How will you determine if consumers trust you?
Selling online provides you with the opportunity to communicate directly with the end user. Something you do not usually get when selling in retail. This direct communication is a great chance to assess the level of trust people have with your products and your brand.
There are several touchpoints with e-commerce you can adopt to assess trust:
1) You can review your interaction with consumers and their responses to social media
2) Product reviews on your website are very important when selling online
3) Product reviews on marketplaces such as Amazon
4) Feedback when you share items of value like recipes
5) Comments on your customer’s websites
An effective online selling strategy should include resources to monitor these channels and communicate directly with consumers.
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 will you determine if consumers trust you?”
Dedicate the resources
E-commerce is not just about getting it set up and counting your money. The right resources who can interact with consumers will pay dividends. Consumers expect responses and the level of trust they have with your brand will grow when you interact with them.
Social media
Social media is so much more than organic posts and paid ads. If this is all you do you will be disappointed. Consumers expect to get a response and even those watching will be disappointed if you do not respond to another consumer. You can really build trust with these interactions because you are talking directly to the end user.
Be prepared for the negatives too. Unfortunately, everyone, even the misinformed have a voice on social media. Anticipate the comments, questions or negative feedback you might get. Prepare answers in advance and remember many people could see your response.
Product reviews on your website
We know online shoppers are influenced by product reviews they read online. I still find it interesting people put more faith in the feedback from someone they do not know than many other sources. It used to be there were more formal consumer reports published but now anyone can leave a review. Read these and try to assess the good and the bad. If you are seeing a theme in the comments, you should address it. If it is a positive theme, then build on it in your marketing and advertising. If it is a negative theme you need to figure out the issue and perhaps let people know you have the issue corrected.
Sometimes we see comments about packaging. If there are a number of problems, then you actually do have an issue or perhaps people are not using the product properly. Fix the actual problem or find the right words to address the usage issue. Trust will be restored when you respond to the issue properly.
Product reviews on a marketplace
You have less control when people write reviews on a marketplace like Amazon or Well.ca. It is still important to monitor them and watch for any themes. You should also investigate the opportunities you have to respond and interact.
Do not get defensive. Sometimes you want to jump right in but take the time to formulate the right response.
Feedback when you share items of value
When you invest resources to develop recipes or other collateral you should watch the response and the number of people who take advantage of the offer. For example, we would be interested in how many people download our C.A.R.T. process to determine if there is value for our audience.
You are producing these items to drive sales but also to build trust. When people do take advantage of them reach out and ask them what they think. Interact with them and take the time to develop the relationship. This is how you build trust.
Comments on your customer’s websites
If you are selling into retailers, chances are they have your products on their website. You can monitor any feedback in this space as well. If you do not have access to the comments, ask your customer to review. This is a positive message to send to your customer that you care and to see what is happening. You know the retailer will be reading them. If consumers have an issue with your products you need to be part of the conversation.
Assess trust continuously
Things change very quickly, sometimes even quicker in the e-commerce world. Watch what is happening with your products and your competitors. You can learn all the time and when you have a proactive strategy and interact with consumers you will build trust. You can determine what level of trust people have with your products by monitoring and seeking the interaction online.
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.
For our Canadian audience, Happy Thanksgiving!
Peter
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!
An email from Galen Weston
Last week I received an email from Galen Weston about food waste. My first question is did you receive the same email? If you are in the food industry you should be on the list for every retailer to monitor what they are saying and communicating to consumers.
We know all of the major Canadian retailers committed to reducing food waste by 50% by 2025. The pandemic has likely derailed some of these efforts but not all of them. This message was clear from Loblaw, “we are doing our part”. Suppliers need to be ready because the question will be asked very soon; “what are you doing about food waste?”
Logistics challenges and cost increases
You have heard us say how important service level is to your business. Since the pandemic hit getting products to your customers is more important than ever.
Imagine how frustrating it would be to get everything produced but not deliver because of logistics. You have cleared so many hurdles but not all. Proper resources to get your products to market are key. Whether you are shipping around the corner or around the world it seems to be a challenge. Do everything you can to secure the pallets and access to freight. It will pay dividends with your customers.
FCC creating peer groups for food manufacturers
Applications are being accepted now for these two peer groups with FCC. This is a great opportunity for food processors to solve some problems in their business and learn from peers. Facilitating the conversations will be very interesting and I look forward to sharing some insights as well. If you would like more information call me at (902) 489-2900.
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 20
Getting it ready, getting it right
Food & Beverage Atlantic US export capacity Nov 3
Sales & marketing basics