Predicting how future retail shoppers will shape consumer brand’s multi-channel marketing and sales programs to provide what they WANT and how they will GET it.

Food and Beverage eCommerce sales skyrocketed in 2020 and have remained elevated in 2021 due to the massive push towards shopping online and the convenience of click-and-collect and in-home delivery services.

Rather than just sitting back and observing this momentum, savvy brand marketers focus on capitalising on this growth to increase the value offer to their online audience.

Moving beyond the traditional ‘social media and digital marketing’ campaigns, they are now investing heavily in digital customer journeys, experiences, AND brand engagement programs.

By understanding how their shoppers’ research and make purchases, they can more quickly and cost-effectively scale their mix of multi-channel marketing and eCommerce programs.

Furthermore, as they continue to recognise the importance of a mix between in-store and online, they are investing in omnichannel marketing and sales campaigns to improve its direct-to-consumer programs to open new sales channels and access additional customers.

It’s not the eCommerce program brands wanted, but it’s the one they need.

Predicting the future of Omnichannel and eCommerce

The retail landscape locally and globally continues to radically change each year to adopt new technologies to support the changing consumer shopping trends.

The food and beverage (CMCG / CPG) segment is constantly re-inventing how to service their customers, adapting to incorporate new technologies that will drive their multichannel commerce programs.

For more than 20-years, rev™ Branding has helped some of the world’s leading brands to connect with their customers using digital brand experiences and high-performance omnichannel marketing campaigns, which are strategic, creative, and inspire actions.

Working across Australia, New Zealand and North America, our expert team have complied a list of ‘predictions’ that we believe will shape the retail shopping landscape in the future.

Understanding the Key Shopping Drivers

Before you can begin to visualise the future consumer shopping trends, you firstly need to understand the two key drivers that influence shoppers.

Convenience: Adapting how you communicate and sell products and services that better suit the lifestyle needs of a shopper e.g. offering more ways for buyers to shop.

• Online and Instore – becoming a true omnichannel retailer allowing shoppers to decide how they research and buy e.g. in-store, online, mobile, tablet, digital app, or third-party eMarketplace.
• Ordering Online – offering multichannel shopping options on a platform of their choice. Providing auto-replenishment opportunities e.g. subscription models.
• Distribution and Shipping – click and Collect, Kerbside Pick-up, Location Lockers, Automated Kiosks, Drive through pick-up, rapid shipping models e.g. Instacart 30 min delivery).
• Customer Service – real-time support via automated messaging help services, customer reviews, customer surveys and feedback.

Personalisation: Catering for the shopper’s specific needs and making the experience memorable AND very relatable (yes, this part IS hard).

• Analyse your data to understand your shopper and their purchase trends.
• Adopt a fluid gender strategy – new gender categorisation changes your marketing and offer message. Since COVID-19, 50% of U.S grocery shoppers are male.
• Marketing campaigns need to target the RIGHT shopper, not just any shopper.
• Target your promotional campaigns and offers specific to your customer’s loyalty program purchase history.
• Overlay third-party data sources to cross-reference your customer’s shopping interests and behaviours.
• Develop your customer loyalty program to create more ‘sticky’ customers.
• Get a better understanding of what your customers want so you can tailor your service delivery e.g. shorter supply chains, fresher produce, variety of range, shopping channels, communication methods.
• Build Trust – leading brand marketers ALL acknowledge that trust is the primary purchase decision factor across digital sales channels.
• Identify new trends early. e.g. environmental concerns, health or dietary conscious (organics, halal, vegan), Humanitarian and social beliefs.

Utilise Data Analysis like it is Oxygen

Invest in systems that can analyse data from a myriad of touchpoints to better understand your shopper’s needs and behaviours, targeting your offer with pinpoint accuracy.  Use these data points to identify new products and sales extensions.

Invest HEAVILY in shopper analysis and combine:

• Website SEO and traffic.
• Social media behaviours and trends.
• Shopping experience and journey.
• Customer loyalty programs.
• Customer experience research.
• Customer surveys.
• Market research.
• Sales transactional data.
• External third-party data sources.

Be Innovative. Become more strategic.

How brands tailor their marketing, communications, and, of course, the distribution of their products and services to better fit within their customers’ lifestyles WILL win the retail war!

Grocery chains are already competing with restaurants!

We’ve already seen a rapid uptake of in-home meal replacement offers from Grocerants e.g. on-demand food delivery services like Instacart, third party food delivery apps like UberEATS, online marketplaces like Amazon, subscription meal kits such as HelloFresh.

Start thinking outside the ‘retail box’ about what consumers are looking for.

• Grab and Go – meal replacement alternative.
• Range – smaller product range resulting in a faster order turn-around and delivery.
• Quality – optimise your supply chain and increase product quality and lifespan.
• Online Ordering – multichannel shopping capability and auto-replenishment via subscriptions.
• Customer Service – real-time support via automated messaging help services, customer reviews, customer surveys and feedback.
• Products v Experiences – bundle products into services e.g. HelloFresh & Dollar Shave Club.
• Distribution Channels – Click and Collect, Kerbside Pick-up, Location Lockers, Automated Kiosks, Drive through pick-up, rapid shipping models e.g. Instacart 30 min delivery).
• Multichannel – Supporting news ways that people research and purchase e.g. mobile, tablet, digital app, channel distributors, and third-party eMarketplace.
• Invest in digital technology – don’t be scared to adopt Machine Learning, AI or voice activation tools to keep pushing the boundaries of the ‘new normal’.
• eCommerce Pop-Up Shops.
• Image recognition technology working as product recognition.
• Sustainable business practices – green marketing and environmental programs.
• eCommerce Marketing – invest MORE in ‘paid search’ campaigns and digital brand experiences that are unforgettable to your customers.

Start building your eCommerce plan!

How to create a results-driven eCommerce Digital Sales Channel Acceleration Program for YOUR business.

Read our website article and learn how companies are already identifying new growth channels and revenue opportunities from eCommerce digital sales channels.

• Creating an eCommerce strategy and tactical plan
• Selling products eMarketplaces like eBay or Amazon
• Creating your eCommerce offer and campaign support plan
• Using Paid Search and SEO Tools
• Understanding your digital technology and infrastructure
• Developing a trusted online branding and sales offer.

>> Read Full Article

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