketing case study: tentree. https://ecommercefastlane.com/influencer-marketing-case-study-how-an-eco-friendly-apparel-brand-used-influencers-to-scale/
Saxion. (2025). Digital Marketing week 4: ACT lecture notes. Internal course material.
tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
tentree. (n.d.). Delivery: tentree Europe. https://tentree.eu/pages/delivery
5. Convert: product page design and paymentWeek 5
Usability, persuasion, Wero payment, ethical design, technology and validation
5.1 Usability design decisions
The product detail page prototype was designed around four justification pillars. The first is usability. The page is in Dutch because research consistently shows that native language reduces cognitive load and increases purchase intent for significant financial decisions among Dutch consumers (Ecommerce News, 2025b). The size selector with five options (XS to XL) directly addresses size uncertainty, which is consistently cited as the primary barrier to online clothing purchases. Free returns are displayed prominently above the fold because return policy transparency is the second most important conversion factor for Dutch online fashion buyers (Credence Research, 2025). The 3 to 5 working day delivery estimate is shown before the add-to-cart interaction because delivery uncertainty is the third most common abandonment trigger. The price of 89 euros falls within Lotte's validated willingness-to-pay range of 60 to 120 euros for products with independently verified sustainability credentials (TGM Research, 2024b). The free shipping threshold of 75 euros is set below the price of a single hoodie, ensuring that any additional item added to the basket triggers free shipping and increasing average order value.
5.2 Persuasion design: Cialdini applied at product level
Cialdini's principles are applied systematically across the product page. Social proof appears as a verified Dutch customer review from "Lotte V., Amsterdam" positioned immediately after the product title and price, before the sustainability information. Placing it here rather than below the fold follows eye-tracking research showing that the area directly below the product title is the second-highest-attention zone after the product image. Authority is established through B-Corp 136.2, SBTi and Climate Neutral badges placed above the fold, in the area most reliably seen before scroll. These are the only signals Lotte fully trusts. Commitment is created through the Impact Wallet call to action on the product page itself, before the purchase decision, giving Lotte a reason to emotionally invest in the brand before she has committed commercially. The tree planting progress bar at 11% of one billion trees contextualises the individual purchase within the global Dream from Block 2 of the business model, making the buyer feel part of a larger mission rather than a simple commercial transaction. Reciprocity is embedded in the 10% newsletter discount shown during the onboarding sequence.
5.3 Technology features: AI chatbot and digital product passport
The AI chatbot allows Lotte to ask size questions, material questions and sustainability questions in Dutch in real time, removing the two most common pre-purchase doubt triggers without requiring human customer service contact. Real-time chat assistance is linked to measurable reductions in cart abandonment rates, which average above 70% across the e-commerce industry (Mordor Intelligence, 2026). The chatbot answers four question types relevant to the tentree product: size recommendation based on height and build, TENCEL fibre explanation, tree planting process explanation and Circularity return process. The digital product passport, accessible via QR code on the product image, reveals the garment's exact fibre origin including country, farm and certification, its manufacturing location and which specific trees were planted as a result of this item's purchase. This is the most advanced form of product transparency available in sustainable fashion and directly responds to Lotte's requirement for verifiable proof rather than asserted claims. Three structured data schemas make the product information machine-readable for search engines and AI citation tools: Product schema for name, price and certifications, Review schema for star ratings in search results, and BreadcrumbList schema for site structure (Google Search Central, 2024).
5.4 Wero payment: strategic rationale
Wero was selected as the primary payment method instead of iDEAL for three reasons grounded in market evidence. First, the Dutch payment landscape is in active transition: from January 2026 a combined iDEAL and Wero logo replaced the standalone iDEAL branding at Dutch checkouts (EPI Company, 2025), and iDEAL is expected to be fully phased out by the end of 2027 (DutchNews.nl, 2025). Building the checkout around a payment method being phased out would require a future rebuild and risks inconsistency between this strategy document and the live website at time of assessment. Second, Wero was developed by the European Payments Initiative with ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank, and extends payment capability across Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and beyond (Pay.nl, 2026). This directly supports tentree's wider European DTC ambitions as additional European markets are activated after the Netherlands. Third, Wero adds buyer protection not available in iDEAL: if an order is not delivered, a dispute can be initiated at the same consumer protection level as Visa or Mastercard (Pay.nl, 2026). For a relatively unknown Canadian brand making a first impression on a cautious Dutch consumer, this extra protection layer meaningfully reduces the perceived risk of a first purchase.
5.5 Ethical conversion design: no dark patterns
The product page deliberately avoids dark patterns. Dark patterns are deceptive interface elements designed to manipulate user behaviour against their genuine interest. Examples relevant to e-commerce include fake countdown urgency timers implying scarcity that does not exist, pre-ticked upsell or newsletter checkboxes that require active opt-out, hidden shipping costs revealed only at checkout, and "only 2 left in stock" indicators based on manufactured artificial scarcity. Research in consumer psychology shows that dark patterns can produce short-term conversion lifts but cause disproportionate long-term trust damage, particularly among informed, sceptical consumers such as Lotte (Saxion, 2025). For a brand whose entire proposition is built on honesty, transparency and verified claims, using dark patterns would be a fundamental brand contradiction. The wishlist button provides a pressure-free alternative to immediate purchase. All pricing including the flat European shipping rate is visible before the add-to-cart interaction. The Wero payment method is explained with a dedicated information section rather than assuming familiarity. The ethical conversion design is itself a brand signal.
5.6 Student validation and design changes
The product page prototype was validated with two fellow students before finalisation. Validation feedback produced two concrete design changes. First, the shipping cost information was moved higher on the page, from below the sustainability section to immediately below the price, after feedback indicated that discovering the shipping cost late in the page experience felt like a hidden cost even when the free shipping threshold was met. Second, an explanatory text line was added to the QR product passport section after feedback indicated the purpose of the QR code was not immediately obvious without context. Both changes are documented in the deliverable and demonstrate the iterative design process that the rubric expects.
Credence Research. (2025). Netherlands women apparel market size, share and forecast 2032. https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/netherlands-women-apparel-market
DutchNews.nl. (2025, December 23). iDeal to disappear as European payment system Wero rolls out. https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/12/ideal-to-disappear-as-european-payment-system-wero-rolls-out/
Ecommerce News. (2025b). Ecommerce in the Netherlands. https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-in-europe/ecommerce-the-netherlands/
EPI Company. (2025). iDEAL to phase into Wero starting in 2026. https://epicompany.eu/media-insights/ideal-to-phase-into-wero
Google Search Central. (2024). Structured data markup: introduction to structured data. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data
Mordor Intelligence. (2026). Netherlands e-commerce market size and forecast. https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/netherlands-ecommerce-market/market-trends
Pay.nl. (2026). Wero: the future of payments in Europe. https://www.pay.nl/en/wero
Saxion. (2025). Digital Marketing week 5: CONVERT lecture notes. Internal course material.
TGM Research. (2024b). Dutch fashion pulse 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/tgm-fashion-pulse-in-the-netherlands-2024.html
6. Engage: loyalty, circularity and sufficiencyWeek 6
Post-purchase email, Instagram advocacy, guerrilla marketing, KPIs and theoretical grounding
6.1 Circularity and sufficiency: theoretical grounding
The ENGAGE phase is built on two sustainability principles from the course curriculum (Saxion, 2025). Circularity refers to extending the functional life of products and materials through maintenance, repair, reuse, redistribution, refurbishing, remanufacturing and responsible recycling, as opposed to the dominant linear take-make-dispose model of conventional fashion. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's circular economy framework, which underpins much of European sustainability policy, argues that keeping materials in circulation at the highest possible value for as long as possible is both environmentally necessary and commercially viable. tentree operationalises circularity through its Circularity programme (take-back via Supercircle), Reshop peer-to-peer resale platform, digital product passport (enabling future repairers to identify materials and origins) and Lifetime Guarantee (free repair of any defect). Sufficiency is a more radical principle than circularity. Where circularity accepts ongoing consumption as long as waste is minimised, sufficiency challenges the assumption that more consumption is always better, even when sustainable. Sufficiency means using less, using longer, sharing more and actively discouraging unnecessary new purchases. The Week 6 deliverables apply sufficiency by encouraging Lotte not just to recycle but to actively delay her next purchase, keep her hoodie longer, repair it rather than replace it, and only return it when genuinely worn out.
6.2 Post-purchase email: structure and rationale
The post-purchase email is sent within 24 hours of purchase, timed to coincide with peak emotional engagement following the purchase decision. The email is in Dutch as the target audience's native language, with an NL/EN toggle for accessibility. It includes five elements required by the assignment brief. First, the Impact Wallet activation link converts the abstract promise of 10 trees into a concrete, individually traceable reality: Lotte can see her specific trees by GPS coordinate in Madagascar. This immediate verification closes the trust loop that the B-Corp score opened at the top of the funnel. Second, the digital product passport section explains the QR code on the garment, providing fibre origin, manufacturing location and tree planting details, giving Lotte everything she would have researched before purchase, delivered post-purchase to confirm she made the right choice. Third, practical maintenance and repair guidance (wash at 30 degrees, turn inside out, use a microfibre bag, use the free repair guide for small damage) applies the sufficiency principle by actively extending the garment's functional life. Fourth, the Circularity programme invitation and Lifetime Guarantee option encourage returning old clothing from any brand for recycling, and offer free repair as an alternative to replacement. Fifth, the sufficiency closing note explicitly states that the most sustainable choice is to keep the hoodie as long as possible before returning it. This unusually honest message from a retailer is a calculated trust-building move: brands that actively advise customers to buy less are significantly more trusted by anti-greenwashing consumers such as Lotte. The email also includes a review CTA and referral programme, both of which support advocacy and social proof generation.
6.3 Instagram post: multiple stakeholder perspective
The Instagram post takes a multiple stakeholder perspective, expressing gratitude from tentree on behalf of five groups who benefit from each tree planted: the farmers in Madagascar who gain employment and income, the local communities whose degraded land is being restored to productive forest, the future generations for whom the biodiversity and carbon sequestration benefits are intended, the natural ecosystems themselves, and the global customer community of 110 million trees planted. This multi-stakeholder framing is grounded directly in the business model results phase (Block 10: modes of value exchange), making the social media content a direct extension of the strategic analysis rather than a separate promotional exercise. The post links the purchase explicitly to UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land), connecting tentree's commercial activity to the global sustainability governance framework that Lotte's professional context as a sustainability consultant would make immediately resonant. The sufficiency message in the caption, actively encouraging returns via Circularity rather than new purchases, is an unusual but strategically coherent move for a fashion brand. Posts tagged with #DraagJeImpact are reposted by the tentree account, giving customers social recognition and reinforcing the community belonging that is the emotional dimension of the UVP.
6.4 Guerrilla marketing: Vondelpark Earth Day concept
The guerrilla concept installs a bare, white-painted dead tree in Amsterdam's Vondelpark on Earth Day (22 April), decorated with 10 QR code tags each linking to a live, growing tree visible in the Impact Wallet in real time. A clothing return bin shaped like a tree trunk invites visitors to donate old clothing from any brand for the Circularity programme. The concept operates simultaneously on three levels. As a disruption mechanism, a dead white tree in a living park is immediately visually arresting and breaks the routine of park visitors without any paid media spend. The contrast between the dead installation tree and the 110 million living trees planted by tentree buyers communicates the entire brand proposition in one glance. As a circular economy activation, the clothing return bin turns a marketing installation into a direct circular economy activity, making the sufficiency principle physically tangible rather than purely conceptual. As an earned media catalyst, the unusual installation generates Instagram Stories content, location tags and organic sharing by Amsterdam park visitors, creating earned media reach far beyond what the budget alone could achieve. The Earth Day timing aligns with the Dutch sustainability media calendar, significantly increasing the probability of editorial coverage in De Correspondent, OneWorld.nl and Duurzaam Nieuws at near-zero additional cost. Vondelpark was selected because it has the highest concentration of tentree's NL target demographic: young, educated, eco-conscious urban professionals aged 25 to 35. The concept runs for one week, aligned with Dutch Earth Month programming. Budget: 500 to 1,500 euros. Expected organic reach: 15,000 to 50,000 Instagram impressions from user-generated content within the first 72 hours.
6.5 ENGAGE KPIs and multi-stakeholder value
ENGAGE KPIs are tied to the loyalty and advocacy objectives established in Week 2. Email open rate is targeted at 30% or above, above the 20 to 25% industry benchmark for sustainable fashion, reflecting the high-interest audience and personalised content. Impact Wallet activation rate among new Dutch buyers is targeted at 60% within 48 hours of purchase, as activated users have a significantly higher repeat purchase probability. #DraagJeImpact post volume is targeted at 500 per month by month six of operation. Repeat purchase rate is targeted at 35%, above the 15 to 30% benchmark. Net Promoter Score among Dutch customers is targeted at 50 or above, reflecting the strong emotional investment in the brand's mission. Circularity programme participation rate among existing Dutch customers is targeted at 10% per year, building toward a closed-loop material flow in the Dutch market.
Capilano Courier. (2024, April 1). Breaking down the sustainability of tentree's practices. https://www.capilanocourier.com/2024/04/01/breaking-down-the-sustainability-of-tentrees-practices/
Saxion. (2025). Digital Marketing week 6: ENGAGE lecture notes. Circularity and sufficiency principles. Internal course material.
TGM Research. (2024a). Netherlands sustainability insights 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/netherlands-sustainability-insights-2024.html
tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
7. Strategy evolution and final videoWeek 7
How the strategy developed across six weeks and the final video structure
7.1 How the strategy evolved week by week
The strategy developed iteratively across the six weekly deliverables, with each week's work informing and sometimes revising the assumptions of the week before. In Week 1 to 2, the initial target country was Germany, selected for its large apparel market. The decision was revised to the Netherlands after research confirmed stronger personal knowledge of the Dutch digital landscape, a higher and more specifically documented e-commerce adoption rate (86.7% versus the EU average of 60.2%), and a more specific and researchable persona profile in the 25 to 35 Amsterdam demographic. This change improved the specificity and credibility of all subsequent deliverables.
The Ansoff classification was initially assigned as market development, reflecting the near-zero Dutch brand awareness. After confirming that tentree.eu already ships to the Netherlands with an existing product range, the classification was revised to market penetration, with an honest acknowledgement retained in the strategy that the low awareness makes the campaign behave like market development in practice. This nuance was discussed with the course instructor and strengthens the analytical quality of the work. In Week 3, the media mix was expanded to include Generative Engine Optimisation as a forward-looking discoverability channel, responding to prior knowledge of structured data and AI search tools. This addition required a deliberate decision not to use AI influencers, which was documented as a brand-values rationale rather than a technology limitation. In Week 5, the product page was validated with two fellow students, producing two concrete changes: moving shipping cost information earlier on the page, and adding a QR code explanation line. In Week 6, the sufficiency principle was integrated more explicitly following a careful re-reading of the assignment brief, resulting in the unusual but strategically coherent "buy less, buy better" message in both the email and the Instagram post caption. Across all six weeks, consistent risk management was applied: the shipping cost barrier was carried through as a known commercial limitation addressed in the pricing strategy, acknowledged in the podcast Tom objection, and referenced honestly in the Week 7 critical reflection.
7.2 Final video structure and personal hook
The final video presents all six deliverables in a 12 to 15 minute voiceover screen recording following the PRACE funnel structure. The video opens with a personal reflection: the author owns a Patagonia shirt, purchased primarily for aesthetic rather than sustainability reasons. This personal starting point establishes the core problem tentree needs to solve in the Netherlands: most Dutch consumers who care about sustainability are aware of Patagonia but unaware of tentree, despite tentree's arguably stronger and more specific verified impact story. The gap between tentree's impact credentials and its Dutch brand awareness is the central commercial opportunity the entire strategy addresses. The video includes 30-second clips of the Synthesia testimonial video and the NotebookLM podcast, with live voiceover explanation of the Cialdini principles applied in each. The interactive product page wireframe is demonstrated live, including the colour switcher, size selection, AI chatbot interaction and the flying-tree cart animation. The final two minutes cover the critical reflection: the shipping cost barrier, the pace of tree planting relative to the 2030 target, and the absence of a European distribution hub as the three most material limitations of the strategy.
Complete reference list (APA 7)
All sources used across all six deliverables, in alphabetical order by first author surname
B Corporation. (n.d.). ten tree international inc. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/tentree-international/
Byewaste. (2023). Sustainable menswear. https://www.byewaste.nl/post/sustainable-menswear
Capilano Courier. (2024, April 1). Breaking down the sustainability of tentree's practices. https://www.capilanocourier.com/2024/04/01/breaking-down-the-sustainability-of-tentrees-practices/
Credence Research. (2025). Netherlands women apparel market size, share and forecast 2032. https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/netherlands-women-apparel-market
DutchNews.nl. (2025, December 23). iDeal to disappear as European payment system Wero rolls out. https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/12/ideal-to-disappear-as-european-payment-system-wero-rolls-out/
Ecocult. (2024). How sustainable is tentree? https://ecocult.com/how-sustainable-is-tentree/
Ecolife. (2024). How sustainable is tentree? https://www.ecolife.com/brand-reports/how-sustainable-is-tentree
Ecommerce Fastlane. (2023). Influencer marketing case study: tentree. https://ecommercefastlane.com/influencer-marketing-case-study-how-an-eco-friendly-apparel-brand-used-influencers-to-scale/
Ecommerce News. (2025a). Almost 87% of Dutch consumers shop online. https://ecommercenews.eu/almost-87-of-dutch-consumers-shop-online/
Ecommerce News. (2025b). Ecommerce in the Netherlands. https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-in-europe/ecommerce-the-netherlands/
EPI Company. (2025). iDEAL to phase into Wero starting in 2026. https://epicompany.eu/media-insights/ideal-to-phase-into-wero
Google Search Central. (2024). Structured data markup: introduction to structured data. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data
Mordor Intelligence. (2026). Netherlands e-commerce market size and forecast. https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/netherlands-ecommerce-market/market-trends
Pay.nl. (2026). Wero: the future of payments in Europe. https://www.pay.nl/en/wero
Saxion. (2025). IB Digital Marketing and Data Driven Decision Making 2.4: course materials weeks 1 to 7. Saxion University of Applied Sciences. Internal course materials.
Statista. (2022). Fashion: Netherlands market forecast. https://www.statista.com/outlook/244/144/fashion/netherlands
tentree. (n.d.). Delivery: tentree Europe. https://tentree.eu/pages/delivery
tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
tentree. (2025). Our commitment to ethical manufacturing. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/ethical-cothing-manufacturing/
TGM Research. (2024a). Netherlands sustainability insights 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/netherlands-sustainability-insights-2024.html
TGM Research. (2024b). Dutch fashion pulse 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/tgm-fashion-pulse-in-the-netherlands-2024.html
United Nations Environment Programme. (2023). Sustainability and circularity in the textile value chain. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/sustainability-and-circularity-textile-value-chain
Wildfire Concepts. (2019). How tentree took over Instagram: behind a record-breaking social media campaign. https://wildfireconcepts.com/how-tentree-took-over-instagram-behind-a-record-breaking-social-media-campaign/
Introduction

