There are a host of factors that influence the success of a direct-to-consumer food brand, and knowing what to look out for and how best to leverage a platform is paramount to ensuring that your specialty food business can thrive.
Rachel Saul, co-founder and chief DTC Strategist of Chelsea & Rachel Co., is passionate about food and beverages; she has worked with food brands like Primal Kitchen, Kind, and Organic Valley to maximize their profits. During the SFA Maker Prep Webinar, “Hungry for Profits: 5 Things New DTC Food Brands Must Do To Thrive,” she walked through how to set up a digital marketplace, write an effective product description page, and improve both first-time and returning customer journeys on a website while maximizing average order values and customer retention.
The foundation of the DTC journey is the platform, and Saul believes that taking the extra time to verify that the product has all the capabilities required in as straightforward a manner as possible will help the business in the long run.
“We hear a lot of brands trying to be as scrappy as possible doing the best that they can but find a lot of frustration in trying to run their business,” Saul said. “So it’s really important, whether you are just getting started or you’ve started and you are feeling [dissatisfied]...that you make sure you choose the right platform for selling direct-to-consumer. You don’t want to feel like your laptop is on fire all the time because you can’t manage your products.”
To properly evaluate a platform, it is recommended to consider the following questions: how many products am I selling? How am I fulfilling my orders? How do I want to communicate with customers? How much will I sell in-store versus online? The answers will give insight into what types of needs a business requires from the website. For example, if a third-party company fulfills orders, the platform should connect seamlessly with the third party’s services.
On the data side, a platform should be able to track analytics and KPIs in real time in an easy-to-understand format.
“The best platform to choose is the one that processes payments quickly and gives you numbers and tools to run a very smooth business,” She advised. “At the end of the day, the ecommerce platform is how you make money.”
Once the platform is chosen and set up, the product description page should be carefully planned to maximize its utility for customers. This will be a crucial step in customers’ journeys, as it will educate them on both the product and brand. Taking the time to perfect this page will help to convert traffic into purchases.
An effective product description page does the following:
• Reviews
• Clear Price
• Clear purchase choices (one-time vs subscription)
• Badges or Logos to support conversion
• Clear features and benefits
• FAQ
• Related products
Saul notes avoiding having a dead end for shopping. When the opportunity presents itself, facilitate consumer discovery through related product offerings or other information about the product or brand.
An effective way to display the product is to present a comparison chart or “what’s inside” graphic that will explain the ingredients in the products, nutrition information, and how it stands out from competitors.
For more information on how to create or improve a top-notch DTC sales strategy watch the webinar on demand in the Learning Center.
Related: Succession Planning Advice: What to Avoid; Specialty Food Sales Basics: Q&A With Thorpe