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At 9xb, we’ve closely worked with a wide range of food & beverage companies, such as M&S, Pizza Express, Doves Farm, Stirred, Hilltop Honey and English Cheesecake Company. Our expertise delivering successful eCommerce stores within this industry has seen us pick up some awards along the way too.
And with that said, we’re pleased to announce that our recent website launch for Doves Farm has been shortlisted for B2C eCommerce Website of the Year at the UK Digital Growth Awards. As the UK’s leading organic flour brand, their award shortlist has inspired us to pull together the top Food & Beverage eCommerce trends in 2022.
The future of food & beverage online sales is looking significantly promising, with sales rising year on year. According to recent research, internet sales are forecast to account for 15%-20% of the food and beverage sector’s overall sales by 2025.
The rise in online sales has been pinpointed as a millennial effect who are sourcing healthier and more sustainable options, however the rise has been seen across all audiences.
Savvy food and beverage companies have already looked to improve their online capabilities, especially after the pandemic drove a huge spike in consumer packaged goods (CPGs). And though it’s evident that shoppers' in-store confidence is returning, online food shopping is definitely here to stay and is only set to evolve for the better.
Whether you’re B2B or selling direct to consumer, we’ve shared some top eCommerce tips to help boost eCommerce performance and sales.
When we truly believe in our product, it’s easy to get lost and design an eCommerce store that fits just your business needs and not the user. Your eCommerce store experience should be designed with the user at the forefront - from beginning to end.
Make the user experience fast, ensure it’s easy to find the right products and of course remove any barriers to purchase. Here are some key features that will delight your customers:
It’s important that you build and drive a clear brand proposition that speaks to your audience. Think about how you uniquely position yourself in the market and how your brand ticks all the boxes for your audiences.
Doves Farm and Freee for example produce purely organic ingredients and authentically deliver a ‘farm shop’ service to a mass audience. This is a huge appeal, especially to their growing community of bakers looking for healthy and diet specific produce for their bakes. From their website, communication strategy and packaging, their brand story is clear and consistent.
To support the growth of your online business, it’s important to drive an active, engaged community. Get an understanding of where your audience are and how to reach them. And just as importantly, check out what the competition is doing.
We’ve talked a lot about the user but to fully improve your stores profitability, your online business needs to be future-proofed. This can be done by leveraging the best technology and tools that will help your business scale.
When it comes to perishable goods, timing is of utmost importance. Delivery needs to be quick, easy to manage and of course reliable.
Integration with DPD has supercharged the delivery process for Doves Farm. The integration has not only automated and sped up internal processes through producing barcodes and booking the courier, it offers a speedy delivery service that customers can track.
Consumers are increasingly looking to source sustainable goods as we look to lower our carbon footprint. Environmental and sustainability awareness in fact isn’t a new thing in eCommerce but as awareness grows, so does sales for brands who are highlighting their sustainable practices and corporate social responsibilities.
Review how your brand addresses sustainability, from how the goods are made/sourced, packaging and delivery. There are many third parties available who help businesses to lower their carbon footprint such as Packhelp, who support businesses through sustainable packaging options.
The food & beverage eCommerce industry is evidently on the rise and is not looking to slow down. Getting your eCommerce strategy right is incredibly important, and something savvy businesses have already addressed.
Above is only a short list of tips to develop a leading food & beverage eCommerce business. Speak with one of our eCommerce Success Managers to discuss your unique business requirements and we can help transform your online store into a profitable, award-winning business.