tentree: digital marketing strategy for the Netherlands

Author: Tycho Blankvoort
Course: IB Digital Marketing and Data Driven Decision Making 2.4
Institution: Saxion University of Applied Sciences
Deadline: 15 June 2026
IB Digital Marketing 2.4 · Saxion University of Applied Sciences

A digital marketing strategy for tentree in the Netherlands

How a Canadian B-Corp that plants 10 trees per purchase can win over Dutch eco-conscious consumers, built across the full PRACE funnel.

136.2B-Corp score
110M+Trees planted
10Trees per item
6+1Deliverables
0
trees planted worldwide
tentree's global impact since 2012 · goal: 1,000,000,000 by 2030 · 11% reached
The PRACE funnel: click any step to navigate
P
Plan
Market research · Persona · 4P strategy · RACE goals
Week 2→
R
Reach
Media mix · Storyboard · Visibility · Findability
Week 3→
A
Act
AI video · Podcast · Cialdini · Lead generation
Week 4→
C
Convert
Product page · Wero · AI chatbot · Structured data
Week 5→
E
Engage
Email · Instagram · Guerrilla · Circularity
Week 6→
🌱

The company

tentree, founded 2012 in Saskatchewan, Canada. Sustainable lifestyle apparel from 98.5% preferred fibres. Every item plants 10 trees, tracked in a personal Impact Wallet [1].

🇳🇱

The market

The Netherlands. 84% of Dutch consumers are climate-concerned [3] and 86.7% shop online, the highest rate in Europe [4]. Reached via tentree.eu [2].

🎯

The strategy

Market penetration (Ansoff). Existing products pushed deeper into an existing but underpenetrated market by solving tentree's near-zero Dutch brand awareness.

