Shop Ethical! v1.10.0
Ethical Consumer GroupAbout this app
The Shop Ethical! app aims to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions by providing ethical ratings for various products, addressing the problem of unconscious consumerism. This app benefits individuals who prioritize environmental sustainability, fair labor practices, and animal welfare, offering a unique perspective compared to other reference apps. However, with a below-average user rating and limited downloads, it falls short in terms of user engagement and social proof. The app's paid model and lack of in-app purchases or ads are notable, but its overall impact is hindered by significant issues reported by users.
Pros
- The app's focus on ethical consumerism fills a niche in the Books And Reference category, providing users with a valuable resource for making conscious purchasing decisions.
- With no permissions requested, the app ensures a high level of user privacy and security, which is a significant advantage for users concerned about data collection.
- The paid model without ads ensures an uninterrupted user experience, which is beneficial for users who value a distraction-free interface.
- The developer's reputation, as part of the Ethical Consumer Group, lends credibility to the app's mission and the information it provides.
- The app's offline capability, given its small size and lack of dependency on internet connectivity for its core functionality, makes it accessible in various environments.
Cons
- The app's below-average user rating and the significant issues reported by users raise concerns about its overall quality and user satisfaction.
- The limited number of downloads and total ratings may indicate a lack of awareness or interest in the app, potentially limiting its impact and the breadth of its user community.
- The app's paid model, while ensuring a clean user experience, might deter some potential users who are accustomed to free or freemium models, especially in a category where free alternatives might be available.
- The lack of frequent updates could imply that the app's database or features might not be regularly refreshed, potentially affecting its usefulness over time.
Best for: The ideal user for the Shop Ethical! app is an environmentally and socially conscious individual, likely aged between 25 and 50, who regularly shops for groceries and other consumer goods and is looking for a reliable, easy-to-use guide to inform their purchasing decisions with ethical considerations in mind.
Developer Description
Make informed purchasing decisions in the supermarket and beyond
The most comprehensive digital guide to ethical shopping in Australia, Shop Ethical! has been designed to provide consumers with the easiest way to make informed purchasing decisions.
The Shop Ethical! app features the most up to date data from the Shop Ethical! website.
Free data updates are released every 3 months or so, which can be downloaded over the air without requiring an app update.
Shop Ethical! builds on the success of previous editions with thousands of downloads already and 130,000 copies of the printed guide in the hands of Australian consumers.
The Shop Ethical! app provides consumers instant access to over 5,000 products with related company information and lets them make an informed and ethical decision whenever they shop.
By shopping ethically consumers can send a strong message for change and help support the practices that make our world a better place to live in.
The Shop Ethical! app uses the latest data from the Shop Ethical! website (ethical.org.au) and is also available as a book. Company ratings are based on information gathered from over 50 sources including the work of organisations such as Greenpeace, Choose Cruelty Free, WWF, As You Sow and Friends of the Earth.
Shop Ethical! is a collaboration between the Ethical Consumer Group and Outware Mobile.
★FEATURED ON CHANNEL 7 NEWS!★
Privacy
Given that the Shop Ethical! app requests no permissions, users can be confident in its respect for their privacy. However, it's essential to note that any data entered or saved within the app, such as favorites or notes, should be considered private to the user. To further enhance privacy, users should ensure their device's overall security is up to date, including using a secure lock screen and keeping their operating system updated.
Tips
For the most out of Shop Ethical!, users should initially browse through the app's categories to familiarize themselves with the ethical ratings system. Additionally, utilizing the app's search function can quickly find specific products or brands, making it easier to make informed decisions at the point of purchase. Regularly checking for updates, although infrequent, can also ensure users have access to the most current ethical ratings and features.
What's New
- Company assessment pages now display the "Last Updated" date at the bottom.
- Lots of minor improvements
- Full data update
Version Information
- Version
- 1.10.0
- Downloads
- 10K+
- Updated on
- Mar 23, 2025
- Released
- Feb 16, 2012
- Requires
- Android 4.4
Statistics
Google Play Rating History
Rating Distribution
Downloads Over Time
Shop Ethical! has been downloaded times. Over the past 30 days, it averaged downloads per day.
Shaded area shows 30-day prediction based on historical trends
Historical data collection started recently. More data points will be available over time.
Shop Ethical! - Google Play Rankings
Top Rankings
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Ranking History in
No ranking data available yet. Rankings are updated daily.
#8 in Top Paid Books And Reference in Australia
Shop Ethical! users say on Google Play
100 stars! So helpful for making informed choices, it really helps clear the fog and mysteries surround brands and products. I've been using the app for years and years, maybe I use it 2-3 times a week. Purchasing items and supporting companies that do the right thing is so much easier! Only complaint. I now live in Japan and there isn't enough information on huge for foreign brand from over here, very Australian based. I still want to try and make the right choice even while living overseas.
How often do you update this? Example: Bellamy's baby formula got sold to the Chinese. Your website has the updated information but the app doesn't. News broke of that a few days before your last update of this app (mid November).
Good app but not enough product information from outside the US
So I'm sure this app is great if you live in Australia, but they should probably make more visible that those are the products that this app rates. I scanned 20 items after purchasing this app and all of the read that they weren't in the database. I didn't realize until then that American products aren't in there.
This forces criteria onto you that is not ethical or may not fit your personal values, and you can't deselect them. It assumes all GMs are bad although most aren't, some are very ethical (look at Golden Rice!), and the scientific consensus is that GMs are BETTER for the environment. Foods are derated for non-vegan ingredients, but I'm not vegan. Normal foods are derated over organic foods, although normal foods use far less land mass. If I use this, I have to look though EVERY item to ignore the nonsense!!!