Practical e-Commerce Improvements Food and Beverage Brands Can’t Afford to Miss.
Prolonged supply chain disruption, inconsistencies in search and content capabilities from one retailer to another, and increased competition as retailers continue to grow their e-commerce businesses: these are the prevailing factors that challenge consumer brands in e-commerce today.
We recently shared some insights and best practices on these topics at London’s Digital Food and Beverage Conference to help manufacturers implement failsafe strategies in these challenging times.
Taking a deep dive into eight of the UK’s leading grocery retailers, we studied the unique challenges and opportunities each of these retailers presents to brands wanting to increase e-commerce sales. With examples drawn from Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, we arrived at eight key areas manufacturers should focus on when dealing with each of these key accounts.
Here’s a flavor of some of the themes we’ve covered. The full slide presentation includes a generous side order of case studies and best practice tips. Request your copy below.
#1 Challenge: Empty Shelves
39% of shoppers switch brands when their preferred brand is out of stock. When your brand is in stock, is it ready for new shoppers?
With extended disruption to the supply chain, manufacturers continue to face the reality of empty shelves. Apart from the obvious problem of not being available to buy, being out of stock can lead to other consequences including a shift in loyalty, search rank fluctuation (possibly resulting in being de-listed), not to mention wasted ad spend. But don’t forget that everyone is facing the same problem.
#1 Tip
When your brands are available while competitors are not, make sure product pages are prepped and ready for new shoppers. Keeping a close eye on your own stock levels in each e-store might avoid your own products being delisted. In the worst case scenario, you should cut paid investment if products unavoidably run Out Of Stock.
#2 Challenge: Decoding In-Store Search
Basic, Intermediate or Advanced. How does your e-retailer’s search algorithm work and what should you feed it?
When it comes to developing a search strategy, one size does not fit all. Manufacturers need to understand the idiosyncrasies of each store’s algorithm if they intend to make the most of organic search opportunities. We’ve done the research on eight of the UK’s leading retailers to help you get a handle on the opportunities each one presents. You can request our slide deck below and ask our insights team for a further, more detailed checklist for *each e-retailer.
*Includes Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
#2 Tip:
Do the groundwork to understand the precise search tactics that will increase traffic most on each of your e-retail sites. Evaluate all of the paid investment options that will also support your keyword strategy. If you haven’t done this work already, we are happy to share our findings with you, just reach out to our insights experts using the link below.
#3 Challenge: Making your product page work harder
Above the fold content optimizes conversion; below the fold content drives traffic. Are your product pages driving traffic and sales?
As competition continues to increase, manufacturers are being challenged more than ever before to maintain their share of traffic while retailer search algorithms are becoming more sophisticated. Added to this, more e-retailers are offering advanced content options that help brands turn traffic into sales.
#3 Tip
Review the latest content opportunities with each of your accounts and identify gaps in your product page content. Understand the kind of content it takes to drive sales and the kind that boosts traffic. Our best practice examples
for a number of leading alc/bev and snack brands are detailed in the full deck.
We’d love to hear about your particular challenges and help you explore new ways to optimize your products across your key accounts.
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