“Getting e-commerce right in wholesale is vital”
Red Bull UK E-Commerce Development Manager Lotte Tregear explains why going online is not only the future of wholesale – but also the easiest way to sell more
Ease of order placement ranks as the top priority for operators when choosing their online wholesale provider and with 84% of all wholesale deliveries now ordered online1, getting e-commerce right is vital for those providing a top-quality, delivered solution.
That’s why we’re working directly with key wholesalers to help improve the overall shopping experience for visitors, and helping drive sales and boost awareness.
Key to understanding how to help wholesalers is recognising that your shoppers are consumers too and their expectation of great online shopping will be shaped by their consumer experiences. Is what you’re offering as good as Ocado or the delivery as efficient as Amazon?
They are likely to stay loyal to great service, but also punish poor service or difficult shopping experiences. Fundamental to getting these basics right are three pillars: availability, discoverability and buyability.
Availability
An online shopper expects at least as good a range online as in-store – typically they expect even more. As a result, there shouldn’t be any products accessed in depot that can’t be bought online. In fact, the web could be a great place to try range extensions, especially if depot space is stretched.
Discoverability
Quite simply, an online shopper wants to find what they want quickly – as shown by a massive 95% of web traffic for the first page of results and 67% of clicks going to the top five listings2.
What we typically find on wholesaler websites are huge lists of products and often, the order in which these products appear hasn’t been considered. For example, one leading wholesaler stocks 132 different energy products on its site.
While the choice reflected is wide, the challenge is to consider how to help users navigate this. Our recommendation for best practice is to place best-sellers at the top of the page and then use filters to help operators find more specific products for their outlet.
It’s also important not to simply optimise the energy shelf. You need to consider the different ways shoppers might find the product. What are all the key relevant – and lateral – search terms for each category and have you left margin for typos?
Buyability
The final thing to consider is if your website provides the right information to convert the sale. In depot, shoppers can touch and feel the product, and ask staff questions, whereas the detail on web pages needs to do this job.
It’s important all products have names that help shoppers understand what they’re buying and come with a relevant image. Also, if you display POR in depot, it should also be online.
For Red Bull, one of our biggest wins has been improving the way we present our product – and using good imagery has improved our online sales by as much as 26% in online wholesale. That translates to more than just energy drinks too and can be implemented to any category to improve a customers’ user journey and leading to more sales.
Contact your local Red Bull representative to find out how you can become a Perfect Online Wholesaler too.
digital e-commerce Lotte Tregear online Red Bull
