How to Create a Results-Driven Digital Sales Strategy
How to create a results-driven digital sales channel strategy that will grow your business by creating trust, building brand loyalty, and delivering sales growth both in-store and online.
In Australia, eCommerce revenue has almost doubled year on year.
In 2022, we saw a 22% increase in online sales, up from 12% in 2021. This translates into a projected AU$37.5 billion of the annual global eCommerce revenue in 2023-2024.
How to Build a Digital Sales Strategy!
A digital strategy is a well thought out plan for establishing an internet presence for your brand a across digital channels such as your website, google, social media, ecommerce sites, and eMarketplaces likes eBay and Amazon.
The goal of digital strategies is usually to…
1. Access new ‘online’ sales channels
2. Increase your brand awareness
3. Build engagement with ‘online’ shoppers
4. Develop a long-term eCommerce program.
Its a challenge to convince business executives to move the business from their traditional marketing program towards a multichannel eCommerce marketing program that connects with buyers both in-store and online.
“eCommerce is not the icing on the cake – it is the cake.”
Jean-Paul Agon CEO of L’Oreal
Digital Sales Channel Strategy Considerations
For progressive brands looking to get ahead of their competitors by investing in digital early, its essential that they begin by building a Digital Sales Channel – Marketing & eCommerce Strategy.
With so many opportunities across the digital landscape, it is easy to get into execution mode too early and race off purchasing systems and publishing paid advertising.
Working with industry experts like rev™ Branding will ensure that your investment in digital is targeted and avoids wasted time, money and rework.
Learn how to create a results-driven digital sales strategy that will grow your business, build brand retention, create trust, and deliver sales growth both in-store and online.
Get your Brand Message and Offer Right!
It doesn’t matter how much you spend on digital marketing, If you don’t have the right brand message and sales offer, your online shoppers will quickly click past your page.
Before you start loading products to online stores, stop for a moment and consider what the brand stands for, who your target consumer is, and why they are purchasing from you.
Related: FMCG Brand Strategy and Activation
Build a Multi-Channel Product Catalogue
You will require a LOT of information about your products to suit the requirements of each digital sales channel.
Everything from descriptions, GTINs, supply chain, hazardous, allergen, nutritional, on-pack labelling information, packaging, pricing, and digital assets like images.
A centralised product information management system or a PIM will vastly improve your digital marketing and sales channel ecosystem.
Related: Improve the Management of Product Information
Digitally Connected Customers
Leverage your digital and data capabilities to create connected and seamless shopping experiences. Identify the customer touchpoints that connect the shopper / customer through their ‘path-to-purchase’.
Focus on growing customers and brand loyalty beyond just the purchase using ‘customer-driven’ engagement processes that include personalisation, loyalty programs, interest groups, educational content, and community initiatives.
Related: Multichannel Google Marketing
Multichannel Marketing & Sales Program
As eCommerce channels become more ubiquitous, there is an unprecedented fluidity between the consumer’s offline and online shopping experience. The analysis shows shoppers will research a product online but purchase at a physical store.
Design your multichannel program to support every experience, every touchpoint across online and offline channels to consistently deliver on your brand promise. Get this right, and you will remain a category leader and win against the global eCommerce giants.
Related: eCommerce Digital Channel Marketing
eMarketplace Support
Global B2C eMarketplaces have been getting a lot of traction with consumers and have become a real alternative to physical stores e.g. eBay, Amazon, Kogan, Catch, MyDeal, Woolworths Marketplace, Endeavour, Little Birdie, Wine Selectors and TradeMe.
eMarketplaces can create a much larger opportunity for brand marketers to reach new customers and expand into new sales channels. The advent of robust cloud software makes it possible for companies like Amazon and eBay to scale quickly and low cost.
Related: How to Sell Products on eMarketplaces
Create Engaging Digital Brand Experiences
New technology can enrich a brand experience and engagement with consumers.
