Foodservice brands operating in e-commerce channels are fighting for consumer trust – and sales – at every turn. A solid online retail strategy is a must. Read on to learn the essential foodservice e-commerce strategy tips and tricks that will position you at the top of the digital shelf – and keep you there.
Trust Matters
E-commerce food sales require brands to go above and beyond to earn consumer trust and confidence. When in-person product evaluation isn’t an option, the consumer takes particular care to ensure they get the right product from the right brands at the right price. This is especially true of foodservice brands.
Unlike e-commerce in other verticals, foodservice companies feel the weight of additional consumer considerations when selling online: transparency, processing and labeling, in addition to the standard product information categories you would find with non-food items.
Because there’s so much at stake with online foodservice purchases, consumers know to do their research. With a tap on their smartphone screen, they can uncover a wealth of information about their next purchase. And if they have a negative experience, the competition is just one click away.
Establishing, building and maintaining consumer trust is critical in the foodservice e-commerce space, and it starts long before the sale. Trust is the bedrock of consumer engagement and increasing sales; trust leads to purchase. With an endless line of foodservice brands competing for your audience, your company must prioritize earning consumer trust as a primary goal. Your digital content strategy can help you achieve it.
This article from 1WorldSync provides relevant tips and tricks for enhancing your foodservice e-commerce strategy, helping you earn the trust of your shoppers and reap the rewards of consumer confidence and loyalty.
Engage Consumers and Build Confidence with Rich Content
Every time consumers make a purchase, they have a choice. That choice is often determined by the product content set before them. Implementing rich product content into your food and beverage e-commerce strategy allows you to meaningfully engage shoppers and drive them toward purchase.
Interactive, in-depth rich content allows you to deliver complete, transparent product information to your consumers, enhancing every aspect of the content experience. Here are a few rich content examples:
- Product videos
- 360-degree spin imagery
- Detailed product information with comparisons to competing product
- Frequently asked questions
- Nutrition facts label
- Certifications like allergen-free, organic, or Kosher labels
Consumers want quick, clear product information when purchasing food and beverage products online. Rich content provides a complete understanding of your product, giving your audience the information they want and need to make an informed purchase decision.
At 1WorldSync, our image teams create rich imagery that resonates with your target audience by providing the following:
- GS1 Compliant CPG & Foodservice: High-quality product images, compliant with GS1 standards, contribute to accurate product synchronization across different platforms to improve the online shopping experience.
- 360-Degree Photography & Digitally Rendered Imagery: Our 360-degree product photography and digitally rendered images give your customers an immersive experience. Let them explore every angle of your products, boosting confidence in their purchase decisions.
- On-Site or In-Studio Services: Whether you prefer the convenience of on-site photography or the controlled environment of our state-of-the-art studio, we’ve got you covered.
Our images include closed-case marketing angles, including barcodes and product descriptions. Open-case shots show the contents inside, while inner bag shots show the loose and packaged products. Raw product shots show the contents out of the package. Our team of photographers leaves no stone unturned, giving your consumers the content they need to proceed to purchase.
Syndicate Data Pools to Maintain Consistency across Channels
Food and beverage companies sell in multiple channels on various platforms and through many different retailers. Syndicating your data pools ensures your product content remains consistent across every channel where you engage consumers and sell your products.
Data pools allow suppliers and their partners to obtain, maintain and exchange product data in a standardized format. This universal language enables real-time content and data sharing, eliminating the risk of content errors and poor customer experiences that can result. Syndicating your pool reach through a trusted data pool provider like 1WorldSync ensures your data gets to users –– completely and accurately –– across all channels. Our platform also keeps your content up to date against major releases and emerging regulations so your teams can focus on adding value elsewhere.
The 1WorldSync GDSN data pool provides the formatting flexibility you need to seamlessly and automatically keep up with trading partner needs and requirements. This helps you expand your e-commerce customer base while ensuring accurate, reliable product content in every market.
Highlight Certifications Consumers Care About
There is a greater appeal than ever for foodservice companies to highlight various certifications in their product content. Consumers want to know if a product is certified gluten-free, organic, non-GMO, or if it holds fair-trade certifications. Obtaining these certifications from reputable certifying bodies and positioning these banners on your product page provides third-party, unbiased validation for the integrity of your products and brand.
Highlight the certifications and product information today’s engaged customer cares about and make their purchase decision an easy choice.
Make Transparency a Given
Transparency in retail, especially for foodservice products and regarding food safety, is a “must include” in your e-commerce strategy. Consumers not only want transparency, but they demand it. And if brands don’t deliver, they’ll shop elsewhere.
Food and beverage product transparency builds trust and helps consumers form confident, informed opinions about your products, leading to higher satisfaction rates. Providing thorough, honest and up-to-date product information is crucial to building trust, the foundation of customer relationships and the backbone of your online sales and marketing strategy.
Consumers expect transparency. Provide them with all the information they could ask for, plus some. Go above and beyond to make product data transparency a given.
Provide Social Proof that Compels Consumers to Purchase
Consumers will not purchase a product online if there are negative (or no) reviews for that item. Social proof is a major factor in e-commerce success, including food and grocery products. Foodservice brands must implement a ratings and reviews program to fully capitalize on positive customer experiences and gain the trust of new shoppers.
Reviews are a primary factor in online purchase decisions, surpassing price, free shipping, brand and recommendations from family and friends. More than 99.75 percent of consumers consult reviews before purchase, highlighting the necessity of a robust reviews and ratings management program.
Implementing review management for your food and beverage products is one brick in the critical foundation of your e-commerce strategy. With consumers relying primarily on reviews to inform their buying choices, you need verified, trustworthy customer feedback that accurately represents your products to shoppers.
Conclusion
Foodservice brands’ approaches to e-commerce are more critical than ever. An expanding digital shelf and an increasingly competitive marketplace require optimizing your online strategies. You need a content partner who can anticipate your needs and provide the solutions that help you win.
Explore 1WorldSync’s plans and join the leading platform for foodservice product content orchestration. Get in touch today to see how we can improve your product information management experience and cultivate trust and confidence in the consumer so you can sell more.