With 30 years of marketing experience behind us we throw a spotlight on the growth opportunity for brands online and how to capitalise on the growing home delivery market. How can you grow your online sales?

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that UK online sales, as a percentage of total retail sales, was already tracking at 19% - 21% before rocketing to 33% through April and May, as the impact of Covid-19 took hold. Research specialists, Mintel, forecast online grocery sales through the grocery retailers is expected to grow by 33% in 2020 accounting for 16% of all grocery purchases. So, whether you sell direct to consumers or via retailers there is huge potential in getting it right online. What can you do to improve your online brand?

Growing your own e-commerce business is achievable and accessible but only if you work at it consistently. This is a huge topic but here are our five tips for success:

1. Think Brand First!
We believe brands should always, always start with a crystal clear view of what makes them distinctive and then communicate that as succinctly, creatively and memorably as possible, whether online or offline. The ability to communicate and transact with people online is nothing without a compelling and enticing brand proposition at its core. There are many digital tools to work with but they are just that, tools. Their success and effectiveness depends on the quality of the material, your brand, they are given to work with. Our advice is invest time in making your brand as distinctive, attractive and relevant as possible to the customers you seek.

2. Build traffic
Know your audience and how to reach them then invest in the activities that will pull people in to your site time and time again. Social media advertising, (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube), email marketing and pay-per-click (PPC) search advertising are all flexible, affordable options for many businesses now, with the ability to drive sales and help you learn even more about your customers and their preferences. Your brand and your content is what makes you attractive and relevant but the you need to be visible too! The more you know about the people that love your products, the more you’ll be able to find more like them. Social media polls, online reviews, postcode analysis, customer surveys, website & social analytics...these are all techniques readily available to help brands learn more about their customers.

3. Deliver a great experience
It’s one thing to bring traffic to your site, and another thing entirely to get people to buy when they are there. Think about the websites you like to buy from and how easy they make the process of shopping – from browsing the range, to studying the product detail, reading others’ reviews right through to the checkout experience and sales confirmation. Can shoppers navigate your site easily? Do you make it easy for them to get straight to the shop? And what is the mobile experience for your site?

4. Love the numbers!
Growing sales online is a marathon not a sprint fueled by a love of the vast array of numbers. Web traffic data, social media engagement, e-mail open rates, online conversion and average order value levels; just a few of the many metrics available to help determine what delivers an effective return. But it’s because every brand and business is different that what works for one may not work for another. Digital marketing comes with plenty of data to help understand what works and what doesn’t so use it. Is one ad creative more effective than another? Is Facebook advertising better than Youtube or Instagram? Which pages on the website attract more traffic or sales? What’s the best day and time to send emails? Test & Learn!

If you love the numbers you’ll learn what works and your chance of online success will be vastly improved.

5. Invest in content….regularly!
The phrase “ a picture is worth a thousand words” can be traced back in history to a Chinese philosopher yet it is as relevant today in this digital world as it has ever been. Good quality image content, either photographic or video are hugely valuable assets for brands today. Producing good quality imagery imagery week in, week out, for social media, email marketing, web content or digital advertising need not be prohibitively expensive but it does require commitment, planning and some investment. These images will create a lasting impression, they will help cement your brand in the minds of your customers and will resonate and communicate far more than a list of features or benefits can ever achieve. They are the fuel for your brand, so don’t hold back.

Additional notes for food brands, selling through online grocers:

It may come as no surprise that to capitalise on the growing online grocery retail sector (the home delivery offer of Ocado, Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and Waitrose etc), the principles described here remain just as true as for your own e-commerce.

Plan carefully about how you present your brand; develop imagery and content that is fit for purpose in the online grocery retailer environment.
Pay attention to the detail – get the right descriptors and key terms in to your product listing.
Invest in retailer-specific online marketing or advertising (though tread carefully, it is fearfully expensive!) .
Test & learn with any investment – which search terms are the most effective? How do get your brand to “stick” in the shopping list?

We understand consumer brand marketing, working with many of the UK’s leading food and drink brands as well as some of the most innovative farming and family-owned SME food businesses. Gressingham Duck, Mackie’s Ice Cream, Fairfields Farm Crisps, Sutton Hoo Chicken Metcalfe’s Popcorn, Paddy & Scotts Coffee, Kettle Crisps, and Stokes Sauces are just some of the brands we have worked with.

If you would like to discuss ideas for your brand, we’d love to hear from you, with no obligation on your part and no expectation on ours. Click here to contact us.