You need more than an e-commerce site
The barriers to entry are relatively low for food and beverage companies to sell products online. The fact it is easy to get into e-commerce does not guarantee success.
We see so many companies that believe if you build it, they will come. Unfortunately that is just not true. The Internet is a very crowded place and even if you have a great product and great ideas they do not always translate into sales.
Successful e-commerce businesses implement an integrated digital strategy.
Just the same as selling in bricks and mortar, success is not just about making great products to sell, it is about selling the great products you make. To help you do this we have designed a new SKUFood C.A.R.T. process specifically for e-commerce. We have been learning a lot about this channel and invested the time to develop our proven process for this channel.
You can maximize the opportunity when you put the resources and effort into selling your products in a different channel. In the third segment of our C.A.R.T. process for e-commerce we ask the question ‘What is your integrated digital marketing strategy?’
Integrated digital marketing strategy
These 4 words really are important:
Integrated-Your online presence does need to be tied together. Every post, ad and online interaction should reinforce your brand and be designed to appeal to your target market. Keep it as simple as possible for consumers to move from message to buying.
Digital-Use every platform and avenue open to you online where you can interact with your target market. You need to know where they hang out and develop effective content and offers that will appeal to them.
Marketing-We like to define marketing as understanding your consumer and developing products or services that offer value to them. Online is the same as any other channel. You have to develop products for markets, not try to develop a market to fit your product.
Strategy-Online is a busy place. You need to plan and then do a great job executing. Every post, ad or interaction should be developed with your overall strategy in mind. It takes time and people do not react or even remember one post. We think of this often at SKUFood. We know we have great processes and tools to help food and beverage businesses but it takes time and constant reinforcement to get attention from the buyer.
Consistency is effective
When you create the strategy, it is most effective when you build in consistency. Consistency does not mean repetition. When we say consistency, we mean…
- Created for your target market
- Delivering value to your target market
- On the right platform(s)
- Driving traffic to the point of purchase
- Simple for your consumer to click through to buy
- Supporting your brand promise or point of differentiation
- Creative that is integrated with your other marketing
- Measure results and react to them
- Interact with consumers
When you can deliver on all of these you have the best chance of success. Consistent execution is key and will take time. We all marvel at the viral videos but they are few and far between. More often success comes with relentless delivery of your integrated digital strategy.
If you have any questions or help figuring out how to get your product online or in the virtual shopping cart you can always call me at (902) 489-2900 or send me an email peter@skufood.com.
We are adding more industry updates and interesting ideas to your SKUFood newsletter. Hopefully you have heard me say this before and that it resonated with you in your business.
“Success in this industry is not just about making a great product to sell; it is about selling the great products you make”
Peter Chapman
If you see things happening let us know so we can share them with our community. We also want to hear if you find this helpful and benefits your food and beverage business!
FCC creating peer groups for food manufacturers
It is very exciting to be working on two peer groups with FCC. All of the information about the groups is included here. If you are interested in either one of the peer groups just use the link at the bottom of the page.
Whole Foods to implement Amazon Go technology with no cashiers
We have all seen the photos of people shopping at Amazon Go stores with no cashiers. Consumers walk in, select what they want and with proprietary technology Amazon knows what is in the cart and shoppers are charged for their purchases.
The next step was to expand the concept to a more full service store. Whole Foods announced they will be opening two stores (Washington, D.C. and Sherman Oaks, CA) with this feature. The stores will also have cashiers and self checkout. One interesting note was they would be hiring the same amount of staff and more focused on customer service.
US Export capacity
It has been a privilege to work with the team at Aliment to support businesses from Atlantic Canada build capacity to export to USA. We have 4 webinars planned that are packed with great information from people who know how to do this. The team is from across North America who will be delivering the sessions and I know I am looking forward to learning a lot.
Food & Beverage Atlantic US export capacity Sept 22
The Toolbox
Food & Beverage Atlantic US export capacity Sept 29
Pitching in the USA
Food & Beverage Atlantic US export capacity Oct 6
Getting it ready, getting it right
Food & Beverage Atlantic US export capacity Oct 13
Sales & marketing basics