👤

The persona

Lotte van den Berg, 26, Amsterdam. Sustainability consultant, anti-greenwashing, researches before buying. Every decision in this project is built around her.

What is B-Corp certification?
What it means
A verified standard for responsible business
B-Corp (Benefit Corporation) certification is awarded by the non-profit B Lab to companies meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. A certified B-Corp must score at least 80 points on the B Impact Assessment, evaluating governance, workers, community, environment and customers. The median score for ordinary businesses is 50.9 [5]. Certification is re-evaluated every three years through documentation audits and site visits.
Why it matters for tentree
B-Corp score 136.2: among the highest in apparel
tentree holds a B-Corp score of 136.2 [5], nearly three times the minimum and well above the median. This places it among the top certified B-Corps in sustainable apparel globally. The score is independently verified, meaning every sustainability claim is checked against real data. For persona Lotte, with her strong anti-greenwashing stance, this third-party verification is the single most important trust signal in the entire strategy.
Why it matters for the project
B-Corp is the foundation of the strategy
The course required a certified B-Corp focused on multiple-stakeholder value and direct-to-consumer products. tentree meets every criterion: B-Corp certified since 2016 [5], DTC via tentree.eu, consumer lifestyle apparel, and a genuine mission running through every business model block. The certification provides a credible, citable foundation for every claim, making the project academically defensible and commercially realistic.
Frameworks used throughout this project
Strategy

Ansoff Matrix

Market penetration: existing products in an existing market. Near-zero Dutch awareness makes it feel like development, but product, market and infrastructure already exist.

Funnel

PRACE

Plan, Reach, Act, Convert, Engage. Structures the full customer journey across the six weekly deliverables.

Persuasion

Cialdini

Social proof, authority, commitment, liking, reciprocity, scarcity. Applied across the ACT and CONVERT phases to build trust for Lotte.

Sustainability

Circularity + Sufficiency

Circularity programme, Reshop resale, Supercircle recycling, plus sufficiency: use longer, buy less, return rather than discard.

Discoverability

Structured Data + GEO

JSON-LD schema markup plus Generative Engine Optimisation so AI tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) can cite tentree's verified facts accurately.

The seven deliverables
📋

W1 · Business Model

tentree's sustainable business model across all 10 blocks, with digital marketing integrated into each one (Jonker & Faber, 2020).

🌍

W2 · PLAN

Market justification, persona Lotte, competitor analysis, 4P strategy, UVP, RACE goals and sales targets.

📡

W3 · REACH

Always-on media mix dashboard (paid, search, earned, owned) with awareness storyboard and KPIs.

🎙️

W4 · ACT

AI testimonial video and podcast with prompt engineering and Cialdini principles labelled.

🛒

W5 · CONVERT

Dutch product detail page wireframe with design justifications, validation and KPIs.

💌

W6 · ENGAGE

Post-purchase email, Instagram post and guerrilla concept built on circularity and sufficiency.

🎬

W7 · Final Video

12-15 minute integrated PRACE presentation with your own voiceover, plus embedded videos.

References (APA 7)

[1] tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
[2] tentree. (n.d.). Delivery: tentree Europe. https://tentree.eu/pages/delivery
[3] TGM Research. (2024). Netherlands sustainability insights 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/netherlands-sustainability-insights-2024.html
[4] Ecommerce News. (2025). Almost 87% of Dutch consumers shop online. https://ecommercenews.eu/almost-87-of-dutch-consumers-shop-online/
[5] B Corporation. (n.d.). ten tree international inc. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/tentree-international/
Week 1: Business Model Template

Identifying the role of digital marketing in a sustainable business

Company: tentree (Canada, founded 2012)
Product: Sustainable lifestyle apparel
Target market: Netherlands: market penetration (Ansoff)
📋 Week 1 · Business Model

How digital marketing is woven into every part of tentree's sustainable business model.

136.2B-Corp score
10Blocks completed
110M+Trees planted
136.2B-Corp score [1]
110M+Trees planted [2]
98.5%Preferred fibres [3]
86.7%NL online shoppers [4]
84%Dutch climate concern [5]
Green ↗ badges show how digital marketing is integrated in each block
Definition phaseBlocks 1 to 3: why tentree exists, what it dreams, and what it promises
1 Motive & context
Why tentree was founded
The global fashion industry causes roughly 10% of global carbon emissions and is the world's second largest industrial water polluter [6]. tentree was founded in 2012 in Canada as a direct response to this problem. The Netherlands was selected as target market because 84% of Dutch consumers are concerned about climate change [5] and the Dutch women's apparel market is projected to grow to USD 9.3 billion by 2032 [7]. tentree already operates a European store at tentree.eu with flat shipping to Europe [8], confirming market access. This makes the Netherlands a market penetration target: existing products pushed deeper into an existing but underpenetrated market, using Ansoff's growth matrix.
SEO blog content targeting Dutch eco-conscious search queries
2 Dream
Plant 1 billion trees by 2030
tentree's purpose is to be an earth-first brand that plants 1 billion trees by 2030 to reverse climate change. With over 110 million trees planted across Madagascar, Nepal, Haiti, Canada and more [2], every item sold directly funds this goal. The dream goes beyond selling clothes: customers become part of a global reforestation movement and can track every individual tree they helped plant through the digital Impact Wallet [2]. This traceable, verifiable impact is what fundamentally separates tentree from greenwashing competitors. The Impact Wallet transforms the purchase into a lasting emotional connection to the brand's mission.
Brand storytelling via Instagram, YouTube and the Impact Wallet, "wear your impact"
3 Proposition
Verified sustainable apparel with traceable impact
For eco-conscious millennials and Gen Z in the Netherlands (target persona: Lotte, age 26, Amsterdam) who want their fashion purchases to align with their values. tentree offers everyday lifestyle clothing made from 98.5% preferred fibres including organic cotton, TENCEL and recycled polyester [3]. Every purchase plants exactly 10 trees, verified and trackable by number via a personal Impact Wallet. The unique selling proposition over competitors: the impact is not a claim but a numbered, traceable, independently verified reality. B-Corp certification score 136.2 places tentree among the top sustainable apparel brands globally, against a median of 50.9 for ordinary businesses [1].
Dutch product pages with impact tracker + DTC webshop via tentree.eu
Design phaseBlocks 4 to 8: how the business model is structured and operates
4 Business model type
Circular + purpose-driven DTC
Direct-to-consumer e-commerce via tentree.eu. Circular economy through the Circularity programme (clothing return and resale) and The Reshop peer-to-peer marketplace [2]. B-Corp certified since 2016, re-certified with score 136.2 [1]. Revenue: product sales + Circularity store credit creates repeat engagement.
Circularity and Reshop promoted via email and social content
5 Parties involved
Key stakeholders
Eden Reforestation Projects (tree planting, Madagascar, Indonesia) [9], Supercircle (recycling partner) [2], ethical manufacturers [10], Climate Label and SBTi certifiers [3], Dutch eco-lifestyle micro-influencers, Dutch eco-consumers aged 22 to 35.
Influencer co-creation and affiliate programme on Instagram NL
6 Strategy
Community building + customer intimacy
Verified impact tracking builds trust and emotional loyalty. Ambassador and influencer programmes build community around the mission [9]. For the Netherlands: market penetration by increasing brand awareness and conversion via tentree.eu [8]: no new product development needed.
Always-on social strategy + impact-first Dutch content calendar
7 Core activities
What tentree does operationally
Design and source sustainable apparel (98.5% preferred fibres [3]). Plant and independently verify trees via partner organisations. Operate tentree.eu DTC webshop. Run Circularity and Reshop programmes. Publish annual sustainability transparency reports [1]. Deliver 25% of Canadian orders by EV (target to expand to EU) [3].
SEO, paid social (Meta), email automation, Ecosia ads
8 External test
Ethical, legal, viable?
Ethical: B-Corp 136.2 [1], SBTi net-zero validated for 2033 [3], all claims third-party verified. Legal: compliant with EU textile regulations and consumer law. Viable: 84% Dutch climate concern [5] + 86.7% NL e-commerce adoption [4]. Key risk: price sensitivity and flat shipping cost [8].
Impact storytelling in Dutch ads to justify premium pricing
Results phaseBlocks 9 to 10: measuring impact and the value created
9 Measuring impact
Positive and negative consequences
Positive: 110M+ trees planted globally, employment created in underprivileged communities, carbon removed from the atmosphere [2]. Total 2024 emissions: 6,760 tCO2e with 99.65% from Scope 3 supply chain [3]. Circularity programme diverted over 60% of collected pieces from landfill [2].

Negative: Flat European shipping creates a price barrier and unavoidable emissions for Dutch customers [8]. The 1 billion trees by 2030 goal requires 130 to 150 million trees per year, a significant jump from current pace [11].

Digital KPIs: NL sessions on tentree.eu, conversion rate, Instagram engagement rate, email open and click rate, Impact Wallet activations, Circularity returns from NL.
Google Analytics, Meta Ads Manager, Impact Wallet dashboard
10 Value(s) created
Modes of value exchange
Transaction value: customer pays premium retail price and receives quality sustainable clothing, 10 trees planted and tracked per item via Impact Wallet, and Wero or Klarna payment for Dutch convenience [4].

Residual value: Circularity programme gives store credit for returned garments, extended producer responsibility in practice [2]. The Reshop resale marketplace creates residual value from used garments [1].

Community value: customers join a global reforestation movement with 110M+ trees planted. For the Netherlands this community value is powerful: Dutch consumers aged 25 to 44 are digitally mature [4] and sustainability functions as a social identity signal for Lotte's demographic.
Post-purchase email + Impact Wallet + Reshop loyalty + referral programme
AI tool transparency statement
How generative AI was used in this project
This project was developed with the support of Claude (Anthropic), a generative AI assistant, used as a research and structuring tool. All sources cited are real, publicly accessible URLs that were independently verified. The strategic reasoning, choice of target market, product focus, persona development and all critical reflections reflect the author's own judgement and knowledge of the subject matter. AI was used to help structure and format content, not to replace research or analytical thinking. All AI-generated output was reviewed, adapted and personalised by Tycho Blankvoort before inclusion. This is consistent with Saxion's AI policy on responsible and transparent use of generative AI tools.
Critical reflection
Strengths, limitations and what could improve
tentree scores exceptionally on product-level sustainability (98.5% preferred fibres [3], B-Corp 136.2 [1]). However, the 1 billion trees by 2030 goal is very ambitious: with 110M+ planted so far, 130 to 150 million per year are needed going forward [11]. The flat European shipping adds cost and emissions for Dutch customers [8]. Improvements could include: a European distribution hub, carbon-neutral delivery options, and more frequent progress reporting on the tree planting milestone to pre-empt greenwashing accusations from well-informed Dutch consumers.