Augmented Reality, Mobile Apps, and Artificial Intelligence can differentiate your brand from your competition and make it an unforgettable user experience relayed across social media.
Related: Creating Unforgettable Digital Brand Experiences
Invest in eCommerce Marketing
Retail chains have invested heavily in digital. Coles Online, Woolworths Shop, Dan Murphy, IGA, and Chemist Warehouse have deployed new websites that allow brands to invest in paid search marketing.
Paid search campaigns are a way to guarantee your product listings are visible and appear first in customer searches in online shops or eMarketplaces.
eCommerce marketing tools such as Google Ads, Cartology, and CitrusAd allow brands to ‘pay to promote’ their product listings on eCommerce sites such as Google Search, Woolworths Shop, Coles Online, Endeavour Drinks, and independent grocery and pharmacy channels.
Related: Responsive Paid Search Campaigns
Build Brand Retention
Think about growing brand loyalty through B2C programs such as memberships and subscriptions.
Leading global brands such as Gillette market a subscription model that allows consumers to receive replacement razors for their Gillette branded handles each month – delivered to the door.
This direct-to-consumer model exploits the current consumer shopping trends to provide convenience as a value-add.
Related: Brand Launch Strategy
Consider a Mobile App
For companies with large communities who deal with them regularly e.g. Australia Post, Ergon Energy, Finance and Insurance etc, Mobile Apps can improve customer engagement and support.
With more and more people accessing the Internet from a mobile device, using a mobile app makes this experience more simple, intuitive, and efficient.
Invest in Data Analytics
As we move further into the digital age, data analytics will become the golden arrow of your program.
While shopper insights information and scan data have been useful for understanding your category and shopper trends, its new tools like Google Analytics can now track your digital customer journey and online behaviours.
Take the time to analyse online digital marketing, online traffic, shopping behaviours, digital platform performance, product sales per channel, distribution, and sales margins.
Invest in People, Processes, and Technology!
Getting the organisation and operation right from the beginning is vital to ensure that you can support your new eCommerce sales channels.
Ensure you have the right people to support the new process and provide them with training and support.
Invest in the right digital technology that can integrate into the existing systems and be simple to use.
Hive + Wellness engaged rev™ Branding to help us refine our Capilano Honey eCommerce marketing programs with our major retail partners. Their experience in eCommerce marketing within the FMCG industry is very unique at this point in time and it has been invaluable.
Tanya Watt – Chief Marketing Officer at Hive & Wellness
How we help
rev™ Branding is accredited and industry experienced in digital marketing and eCommerce channel development.
Our digital specialists know how to design and implement an effective digital strategy that will position you as a leading authority, grow your business, build brand retention, create trust, and deliver brand engagement online and in-store.
Using a combination of strategy, creative, technology, and digital media, we craft digital marketing strategies that change the way in which brands connect with shoppers.
Jump ahead by adopting the latest omnichannel marketing technology and consumer shopping trends. We’ll help you to investigate the use of social media & digital marketing, eCommerce, websites, and mobile apps, as well as augmented reality, AI, and hands-free voice activation.
Download our FREE eCommerce Strategy Whitepaper
FREE eCommerce Marketing Guide
Use our eCommerce Acceleration Whitepaper as a free guide to help you understand the digital landscape and plan out your company’s digital marketing and eCommerce growth strategy.
Use this eCommerce Digital Sales Channel Acceleration Whitepaper to identify new growth and revenue opportunities from eCommerce digital sales channels like eBay, Amazon, Catch, Kogan, Coles Online, Woolworths Shop, Endeavour Marketplace, Google and Facebook Shop.
Get Started!
Visit our eCommerce Marketing self-help dashboard where you can access products and services to help you create an effective Digital Marketing and eCommerce Marketing program.
Let’s Chat!
Speak with Rob Durrant, who has worked in the food and beverage industry for more than 30+ years and can help you understand which digital channel best suits your needs.
Contact Rob on +61 3 9863-7444 or [email protected]
