By Scott Clarke, Vice President, Consumer Products Industry Lead, Publicis Sapient
The global health crisis has changed how consumers shop, with greater emphasis on digital channels and new drivers of value.
E-commerce now makes up approximately 6.6% of all consumer packaged goods (CPG) sales, and all indications are that the transition toward online shopping is anything but a short-lived pandemic response. Indeed, not only are consumers shopping online more than they did before the pandemic (71%), but almost half (48%) believe they will shop more online in the future.
Yet, despite this seismic shift toward e-commerce, the experience of buying online—with few exceptions—remains relatively underwhelming.
While food and beverage (F&B) brands have made significant gains in addressing consumers’ most pressing demands for fast, convenient and anywhere/anytime commerce, very few have managed to deliver online experiences that truly “wow” and delight the consumer.
With 44% of brands identifying “accelerating e-commerce" as the biggest trend that will impact the F&B industry over the next three years, expect to see brands invest heavily in the online channel to improve overall performance, attract and retain new consumers, and “stand out from the crowd.”
For brands to succeed, they must embrace consumer-first, total commerce strategies, where consumers can—at a minimum—engage the brand universally and continuously. This will require rethinking the alignment and integration of owned and partner channels to regain control of the entire shopping journey—creating a differentiated brand identity and establishing a stronger relationship with consumers. It will also require coordination, focus and investment across business functions, including sales, marketing, product development and supply chain.