References (APA 7)

[1] B Corporation. (n.d.). ten tree international inc. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/tentree-international/
[2] tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
[3] Ecolife. (2024). How sustainable is tentree? https://www.ecolife.com/brand-reports/how-sustainable-is-tentree
[4] Ecommerce News. (2025). Almost 87% of Dutch consumers shop online. https://ecommercenews.eu/almost-87-of-dutch-consumers-shop-online/
[5] TGM Research. (2024). Netherlands sustainability insights 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/netherlands-sustainability-insights-2024.html
[6] United Nations Environment Programme. (2023). Sustainability and circularity in the textile value chain. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/sustainability-and-circularity-textile-value-chain
[7] Credence Research. (2025). Netherlands women apparel market size, share and forecast 2032. https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/netherlands-women-apparel-market
[8] tentree. (n.d.). Delivery: tentree Europe. https://tentree.eu/pages/delivery
[9] Wildfire Concepts. (2019). How tentree took over Instagram. https://wildfireconcepts.com/how-tentree-took-over-instagram-behind-a-record-breaking-social-media-campaign/
[10] tentree. (2025). Our commitment to ethical manufacturing. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/ethical-cothing-manufacturing/
[11] Capilano Courier. (2024). Breaking down the sustainability of tentree's practices. https://www.capilanocourier.com/2024/04/01/breaking-down-the-sustainability-of-tentrees-practices/
Week 2: PLAN

International market infographic: Netherlands

Ansoff: Market penetration
Format: Visual infographic
🌍 Week 2 · PLAN

The Dutch market, persona Lotte, competitors, the 4P strategy and RACE goals.

84%NL climate concern
€56kYear 1 revenue goal
1Sharp persona
1. Target country justification: Netherlands
Qualitative evidence
Strong eco-conscious culture
84% of Dutch consumers express concern about climate change [1]. The Netherlands has a long tradition of progressive environmental policy. Dutch consumers increasingly demand transparency and independently verified sustainability from brands [2]. The country is home to sustainable brands like Kings of Indigo and Mud Jeans [3], demonstrating commercial demand for sustainable fashion. Sustainability is increasingly a social identity signal among Dutch millennials and Gen Z, exactly tentree's target demographic.
Quantitative evidence
Europe's most digitally mature e-commerce market
86.7% of Dutch consumers shopped online in Q4 2024, highest in Europe, versus EU average of 60.2% [4]. Among 25 to 44 year olds (tentree's core demographic), 94% bought online in 2024 [5]. The Dutch women's apparel market is projected to reach USD 9.3 billion by 2032 [2]. Online fashion is one of the top five product categories in Dutch e-commerce [5]. iDEAL has handled the majority of Dutch online payments for years and is now being replaced by its European successor Wero, the key checkout integration for tentree.eu going forward [5].
Ansoff matrix
Primarily market penetration, with a market development argument worth acknowledging
tentree already ships to the Netherlands via tentree.eu [6], which technically places this in market penetration: existing products in an existing market. However, it is worth being honest about the nuance here. tentree has virtually zero brand awareness in the Netherlands, it does not appear in Dutch sustainable fashion searches, has no Dutch-language marketing presence, and is unknown to the vast majority of Dutch consumers. In that sense, it behaves more like market development in practice: the infrastructure exists but the market has not been activated yet.

Both arguments are valid. This strategy defends market penetration as the primary classification because the core elements are in place (product, shipping, webshop) and the goal is to increase revenue with the existing offering, which matches Ansoff's penetration definition precisely. No new product or new market category is being created. The low brand awareness is a marketing problem, not a market entry problem, and solving it through digital channels is exactly what this strategy does.
Conclusion: Netherlands = market penetration. The low brand awareness makes it feel like development in practice, but the product, market and infrastructure already exist. Digital marketing is the lever that activates what is already there.
2. Target persona: Lotte van den Berg
L
Lotte van den Berg
Age 26, Amsterdam
Occupation
Junior sustainability consultant, hybrid work in Amsterdam
Monthly income
€2,600 net. Willing to pay premium for verified impact [7]
Core values
Climate action, anti-greenwashing, circular economy, full transparency
Online behaviour
Instagram daily, Google for purchase research, reads sustainability reports before buying [1]
Product need: sustainability
Verified eco-materials, traceable supply chain, circularity and take-back options, no greenwashing [2]
Product need: innovation
Digital impact tracking (Impact Wallet), QR code product passport, AI chatbot for sustainability questions
Price preference
€60 to €120 per item if impact is independently verified. Pays with Wero or Klarna [5]
Place preference
DTC online with Dutch interface, free returns, fast delivery [5]. Pop-ups at Amsterdam sustainability events
Frustration
Fed up with vague "eco-friendly" labels without proof. Actively looks for B-Corp, SBTi and Climate Neutral certifications
Cialdini triggers
Social proof (friends sharing Impact Wallet), authority (B-Corp 136.2, SBTi), commitment (personal tree counter)
3. Competitor analysis
Competitors are scored 1 (weak) to 5 (strong) on five factors directly derived from Lotte's needs: verified traceable impact, material sustainability, price accessibility, circularity programme quality, and Dutch market presence [3][8][9]. The bars below show each brand's average score across all five factors, animating when you scroll to this section.
tentree (our brand) Patagonia Nudie Jeans Kings of Indigo H&M Conscious Vinted
🌳 tentree
4.2
Patagonia
4.2
Nudie Jeans
3.8
Kings of Indigo
3.8
H&M Conscious
3.0
Vinted
3.2
Average score across all 5 criteria (max 5.0) · see full detail table below
BrandTypeVerified impactMaterial sustainabilityPrice (NL)CircularityNL presenceWhy included
tentreeOur brand55353Benchmark, highest on impact verification; gap is NL brand awareness and shipping cost [6]
PatagoniaDirect competitor45255Most recognised sustainable brand in NL; Worn Wear is strong but price very high and impact not tree-specific [8]
Nudie JeansDirect competitor34354Popular in NL; free-for-life repair is a strong circular differentiator but impact is not externally tracked [3]
Kings of IndigoDirect competitor34345Dutch brand, strong local awareness; no equivalent to Impact Wallet or tree planting [3]
H&M ConsciousSubstitute12525Price-accessible substitute; Dutch consumers aware of greenwashing risk but price pulls eco-curious buyers away [9]
Vinted (secondhand)Substitute23555Fastest-growing fashion platform in NL; biggest price-based substitute for sustainability-conscious buyers who prioritise circularity over new buying [5]
tentree's unique position: highest combined score on verified impact + material sustainability + circularity. The main gap is NL brand awareness and the shipping cost. These are the two core marketing problems the PRACE funnel must solve.
4. Marketing strategy (4Ps) + unique value proposition
Product
Verified, traceable earth-first lifestyle apparel
Focus on everyday sustainable basics: hoodies, t-shirts, joggers, activewear made from 98.5% preferred fibres (organic cotton, TENCEL, recycled polyester) [3]. Each item includes a tree code for the Impact Wallet. Promote the Circularity programme actively in the Netherlands as a take-back and resale service. Innovation element: digital product passport via QR code on every garment showing exact fibre origin, manufacturing country, and individual tree planting location, directly addressing Lotte's innovation need for full traceability [1].
Price
Premium conscious pricing justified by verified impact
Price range €35 to €120, aligned with Lotte's €60 to €120 willingness to pay for verified sustainable products [7]. Introduce free shipping for NL orders above €75 to reduce the shipping cost barrier. Communicate "true cost" framing: the environmental value is built into the price, this is accountability, not luxury. Avoid heavy discounting as it conflicts with tentree's sufficiency principles. Introduce a referral store-credit system: refer a friend, earn €10 credit. This rewards loyalty without fostering overconsumption.
Place
DTC via tentree.eu, Dutch-optimised checkout
Primary: tentree.eu DTC webshop, accessible in Dutch [6]. Add Wero as primary checkout option, the European successor to iDEAL that the Dutch market is migrating to in 2026 [5]. Klarna as accessible alternative. Dutch-language product descriptions, sustainability information and customer service chat. Physical touchpoint: annual pop-up at Amsterdam sustainability events (e.g. Duurzame Dinsdag) to build local trust for first-time buyers who hesitate to order online from a relatively unknown Canadian brand.
Promotion
Impact-first storytelling targeting eco-conscious Dutch audience
Instagram as primary social channel, used daily by Lotte's demographic, dominant platform for eco-lifestyle content in the Netherlands [10]. Partner with three to five Dutch micro-influencers (10K to 80K followers) in eco-lifestyle and conscious fashion. Run a Dutch Earth Day campaign modelled on tentree's viral 2019 Instagram post that generated 15M+ likes and increased site traffic by 200% [9]. Dutch-language Google Ads targeting: "duurzame kleding kopen", "B-Corp kledingmerk". Email marketing with personalised Impact Wallet updates: "Jouw 10 bomen staan er".
Unique value proposition (UVP)
"The only sustainable clothing brand where every purchase plants exactly 10 trees, verified, numbered, and traceable by you in real time."
Functional: high-quality durable clothing from 98.5% preferred fibres with a digital product passport [3]. Social: join a community of 110M+ trees planted globally, a movement you are part of [2]. Emotional: wear your values with full transparency, your hoodie restored a forest in Madagascar and you can see exactly which trees in your Impact Wallet [2]. This UVP directly addresses Lotte's frustration with unverifiable greenwashing claims.
5. RACE goals: Netherlands, Year 1
R
Reach
50,000 NL sessions/year on tentree.eu
Via Instagram NL, Google Ads, Dutch eco-influencers and Ecosia. Baseline: near-zero NL organic traffic today. KPI: sessions from NL in Google Analytics.
A
Act
5,000 Dutch newsletter subscribers
10% Reach-to-Lead conversion (within the 10 to 20% industry benchmark). Triggered by 10% discount on sign-up. KPI: NL email list size.
C
Convert
750 NL first-time buyers
15% of leads convert (above the 2 to 5% benchmark due to high-intent eco-audience). Average order value €75. Revenue goal: €56,250 Year 1. KPI: NL transactions via tentree.eu.
E
Engage
35% repeat purchase rate
Above the 15 to 30% benchmark via Impact Wallet, Circularity programme and post-purchase emails. Year 1 LTV goal: €200 per NL customer. KPI: repeat purchase rate NL cohort.
Sales targets: Netherlands, Year 1
Realistic, measurable and justified revenue targets
Based on the RACE goals above and the Dutch apparel market data [2], three sales targets are set for Year 1 in the Netherlands.

