NEW YORK: One third of food brands are failing to take advantage of the opportunities offered by Amazon product pages, according to research.
The 2015 Digital IQ Index study for food brands, produced by digital think tank L2, found that two thirds (65%) of those brands present on Amazon were using the "From the Manufacturer" section of the product page to talk directly to consumers and to set themselves apart.
Coffee-mate, owned by Nestlé, shares recipes on its product pages, for example, a practice more likely to influence the path to purchase than simply promoting the product.
And McCormick's, the spice brand, shares photos of each product's SKU and nutrition labels, which L2 said can make the consumer more confident when buying online.
"It sounds simple on the surface, but you'd be surprised by how many brands don't think to do that," Samuel Lee, who led the research, told Digiday.
"Anything that can capture the consumer's attention is what counts," he said. "More and better pictures are a good place to start – whatever makes the product stick out."
Lee added that while this particular study had examined food brands, the findings were relevant to most consumer goods categories.
"Best-selling products show up at the top of Amazon searches, and besides having a superior product, the best thing a brand can do is put effort into the page they're putting in front of consumers," he stated.
The study further detailed how food brands have been focusing digital investments in ecommerce and mobile.
Some 22% of brands now partner with e-tailers to sell their products, a 12% increase over the previous year, while 81% support a mobile-optimized site, up from 57%.
As a result five more brands entered L2's "Genius" ranking – where "digital competence is a point of competitive difference" – currently topped by Betty Crocker, the General Mills-owned brand.
At the same time, another of its brands – Totino's – was one of seven that fell into the "Feeble" range.
The 2015 Digital IQ Index study for food brands, produced by digital think tank L2, found that two thirds (65%) of those brands present on Amazon were using the "From the Manufacturer" section of the product page to talk directly to consumers and to set themselves apart.
Coffee-mate, owned by Nestlé, shares recipes on its product pages, for example, a practice more likely to influence the path to purchase than simply promoting the product.
And McCormick's, the spice brand, shares photos of each product's SKU and nutrition labels, which L2 said can make the consumer more confident when buying online.
"It sounds simple on the surface, but you'd be surprised by how many brands don't think to do that," Samuel Lee, who led the research, told Digiday.
"Anything that can capture the consumer's attention is what counts," he said. "More and better pictures are a good place to start – whatever makes the product stick out."
Lee added that while this particular study had examined food brands, the findings were relevant to most consumer goods categories.
"Best-selling products show up at the top of Amazon searches, and besides having a superior product, the best thing a brand can do is put effort into the page they're putting in front of consumers," he stated.
The study further detailed how food brands have been focusing digital investments in ecommerce and mobile.
Some 22% of brands now partner with e-tailers to sell their products, a 12% increase over the previous year, while 81% support a mobile-optimized site, up from 57%.
As a result five more brands entered L2's "Genius" ranking – where "digital competence is a point of competitive difference" – currently topped by Betty Crocker, the General Mills-owned brand.
At the same time, another of its brands – Totino's – was one of seven that fell into the "Feeble" range.
Data sourced from Digiday, L2; additional content by Warc staff
