It’s becoming a double-edged sword for retail: omnipresence.
Ordering a milkshake packet on Amazon might be getting consumers a discount, but it’s taking away the straw lately. Quite literally.
A recent purchase on Amazon Fresh revealed that no matter how many tetra packs you buy, not a single straw is given.
Which might be a sustainability thing. But how is a customer to drink from the tetra pack?
The reality is that even though online marketplaces are giving manufacturers entry into new consumer markets, it’s also taking away their ability to ensure that products reach consumers perfectly.
Broken, expired products often get delivered to consumer homes at lucrative prices. And if buyers aren’t happy with what they get, they simply get a refund.
So who’s at a loss?
Not the consumer who is shopping from their homes.
Not the marketplace that’s giving them the convenience and low prices.
But the manufacturer whose product is sold at a lower price and poor quality.
This lack of control in the online sales system, is taking away a product’s reliability amongst consumers rapidly.
Smart businesses are making up for this, by leveraging retail intelligence and their age-old distribution channels.
Which means that, even if Amazon delivers a milkshake without a straw one time, the next-door store will always have the milkshake with the straw, sitting on their shelves. Whenever the consumer decides to buy next.
Salesmen are using retail solutions like Smart Merchandising and Asset Management to monitor the company’s products and assets on every retail shelf. It ensures the products are displayed correctly while optimizing the shelf space and maintaining the brand identity.
Many, like Parle Agro, are even winning the game by clubbing retail intelligence with their GTM strategies. The company’s newest product Smoodh milkshakes, is becoming a favourite in India, driven by its pocket-friendly Rs. 10 pricing and strong digital-led distribution systems built on Bizom.
However, online still plays a vital role for today’s consumers. When they walk into stores and find a new pack of premium chips, cakes or cream, the young shoppers read Google reviews before buying them. The reviews help build trust in unknown products.
Incidentally, Google shows both textual and video reviews for Parle Agro’s Smoodh milkshakes.
Because right information ensures right decisions.
Both in terms of selling and buying.
Do you have a 360° view of your products, partners, assets and salesmen in the market?
If you need to think about the answer, you probably need it.
Connect with our retail intelligence experts at marketing@mobisy.com to discover how Bizom’s retail intelligence platform can accelerate your sales growth.