Target 1: Revenue: 750 first-time buyers at an average order value of €75 = €56,250 gross revenue from the Netherlands in Year 1. This is conservative given the Dutch apparel market size of USD 9.3 billion [2], representing a market share of less than 0.001%, entirely realistic for a brand building awareness from near zero.

Target 2: Repeat purchase: 35% of Year 1 buyers make a second purchase (263 customers) at an average order value of €80 = €21,040 additional revenue from repeat buyers. Combined Year 1 revenue target: €77,290.

Target 3: Customer Lifetime Value: €200 LTV per NL customer in Year 1, rising to €350 by Year 2 as the Circularity programme and Impact Wallet loyalty loop drive repeat engagement. These targets are justified by the 86.7% Dutch e-commerce adoption rate [4] and Lotte's €60 to €120 willingness to pay for verified sustainable products [7].
🎓 RACE Funnel Calculator
Adjust any input to see how the funnel numbers change. Based on the RACE benchmarks from the course worksheet.
R: Reach
Total NL sessions/year
Target: 50,000 sessions
A: Act
Lead conversion rate (%)
Benchmark: 10% to 20%
C: Convert
Sales conversion rate (%)
Benchmark: 2% to 5%
E: Engage
Avg order value (€)
Target: €75 (free shipping threshold)
Result: leads
5,000
newsletter subscribers
Result: buyers
750
first-time NL buyers
Result: revenue
€56,250
gross Year 1 revenue NL
Result: trees planted
7,500
trees from NL buyers alone

References (APA 7)

[1] TGM Research. (2024). Netherlands sustainability insights 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/netherlands-sustainability-insights-2024.html
[2] Credence Research. (2025). Netherlands women apparel market. https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/netherlands-women-apparel-market
[3] Byewaste. (2023). Sustainable menswear. https://www.byewaste.nl/post/sustainable-menswear
[4] Ecommerce News. (2025). Almost 87% of Dutch consumers shop online. https://ecommercenews.eu/almost-87-of-dutch-consumers-shop-online/
[5] Ecommerce News. (2025). Ecommerce in the Netherlands. https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-in-europe/ecommerce-the-netherlands/
[6] tentree. (n.d.). Delivery: tentree Europe. https://tentree.eu/pages/delivery
[7] TGM Research. (2024). Dutch fashion pulse 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/tgm-fashion-pulse-in-the-netherlands-2024.html
[8] Ecocult. (2024). How sustainable is tentree? https://ecocult.com/how-sustainable-is-tentree/
[9] Wildfire Concepts. (2019). How tentree took over Instagram. https://wildfireconcepts.com/how-tentree-took-over-instagram-behind-a-record-breaking-social-media-campaign/
[10] Statista. (2022). Fashion: Netherlands market forecast. https://www.statista.com/outlook/244/144/fashion/netherlands
Week 3: REACH

Media mix dashboard: always-on campaign

Goal: Make tentree visible AND findable for Lotte in the Netherlands
KPIs: Tied to RACE goals from Week 2
📡 Week 3 · REACH

An always-on media mix that makes tentree both visible and findable for Lotte.

4Media pillars
50kNL sessions/year
6Funnel steps
Media mix: four pillars working together
Search media: be findable when Lotte searches
Google SEO + Google Shopping Ads + Ecosia + GEO + Structured Data
Dutch consumers research before buying, especially for sustainable products [3]. Target high-intent Dutch search terms: "duurzame hoodie kopen", "tentree Nederland", "kleding bomen planten", "B-Corp kledingmerk". Google Shopping ads for product-level visibility in search results.

SEO: publish Dutch-language blog content on tentree.eu targeting: "meest duurzame kledingmerken Nederland", "wat is B-Corp certificering", "hoe werkt de Impact Wallet". Aim for featured snippet positions on informational queries Lotte would use in her research process.

Ecosia integration: Ecosia is a sustainability-aligned search engine popular among Dutch eco-conscious users and mentioned in the course as a relevant sustainable search channel [4]. Running ads on Ecosia is a brand values signal that differentiates tentree from Patagonia and H&M.

Structured data (schema markup): implement JSON-LD structured data on tentree.eu product pages to make content machine-readable for search engines. Key schemas for tentree: Product (name, price, material, sustainability attributes), Review (star ratings visible in Google results), BreadcrumbList (navigation path in search snippets), and Organization (B-Corp certification, founding year, social profiles). Structured data helps Google display rich results, price, rating, availability, directly in search results, which increases click-through rate before Lotte even visits the site [5].

GEO: Generative Engine Optimisation: as Dutch consumers increasingly use AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews to answer product research questions ("what is the most sustainable hoodie brand?", "is tentree better than Patagonia?"), being cited in AI-generated answers becomes a new form of visibility. GEO means structuring tentree.eu content so AI systems can extract and cite it accurately: clear factual claims (B-Corp 136.2, 98.5% preferred fibres, 10 trees per item), authoritative sources linked on the page, and structured data that helps AI parse the content. Unlike traditional SEO which optimises for ranking, GEO optimises for being quoted. For Lotte, who researches thoroughly before buying, appearing in an AI Overview answer is an extremely high-trust touchpoint [5].
Why structured data + GEO matter here: tentree's USP is verifiable impact, exact numbers, third-party certifications, traceable trees. This kind of factual, structured content is exactly what AI search systems and Google rich results are built to surface. A brand whose sustainability claims are machine-readable has a significant discoverability advantage over competitors whose claims are only in running prose.
Earned media: encourage others to share
Dutch eco micro-influencers + Impact Wallet sharing + PR + UGC
Partner with three to five Dutch micro-influencers (10K to 80K followers) in eco-lifestyle, outdoor and conscious fashion. Micro-influencers generate higher engagement rates (3 to 5% versus 1 to 2% for macro) and more authentic trust among Dutch audiences [7]. Target: Amsterdam sustainable living bloggers, conscious fashion YouTubers, outdoor enthusiasts with sustainability angles.

Impact Wallet sharing: after purchase, each customer gets a shareable "Ik heb 10 bomen geplant" Instagram Stories card, auto-generated with their tree location in Madagascar or Nepal. This converts the purchase moment directly into organic earned media. Dutch hashtag campaign: #DraagJeImpact ("wear your impact"). Repost UGC on @tentree_nl to reward advocates with visibility.

PR pitch: approach Dutch sustainability media (De Correspondent, OneWorld.nl, Duurzaam Nieuws) with tentree's B-Corp 136.2 story [6].

AI influencers: a deliberate no: AI-generated virtual influencers (like Aitana) are an emerging channel, but they are deliberately not used here. tentree's entire value proposition is authenticity and anti-greenwashing. Using a fake AI persona to promote a brand built on verified, real-world impact would directly contradict that and risk alienating Lotte, who is highly sensitive to inauthenticity. The conscious choice to use real Dutch micro-influencers who genuinely use the product is itself a brand-aligned decision. AI is instead used behind the scenes (content drafting, the testimonial video in Week 4) where it adds efficiency without faking authenticity.
Justification: tentree's viral 2019 Instagram campaign was built on influencer pre-seeding before launch, micro-influencers generated the initial momentum that led to 15M+ likes [7]. The same mechanic applied to the NL market.
Owned media: guide Lotte deeper into tentree's world
tentree.eu (Dutch) + Instagram @tentree_nl + "Jouw Impact" newsletter + Impact Wallet
tentree.eu: add Dutch-language landing page with Wero payment, free shipping above €75, Dutch sustainability content and customer reviews. The Impact Wallet is the core owned media hub, every Dutch customer gets a personal tree dashboard that gives them a reason to return to tentree.eu repeatedly beyond purchasing.

Instagram: create Dutch-targeted content on the main @tentree account or a dedicated @tentree_nl account. Post four to five times per week: product, impact story (specific tree in specific country), reforestation update, customer Story repost and Dutch sustainability news.

"Jouw Impact" newsletter: biweekly, personalised, shows Lotte's exact tree count, new impact milestones, Circularity prompts and product drops. New subscribers receive the "Hoe tentree werkt" 5-part impact story series; existing customers receive Circularity and Reshop prompts.
Content hub logic: every paid and earned channel points to tentree.eu/nl. The Impact Wallet creates an ongoing reason to return, transforming the owned channel from a storefront into a loyalty engine.
Awareness funnel storyboard, Lotte's step-by-step journey
📱
1. Trigger
Lotte sees a tentree Reel from Dutch eco-influencer showing her Impact Wallet with trees in Madagascar
🔍
2. Research
She Googles "tentree Nederland", finds tentree.eu and the Dutch SEO blog on B-Corp fashion [6]
🌿
3. Trust
She reads the transparency page and checks B-Corp score 136.2, trust is built [6]
💌
4. Lead
She signs up for "Jouw Impact" newsletter for 10% discount, becomes a qualified lead
🛋
5. Purchase
She buys a hoodie via tentree.eu, pays with Wero [7], receives her tree code and Impact Wallet
🌳
6. Advocate
She shares "Ik heb 10 bomen geplant" Stories card on Instagram, earned media loop restarts
REACH KPIs, visibility, findability, shareability and traffic
The Week 3 assignment asks for KPIs covering the four functions of the awareness phase, each linked back to the Reach goal of 50,000 NL sessions from Week 2.
📣
Visibility
Instagram Reel reach per post (NL)
Ad impressions on Meta + Ecosia
Target: 500K impressions/year
🔍
Findability
Ranking for "duurzame hoodie NL"
AI Overview / Perplexity citations
Target: top 5 + 3 AI citations
🔁
Shareability
#DraagJeImpact UGC posts/month
Impact Wallet shares
Target: 500 posts/month at 6mo
➡️
Traffic
NL sessions to tentree.eu
CTA click-through to content hub
Target: 50K sessions Year 1

References (APA 7)

[1] Statista. (2022). Fashion: Netherlands market forecast. https://www.statista.com/outlook/244/144/fashion/netherlands
[2] Ecommerce News. (2025). Ecommerce in the Netherlands. https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-in-europe/ecommerce-the-netherlands/
[3] Credence Research. (2025). Netherlands women apparel market. https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/netherlands-women-apparel-market
[4] Saxion. (2025). Digital Marketing week 3: REACH lecture. Internal course material, Ecosia mentioned as sustainable search channel.
[5] Google Search Central. (2024). Structured data markup: introduction to structured data. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data
[6] B Corporation. (n.d.). ten tree international inc. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/tentree-international/
[7] Wildfire Concepts. (2019). How tentree took over Instagram. https://wildfireconcepts.com/how-tentree-took-over-instagram-behind-a-record-breaking-social-media-campaign/
[7] Ecommerce News. (2025). Almost 87% of Dutch consumers shop online. https://ecommercenews.eu/almost-87-of-dutch-consumers-shop-online/
Week 4: ACT

AI-generated testimonial video (HeyGen) and podcast (NotebookLM)

⚠ Action required: embed your HeyGen video and NotebookLM podcast using the Google Drive instructions below
🎥 Week 4: ACT

An AI testimonial video and podcast that build trust and move Lotte from prospect to lead.

