Trust online can be different than trust in store
We have talked about selling your products online for the last 12 weeks. We have discussed finding the right consumers, alignment with where you will sell and developing a digital marketing strategy to sell the products. Many people can generate the sale once…the repeat sales come from consumers who trust your brand.
Developing and maintain trust online can be different than selling direct in person or in bricks and mortar retail. It all has to start with your definition of trust and how you believe consumers define this 5 letter word. We cannot tell you how to define it as trust is an individual thing.
Just the same as selling in bricks and mortar, success selling online 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 fourth segment of our C.A.R.T. process for e-commerce we ask the question ‘How do you define trust?’
Consider your own experience buying online
Do you remember the first time you entered your credit card to make an online purchase? For me it was a bit of a nerve-wracking experience. I was sharing this information we had been conditioned to protect and keep secret. To buy the product, I had to share the credit card number, perhaps the even more secret 4 digits on the front or back (depending on your card) and other personal information such as name and address. I probably got to this point 2-3 times before I actually hit enter to make the commitment.
Things are different now.
Many consumers are buying food online and some categories have much higher penetrations of online purchases. Some consumers even allow online sellers to maintain their credit card information. This is required for recurring monthly charges which is the business model for many online applications and subscription boxes.
Consumers are much more familiar with buying online, but you still must remember they are putting their faith in you to maintain the security required to protect their information and not to sell their list to some entity that will bombard you with spam. Your brand integrity can be eroded very quickly if you have issues around security. Even the best products will suffer if your ability to maintain confidentiality is compromised.
The final delivery will impact trust
Selling online is not only about your business. It can include the online marketplace, order selection and delivery. Regardless of your model, there is likely some dependence on third party resources. Consumers will include these outside resources in their definition of trust. Even if Fedex delivers the damaged package, they will associate it with your brand.
Consumers will determine very quickly who they want to trust
E-commerce does provide opportunities to communicate with the end user. You can get a sense for the level of trust when you monitor the communication. They will expect you to respond, which builds trust.
No different than when I worked with a retailer, where there were certain suppliers I could trust more than others, consumers will do the same. They will support the brands they believe they can trust to support online. It starts with a relationship and proceeds to a transaction. The trust is built throughout the process.
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!
Labels that change colour
Technology continues to change. That is not news but sometimes you see things where you say, “wow that is neat”. This would be one of those examples for me. There are so many applications to this. Obviously, reducing food waste and getting noticed by consumers is a great idea. The possibilities really are endless about how food and beverage businesses could use this.
No Frills Hauler campaign
Have you seen the No Frills Hauler ads? I am curious what you think? For me it seems quite departure for a discount chain. If the core essence of a discount banner is to strip out costs advertising (a lot) on tv and developing video games with banana controllers is a departure. Interested in your opinion?
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.
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 Oct 6
Pitching in the USA
Food & Beverage Atlantic US export capacity Oct 20
Getting it ready, getting it right
Food & Beverage Atlantic US export capacity Nov 3
Sales & marketing basics