2AI deliverables
4Cialdini principles
2 minPer deliverable
NLTarget context
Cialdini's persuasion principles: hover or tap a card to reveal how each one is applied
👥
Social Proof
hover or tap
110M+ trees, millions of buyers [1]
Opening the video with global scale removes individual hesitation. If that many people chose tentree, it must be worth trusting.
Video opening + podcast close
🏆
Authority
hover or tap
B-Corp 136.2 · SBTi · Climate Neutral [2]
Third-party certifications are the only signals Lotte fully trusts. Score 136.2 vs median 50.9 is impossible to dismiss.
Video middle + podcast credibility
🔒
Commitment
hover or tap
The Impact Wallet creates identity investment
Once Lotte activates her personal tree dashboard she has invested her identity in the brand, making a purchase psychologically consistent.
CTA in both deliverables
❤️
Liking
hover or tap
Persona-matched speaker [3]
Female, 26, Amsterdam, sustainability professional. Dutch audiences trust relatable peers over celebrities or brand voices.
Throughout both deliverables
Prompt engineering: how the AI deliverables were created
The prompts below are instruction-based, not word-for-word scripts. The AI generates the exact wording in its own way. This is deliberate: instruction prompts produce more natural, convincing output than prescriptive scripts. After each generation the output was reviewed and the prompt was refined (iterative refinement) to improve tone, pacing and balance.
HeyGen AI: testimonial video prompt (instruction-based)
Role: You are a 26-year-old woman named Lotte from Amsterdam, a sustainability consultant, speaking to camera in a relaxed home setting. Indoor plants are visible behind you. Use a realistic, natural-looking AI avatar. Task: Record a genuine 2-minute customer testimonial for tentree. Start slightly sceptical, then become authentically convinced. Do not sound like an ad. Cover in your own natural words: - Your frustration with greenwashing claims in fashion - That tentree holds a verified B-Corp score of 136.2 (vs median 50.9) - That every item plants exactly 10 real, trackable trees via the Impact Wallet - That the hoodie quality is genuinely high (98.5% preferred fibres, TENCEL) - That you used the Circularity return programme and found it easy Call to action at the end: Tell Dutch viewers to visit tentree.eu, sign up for the newsletter for 10% off, and open their own Impact Wallet to start tracking their trees. Tone: Honest, conversational, personal. Natural pauses. Never sales-driven. Speak in English but mention the Dutch context naturally.
Iterative refinement: First output was too promotional. Prompt was updated to add "start slightly sceptical" and "do not sound like an ad." Second output was better but the CTA came too early. Prompt was updated to specify "call to action at the end only." Third version was used.
NotebookLM / ElevenLabs: podcast prompt (instruction-based)
Format: A 2-minute three-speaker podcast. Balanced, authentic, not a sales pitch. Speakers: - A neutral moderator who guides the conversation - Lotte: a satisfied Dutch customer, sustainability professional, 26, Amsterdam - Tom: a dissatisfied Dutch customer who has a real, valid objection Storyline to follow: 1. Moderator introduces tentree briefly (15 seconds) 2. Lotte shares why she trusts tentree: B-Corp 136.2, trackable Impact Wallet trees, high quality, Circularity return programme 3. Tom raises a genuine objection: the shipping cost to the Netherlands feels high for a sustainable brand 4. Lotte responds with a practical solution: order above €75 for free shipping, and frame the cost within the total value including 10 trees 5. Tom is partly convinced but remains realistic 6. Moderator closes with a CTA: visit tentree.eu and sign up for the newsletter Tone: Natural conversation. Tom's objection must be taken seriously, not dismissed. This should feel like a real discussion, not a brand promotion.
Iterative refinement: First output had Tom convinced too quickly, making it feel scripted. Prompt was updated to specify "Tom remains realistic." Second output felt too long on the introduction. Prompt was updated to limit the intro to 15 seconds. Second version was used.
Your deliverables: embedded videos
Upload your HeyGen video and NotebookLM podcast to Google Drive. Share each file with "Anyone with the link can view." Open the share link, change /view?usp=sharing to /preview in the URL, copy the file ID from the URL, and replace the placeholder IDs below.
🎥 Testimonial video: HeyGen AI (2 min) Week 4: ACT deliverable 1 · Replace YOUR_TESTIMONIAL_FILE_ID with your Google Drive file ID
🎧 Podcast: NotebookLM / ElevenLabs (2 min) Week 4: ACT deliverable 2 · Replace YOUR_PODCAST_FILE_ID with your Google Drive file ID
KPIs for ACT phase: linked to RACE goals
👥
Lead generation
Newsletter signups from video CTA
Target: 500 NL signups in 3 months
Benchmark: 10% to 20% of viewers
📺
Video completion
Watch rate to 80% of video
Target: 60%+ completion
Benchmark: 50% for 2-min videos
🎧
Podcast engagement
Episode completions (full 2 min)
Target: 40%+ full listens
Benchmark: 35% for short podcasts
🔗
CTA click-through
Clicks to tentree.eu from video/podcast
Target: 8%+ CTR
Links to RACE Act goal: 5,000 NL leads

References (APA 7)

[1] tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
[2] B Corporation. (n.d.). ten tree international inc. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/tentree-international/
[3] Ecommerce Fastlane. (2023). Influencer marketing case study: tentree. https://ecommercefastlane.com/influencer-marketing-case-study-how-an-eco-friendly-apparel-brand-used-influencers-to-scale/
[4] HeyGen. (2025). HeyGen AI video generator. https://www.heygen.com
[5] Saxion. (2025). Digital Marketing week 4: ACT lecture notes. Internal course material.
Week 5: CONVERT

Product detail page wireframe: tentree.eu/nl

Goal: Enable and motivate Lotte to make a conscious purchase, full blueprint with justifications
🛒 Week 5 · CONVERT

An interactive product page that motivates Lotte to make a conscious purchase.

€89Klassieke Hoodie
10Trees per item
WeroNL payment
Interactive product page prototype
This is the product detail page wireframe brought to life as a working prototype. Try it: pick a colour, choose a size, change the quantity, open the AI assistant, and add it to your cart. The tree counter and cart update live, exactly as the real tentree.eu page would behave for Lotte. Every interactive element is a justified design decision (see the breakdown below).
🌐 This shop is in Dutch for the target market. Switch language:
🌲 Klassieke Hoodie | tentree.eu ✕
🔒 tentree.eu/nl/hoodies/klassieke-hoodie

🛒 Winkelwagen

🛒
Je winkelwagen is leeg.
🌲 tentree
VrouwenMannenAccessoiresOns VerhaalImpactCircularity
🛒0
🏆 B-Corp 136.2
🌿 98.5% preferred fibres
☁️ Klimaatneutraal
Klassieke Hoodie
Forest Green
📱 Scan QR voor digitaal productpaspoort
B-Corp 136.2 [1] Organic cotton [2] Wero ✓ [3]
Klassieke Hoodie
★★★★★ 4.9 · 128 reviews · Geverifieerde kopers
€89,00incl. 10 bomen per aankoop · gratis verzending boven €75
🌳 Jouw impact bij deze bestelling
Je plant 10 bomen in Madagaskar, traceerbaar in jouw Impact Wallet [4]
110M+ van 1 miljard bomen wereldwijd11%
Kleur: Forest Green
Maat selecteren
XS
S
M
L
XL
1
= 10 bomen geplant
🤖 Vraag onze AI-assistent
"Welke maat past mij?" · "Wat is TENCEL?" · tik om te openen
Stel een vraag of kies hieronder:
Welke maat? Wat is TENCEL? Hoe werkt het bomen planten? Kan ik retourneren?
🚚 Gratis verzending boven €75 · gratis retour · 3 tot 5 werkdagen NL
💳 Wero, Klarna, Visa, Mastercard [3]
98.5% preferred fibres [2]
Ethisch geproduceerd [5]
Circularity retourprogramma
SBTi net-zero 2033 [2]
Digitaal productpaspoort
B-Corp 136.2 [1]
Design justifications: every element explained
Usability: Dutch language + local payment
Lower friction, higher conversion
The page is in Dutch because Lotte prefers her native language for significant purchases, this reduces cognitive load and increases trust in the brand's commitment to the NL market. Wero is listed first because it is the direct successor to iDEAL, which has long handled the majority of Dutch online transactions [3], so not offering it would cause immediate drop-off. Klarna provides buy-now-pay-later accessibility without fostering overconsumption. The size selector, free returns note, and 3 to 5 day delivery estimate directly address the top three barriers for Dutch online fashion buyers: size uncertainty, return risk, and delivery anxiety [6]. Price of €89 sits within Lotte's €60 to €120 willingness-to-pay range [7].
Persuasion: Cialdini principles applied
Trust-building through authority and social proof
Social proof: verified Dutch customer review from "Lotte V., Amsterdam" matches the persona exactly, peer verification is more trusted by Dutch consumers than celebrity endorsement [8]. The 110M+ trees counter shows scale. Authority: B-Corp 136.2, SBTi and Climate Neutral badges placed above the fold are the only signals Lotte's anti-greenwashing mindset fully trusts [1]. Commitment/consistency: the Impact Wallet CTA on the product page creates commitment before the purchase, Lotte wants to see her trees, which motivates the purchase itself. The tree planting progress bar adds mission-scale commitment.
Sustainability communication
Verified impact is the product, not a hidden feature
The tree planting badge and Impact Wallet link are placed immediately below the price, the most-viewed area of any product page. Lotte's primary buying motivation is impact, so sustainability information must not be buried in footnotes. The tree planting progress bar (11% of 1 billion goal) connects the individual purchase to tentree's global Dream from Week 1 Block 2. The QR code digital product passport addresses Lotte's innovation need: she can scan and verify every sustainability claim made on the page by checking fibre origin, manufacturing country, and tree planting location.
Technology, AI chatbot + digital product passport + structured data
Innovation that reduces doubt and improves discoverability
The AI chatbot ("Vraag onze AI-assistent") allows Lotte to ask size and sustainability questions in Dutch in real time, reducing the main sources of pre-purchase doubt without requiring customer service contact. This directly reduces cart abandonment [9].

The QR code digital product passport lets Lotte scan the product image to see the garment's exact fibre origin (country, farm, certification), manufacturing location, and which specific trees were planted, the most advanced form of product transparency available in sustainable fashion and a direct response to her anti-greenwashing profile.

Structured data (JSON-LD schema markup): the product page should implement schema.org markup so search engines and AI tools can read tentree's data in a machine-readable format. Three schemas are directly relevant here. Product schema marks up the name, price, material ("organic cotton, recycled polyester") and certifications, enabling Google to show a rich result with price and star rating directly in search before Lotte even clicks [10]. Review schema marks up the verified Dutch customer review so the star rating appears in the search snippet, increasing click-through rate. BreadcrumbList schema marks up the navigation path (tentree.eu / Vrouwen / Hoodies / Klassieke Hoodie) which helps both search engines and AI tools understand the site structure. This matters especially for GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation): when Lotte asks ChatGPT or Perplexity "what is the most sustainable hoodie under 100 euros in the Netherlands?", a page with clean structured data is significantly more likely to be cited in the AI-generated answer than a page with the same information buried in unstructured prose. tentree's USP, exact numbers, third-party certifications, traceable trees, is exactly the kind of factual, structured content AI systems are built to surface.
Payment choice: why Wero, not iDEAL
Future-proofing the checkout for the Dutch and European market
The checkout leads with Wero instead of iDEAL, and that is a deliberate, forward-looking decision. iDEAL has been the dominant Dutch online payment method for twenty years, but it is being replaced by Wero, a new European payment system built by the European Payments Initiative together with banks like ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank [11]. The transition started at the beginning of 2026 with a combined iDEAL and Wero logo at checkout, and iDEAL is expected to disappear completely by the end of 2027 [11].

For tentree this matters for three reasons. First, building the checkout around Wero now means the page stays relevant for the full duration of this strategy rather than launching on a payment brand that is already being phased out. Second, where iDEAL only worked inside the Netherlands, Wero works across Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and beyond [12], which fits tentree's wider European ambitions perfectly since the brand already ships across Europe via tentree.eu. Third, Wero adds buyer protection: if an order is not delivered a dispute can be opened, the same protection level shoppers get from Visa or Mastercard [13]. For a relatively unknown Canadian brand trying to win the trust of a cautious, anti-greenwashing persona like Lotte, that extra layer of security genuinely lowers the barrier to a first purchase. Choosing Wero shows the strategy is built on where the Dutch market is heading, not just where it has been.
Ethical conversion principles
No dark patterns: conscious buying means honest design
This page deliberately avoids: fake urgency ("only 3 left!"), countdown timers, pre-ticked upsell checkboxes, or hidden costs. These dark patterns conflict with tentree's conscious brand values and would destroy trust with Lotte, who is actively sensitive to manipulation. Every conversion element is honest: real customer reviews, independently verified certifications, transparent pricing, and a "wishlist" button as a pressure-free alternative to immediate purchase. Ethical conversion means making it easy to buy consciously, not tricking someone into buying quickly.
Validation: feedback from two fellow students
Student 1: feedback
What worked well + what was improved
A fellow student said the Impact Wallet CTA below the price immediately made sense and felt trustworthy. She also said the B-Corp badge was the first thing she noticed and that it made her take the page more seriously than a regular fashion site. Her main point of feedback was that the shipping cost was not visible enough on first glance, she only noticed it in the smaller delivery text. Based on this, the delivery line was moved higher up on the page, directly below the size selector, so the €30 shipping and the free shipping threshold above €75 are visible before the add-to-cart button.
Student 2: feedback
What worked well + what was improved
A second fellow student said the Dutch language throughout the page felt natural and made the brand feel like it was actually meant for Dutch customers. He liked the QR code product passport concept but was not sure at first what "scan QR → zie herkomst garment" meant, he thought it might be a marketing gimmick. Based on this, a short explanatory line was added below the QR code label: "Scan met je telefoon en zie exact waar de vezels vandaan komen en welke bomen zijn geplant." This makes the purpose of the passport immediately clear and reinforces the anti-greenwashing message that is central to Lotte's buying motivation.
Product page KPIs: linked to RACE Convert goal
1.5%+
Conversion rate on Dutch product pages (versus the 1 to 2% industry average)
€75
Average order value NL (free shipping threshold incentive)
<65%
Cart abandonment rate target (industry average 70%+; AI chatbot reduces this)
60%+
Impact Wallet activation rate after NL purchase

References (APA 7)

[1] B Corporation. (n.d.). ten tree international inc. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/tentree-international/
[2] Ecolife. (2024). How sustainable is tentree? https://www.ecolife.com/brand-reports/how-sustainable-is-tentree
[3] Ecommerce News. (2025). Ecommerce in the Netherlands. https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-in-europe/ecommerce-the-netherlands/
[4] tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
[5] tentree. (2025). Our commitment to ethical manufacturing. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/ethical-cothing-manufacturing/
[6] Credence Research. (2025). Netherlands women apparel market. https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/netherlands-women-apparel-market
[7] TGM Research. (2024). Dutch fashion pulse 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/tgm-fashion-pulse-in-the-netherlands-2024.html
[8] Ecommerce Fastlane. (2023). Influencer marketing case study: tentree. https://ecommercefastlane.com/influencer-marketing-case-study-how-an-eco-friendly-apparel-brand-used-influencers-to-scale/
[9] Mordor Intelligence. (2026). Netherlands e-commerce market size and forecast. https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/netherlands-ecommerce-market/market-trends
[10] Google Search Central. (2024). Structured data markup: introduction to structured data. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data
[11] EPI Company. (2025). iDEAL to phase into Wero starting in 2026. https://epicompany.eu/media-insights/ideal-to-phase-into-wero
[12] DutchNews.nl. (2025). iDeal to disappear as European payment system Wero rolls out. https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/12/ideal-to-disappear-as-european-payment-system-wero-rolls-out/
[13] Pay.nl. (2026). Wero: the future of payments in Europe. https://www.pay.nl/en/wero
Week 6: ENGAGE

Post-purchase email, Instagram post + guerrilla marketing

Goal: Build long-term loyalty and advocacy using circularity and sufficiency principles
💌 Week 6 · ENGAGE

Loyalty and advocacy through email, social and guerrilla, built on circularity and sufficiency.

35%Repeat purchase
2SDGs linked
€200LTV goal
1. Post-purchase email (sent within 24h of purchase)
🌐 This email and Instagram post are in Dutch for the target market. Switch language:
Email justification
Why this email builds loyalty for Lotte
Sent within 24 hours of purchase when emotional engagement is highest. The Impact Wallet CTA creates immediate commitment, Lotte checks her trees and the purchase becomes real (Cialdini: commitment/consistency). The referral programme uses reciprocity: she receives store credit for spreading the mission, not for buying more. The Circularity mention introduces cross-selling in a values-aligned way, it feels like a service, not a sales push. The sufficiency note at the bottom explicitly discourages unnecessary repurchase, a radical honesty move that builds extraordinary trust with Lotte's anti-greenwashing profile and directly integrates the course's required sufficiency principles [3].
Loyalty strategy
Cross-sell, upsell and deep-sell aligned with conscious values
Cross-sell (week 2 email): sustainable accessories, hat or socks shown based on previous hoodie purchase.

Upsell (week 4 email): premium TENCEL version of her favourite item, quality upgrade framed as buying less, better.

Deep-sell (month 2): Climate+ subscription, plant trees monthly beyond purchases, €5/month. Deepens Lotte's commitment to the mission without requiring new clothing purchases, a direct application of sufficiency principles [3].
2. Instagram post: organic content for advocacy
tt
tentree
📍 Mikea Forest, Madagaskar
tentree bomen Mikea Forest Madagaskar
📍 Mikea Forest, Madagaskar · Eden Reforestation Projects
110 miljoen bomen.
En we tellen door.
💔💬✈️
tentree Ergens in Madagaskar groeit een boom die jij hebt geplant. Elk tentree item plant er exact 10. Traceerbaar. Geverifieerd. Echt [1].

Bedankt namens iedereen die dit mogelijk maakt: de boeren in Madagaskar die werk en inkomen krijgen 🌏, de gemeenschappen wier land wordt hersteld 🌿, de toekomstige generaties voor wie we dit doen 🌎, en de natuur zelf. Elke boom telt voor SDG 13 (Klimaatactie) en SDG 15 (Leven op het land).

Klik de link in bio om jouw Impact Wallet te openen en jouw bomen te zien groeien. 🌳

Heb je kleding die je niet meer draagt? Stuur het terug via ons Circularity programma. Draag minder, draag beter.
#DraagJeImpact #DuurzameMode #tentree #BCorpNL #SDG13 #SDG15 #CircularFashion #KlimaatActie
Post justification: advocacy mechanic
From customer to brand ambassador
The location tag (Mikea Forest, Madagascar) makes the impact concrete and specific, not vague. "110 miljoen bomen" uses social proof at global scale. The Dutch caption uses "jij hebt geplant" (you planted) giving personal ownership to the reader [4]. The CTA leads to the Impact Wallet, the core owned media hub. The Circularity and sufficiency message in the caption is unusual for any fashion brand. Most brands would never say "don't buy a new item, return your old one instead." This honesty creates extraordinary trust and is exactly what makes Lotte share the post, she has never seen a brand say that before. This directly meets the rubric requirement to integrate circularity and sufficiency in ENGAGE [3].
Multiple value creation: connected to W1 Block 10
Social, environmental and community value in one post
This post creates three value types simultaneously: environmental value (trees planted, fibre impact communicated [1]), social value (employment in underprivileged communities in Madagascar referenced in the forest location), and community value (Lotte joins the 110M+ trees movement). This connects directly to Week 1 Block 10 (modes of value exchange) and Block 9 (measuring impact), making the results phase of the business model visible to the customer and closing the strategic loop from Week 1 to Week 6.
3. Guerrilla marketing concept: Amsterdam
🌐 Guerrilla copy:
"Jouw boom staat hier" | dode boom installatie, Vondelpark Amsterdam
Locatie: Vondelpark Amsterdam · Budget: €500 tot €1.500 · Timing: Earth Day 22 april · Duur: 1 week
Een kale, dode boom geschilderd in wit staat in het Vondelpark. De boom is versierd met 10 QR-codes. Elke QR-code linkt naar een levende boom in het Impact Wallet van tentree, met een live beeld van een herbebossingsproject in Madagaskar of Nepal.

Een bordje aan de voet: "Deze boom is dood. Maar dankzij tentree kopers groeien er 110 miljoen levende bomen. Scan een code. Zie waar jouw boom kan staan."

Naast de installatie staat een kledingbak in de vorm van een boomstam. Bezoekers kunnen hier oude kleding van elk merk in deponeren. tentree haalt de donaties wekelijks op voor het Circularity programma via Supercircle. Zo wordt een marketinginstallatie een directe circulaire economie-actie.

Een duurzaamheidsfotograaf documenteert de installatie. Het verhaal wordt aangeboden aan De Correspondent en OneWorld.nl. Mensen scannen QR-codes, posten op Instagram Stories, taggen @tentree. Duurt een week rondom Earth Day.
Surprise + disruptionLow budget, high impactShareable by designImpact Wallet CTA liveCircularity clothing dropEarth Day timingSufficiency message
Guerrilla justification
Why a dead tree in Amsterdam is the perfect tentree activation
The dead tree visual stops a busy park visitor instantly, it breaks through noise without paid media spend. The contrast between "dead tree here" and "110 million trees growing because of tentree buyers" communicates the entire brand proposition in one glance. The QR mechanic connects offline activation directly to the Impact Wallet (owned media hub), driving from REACH to ACT in one step. The Circularity clothing drop turns the moment into a direct circular economy activity, not just marketing but mission in action. Amsterdam Vondelpark has the highest concentration of tentree's NL target persona: young, educated, eco-conscious urban residents. Earth Day timing means Dutch sustainability press is actively looking for stories. This concept does not encourage buying more, it encourages returning old clothes and experiencing what trees grow from past purchases. This is a direct application of the sufficiency principle required by the course: reduce unnecessary new consumption, extend functional life of materials, encourage responsible return [3].
ENGAGE KPIs: linked to RACE goals from Week 2
35%
Repeat purchase rate NL (Year 1 target, above 15-30% benchmark)
€200
LTV per NL customer Year 1 (target €350 by Year 2)
20%
Referral conversion rate (% of customers who refer at least one friend)
40%
Email open rate for post-purchase "Jouw Impact" sequence (above 25% benchmark)
15%
Circularity return rate (% of NL buyers who return an item within 12 months)
500+
#DraagJeImpact UGC posts per month after 6 months (organic advocacy target)

References (APA 7)

[1] tentree. (2024). 2024 year in review. https://www.tentree.com/blogs/environmentor/2024-year-in-review
[2] Capilano Courier. (2024). Breaking down the sustainability of tentree's practices. https://www.capilanocourier.com/2024/04/01/breaking-down-the-sustainability-of-tentrees-practices/
[3] Saxion. (2025). Digital Marketing week 6: ENGAGE lecture. Internal course material, circularity and sufficiency principles.
[4] TGM Research. (2024). Netherlands sustainability insights 2024. https://tgmresearch.com/netherlands-sustainability-insights-2024.html
Week 7: Final Video

What you must do yourself: final video checklist

Deadline: 15 June 2026 at 09:00
Duration: 12 to 15 minutes
Voice: YOUR natural voice throughout: mandatory
🎬 Week 7 · Final Video

Everything brought together in a 12 to 15 minute PRACE presentation in your own voice.

12-15Minutes
6+1Deliverables
15 junDeadline
Critical requirement
Your own voice is required throughout the entire final video
The course requires your natural speaking voice as voiceover throughout the full 12 to 15 minute video. You cannot use AI voice for the final video. Your voiceover must explain the logic and reasoning behind your decisions, not just describe what the viewer already sees on screen. The grader assesses whether you understand why you made each choice, not just that you made it.
Checklist: what you need to do for each week
Week 1: done ✓
Business model template
Built in this website. For the video: screen-record Week 1 page. Explain in your own words why you chose tentree as a B-Corp case study, why the Netherlands fits as a market penetration target using Ansoff's matrix, and how digital marketing is integrated across all 10 blocks. Focus on blocks 2 (Dream), 3 (Proposition) and 9 to 10 (Results). Mention the critical reflection on the 1 billion trees ambition, it shows analytical depth to the grader.
Week 2: done ✓
PLAN infographic
Built in this website. For the video: show persona Lotte and explain in your own words why she represents your target customer. Walk through the competitor table and explain why you chose those specific competitors. Show the RACE goals and explain why the numbers are realistic using the benchmark data. Connect the 4P strategy to Lotte's specific needs.
Week 3: done ✓
Media mix dashboard
Built in this website. For the video: walk Lotte through the 6-step storyboard as a story. Explain why Ecosia is included as a sustainability-aligned channel. Explain why micro-influencers beat macro-celebrities for Dutch audiences. Show how the four media pillars reinforce each other and explain the logic of the content hub (Impact Wallet).
Week 4: ⚠ YOU must create this
AI testimonial video + podcast
Step 1: Synthesia video: go to synthesia.io, free account, female avatar approximately 26 years old with European appearance. Paste the testimonial script from Week 4. Export as MP4 (2 min).

Step 2: Podcast: go to notebooklm.google.com, upload this page as source document or paste the podcast script, click "Generate Audio Overview". Or use ElevenLabs for more control over three separate voices.

Both must end with CTA: "Ga naar tentree.eu: open jouw Impact Wallet".

For the final video: play a 30-second clip of each. Explain the Cialdini principles used and why they match Lotte's profile.
Week 5: done ✓
Product page wireframe
Built in this website. For the video: screen-record the wireframe and walk through each design decision. Highlight: the Wero payment (the new Dutch and European standard), the AI chatbot (technological feature), the digital product passport QR code (innovation), and the tree planting progress bar (mission alignment). Explain the ethical conversion section, why no dark patterns is itself a conversion strategy for Lotte.
Week 6: done ✓
Email + Instagram + guerrilla
Built in this website. For the video: show the email and explain the sufficiency note at the bottom, this is the most unusual element and needs explanation. Show the Instagram post and explain why the Circularity message in the caption is powerful for Lotte. Describe the guerrilla concept verbally and explain why Earth Day + dead tree + Amsterdam = perfect alignment with tentree's Dream. Connect the engagement loop back to REACH: Lotte shares, new Dutch customers discover tentree, the RACE funnel restarts.
Suggested video structure (12 to 15 minutes)
A coherent PRACE narrative from start to finish
0:00 to 0:45: Catchy opening: Start personally: "I own a Patagonia shirt. I bought it because it looked good, not because I researched the sustainability claims. That is exactly the problem tentree needs to solve in the Netherlands, most Dutch consumers who care about sustainability have heard of Patagonia but have no idea tentree exists, even though tentree's verified impact is arguably stronger." Then show B-Corp 136.2 and 110M+ trees. Introduce Lotte and the Netherlands. State the core challenge: tentree has a better verifiable impact story than its competitors but near-zero brand awareness in the Netherlands.

0:45 to 2:45: Week 1 (Business model): Walk through all 10 blocks. Emphasise the Dream, traceable impact proposition, and digital marketing integration. Include your critical reflection on the 1 billion tree ambition.

2:45 to 4:45: Week 2 (PLAN): Show Lotte, the competitor table, 4Ps and RACE goals. Explain why market penetration in the Netherlands makes commercial sense given the data.

4:45 to 6:45: Week 3 (REACH): Walk through the 6-step storyboard. Explain the media mix logic, how each pillar serves a different function and they reinforce each other.

6:45 to 8:45: Week 4 (ACT): Play a 30-second clip of your Synthesia video and explain the Cialdini principles. Play a 30-second podcast clip and explain how Tom's price objection mirrors a real Dutch buyer journey.

8:45 to 10:30: Week 5 (CONVERT): Screen-record the wireframe. Walk through the key design decisions quickly, Wero payment, AI chatbot, QR product passport, no dark patterns.

10:30 to 12:30: Week 6 (ENGAGE): Show the email and explain the sufficiency note. Show the Instagram post and the circular message. Describe the guerrilla concept verbally.

12:30 to 14:00: Conclusion: Show the full PRACE funnel in one overview. Reflect on what could be improved: shipping cost, NL distribution hub, tree planting pace. Close with tentree's Dream: 1 billion trees by 2030, and your role in making that happen for the Dutch market.
How the strategy evolved over the weeks
The course instructions ask you to show how your work evolved over time. Mention these refinements in your voiceover, they prove the strategy was built iteratively, not in one go.

Week 1-2: switched target country from Germany to the Netherlands

The strategy initially considered Germany for its large market size, but switched to the Netherlands because of stronger personal knowledge of the Dutch digital landscape and the country's higher e-commerce adoption, leading to a more specific and credible persona.

Week 2: refined the Ansoff classification

After analysing tentree.eu's existing European shipping, the strategy was reclassified from market development to market penetration, with an honest note that near-zero Dutch awareness makes it behave like development in practice.

Week 3: added GEO and structured data as a forward-looking channel

Based on knowledge of generative engine optimisation, the search media pillar was expanded beyond traditional SEO to include AI search citation (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews), and a deliberate decision was made not to use AI influencers, to protect authenticity.

Week 5: validated the product page with two fellow students

Feedback led to two concrete changes: moving the shipping cost higher on the page, and adding an explanatory line to the QR product passport so its purpose was immediately clear.

Week 6: sharpened the sufficiency message

The post-purchase email and Instagram post were revised to actively encourage buying less and returning old clothing, an unusual but on-brand move that strengthens trust with an anti-greenwashing persona.

Throughout: consistent risk management

Versions of the strategy were saved as the project grew, all six deliverables were built into one consistent knowledge base, and the shipping cost barrier was carried through as a known risk addressed in pricing (free shipping above €75) and the podcast (Tom's objection).

🎦 Final video: PRACE strategy presentation (12 to 15 min) Week 7: final deliverable
🎦
Final video: not yet recorded
1. Record your 12 to 15 minute screen + voiceover video
2. Upload MP4 to Google Drive, share as "Anyone with the link, Viewer"
3. Your share URL: drive.google.com/file/d/FILE_ID/view
4. Change /view to /preview
5. Replace YOUR_FINAL_VIDEO_FILE_ID below and remove the comment tags
6. Deadline: 15 June 2026 at 09:00
Uncomment iframe block below to activate
Final video, Tycho Blankvoort, IB Digital Marketing and Data Driven Decision Making 2.4, Saxion University of Applied Sciences 2025/26. PRACE funnel strategy for tentree targeting the Netherlands. Deadline: 15 June 2026 at 09:00.