We've partnered with Rodeo CPG to help food & beverage brands get a jumpstart on scaling their business. Learn more about Rodeo CPG's upcoming Jumpstart course. This post was written in partnership with Rodeo CPG.
It’s easy to get swept up in the complexity that comes with building your ecommerce site. However, like most things, simple is better. In this post, we’re going to outline the handful of things that should be a focus in the early-days.
What Are The Most Important Things To Get Right?
Tell a Story
When consumers shop online they’re looking to discover something new, exciting, and reflective of their values. A powerful online identity means utilizing digital communication tools to tell your story in a way that endears your target audience before, during, and after they become a customer.
Stay in Touch
Maybe you’re a wiz at artful TikTok videos, or love making explainer videos for YouTube. Perhaps personal Instagram stories cataloging your everyday life as a business owner are your thing. Weekly emails are a quick and easy way to keep your audience updated on your brand and announce new products, too. Using these tools effectively is key to gaining followers and keeping them, and loyal fans are the most likely to become (and stay) customers.
The Product Has to Sing
It goes without saying that having an excellent product should be top priority. Customers won’t come back if you don’t deliver on your marketing and product promises. Are you explaining the product benefits accurately? Are you using testimonials to express user feedback? All of this digital messaging helps tell your story, get consumers excited, and, ultimately, sell more product.
How does this translate into the design of my site?
Starting out, you should nail the following:
- A simple (often one-page), well-designed, mobile-friendly website built for ecommerce.
- Large, high-quality imagery or videos to tell your story and establish credibility.
- Strong copy that conveys your brand’s key messages.
- Easy site navigation (someone shouldn’t have to click more than 3 times to find anything) and clear call(s)-to-action.
What Are Some Good Examples?
The Good Ritual (@thegoodritual)
An Australian-American brand in the functional coffee space that’s really nailing their story and messaging. Using clear visuals of their packaging, they use social media to showcase the why/how of their products. When your product contains a new or obscure ingredient (for The Good Ritual, that’s a supplement called l-theanine), explaining why that ingredient is important to your product and brand is a great way to elevate your story.
Joolies (@joolies)
An emerging brand that took the humble, ancient date and elevated it through beautiful packaging and explanatory messaging that makes you wonder why you haven’t considered dates a part of our regular diet before! Their focus on the origin of their ingredients (a date farm in the Coachella Valley of California) repaints the mysticism behind this modest dried fruit and makes it feel like a necessary addition to any natural foods pantry.
Omsom (@omsom)
An authentic brand focused on loud, proud Asian flavors. Instead of shying away from their culture, they embrace it. Their intense brand colors, real family photos of the founders, and in-your-face graphics and website design makes you want to join the party. Omsom's style may not be the right fit for everyone (and that’s ok!), but what they do right is dial in their messaging for the adventurous, youthful home cook that wants to spice things up.
We've partnered with Rodeo CPG to help food & beverage brands get a jumpstart on scaling their business. Learn more about Rodeo CPG's upcoming Jumpstart course. This post was written in partnership with Rodeo CPG.
It’s easy to get swept up in the complexity that comes with building your ecommerce site. However, like most things, simple is better. In this post, we’re going to outline the handful of things that should be a focus in the early-days.
What Are The Most Important Things To Get Right?
Tell a Story
When consumers shop online they’re looking to discover something new, exciting, and reflective of their values. A powerful online identity means utilizing digital communication tools to tell your story in a way that endears your target audience before, during, and after they become a customer.
Stay in Touch
Maybe you’re a wiz at artful TikTok videos, or love making explainer videos for YouTube. Perhaps personal Instagram stories cataloging your everyday life as a business owner are your thing. Weekly emails are a quick and easy way to keep your audience updated on your brand and announce new products, too. Using these tools effectively is key to gaining followers and keeping them, and loyal fans are the most likely to become (and stay) customers.
The Product Has to Sing
It goes without saying that having an excellent product should be top priority. Customers won’t come back if you don’t deliver on your marketing and product promises. Are you explaining the product benefits accurately? Are you using testimonials to express user feedback? All of this digital messaging helps tell your story, get consumers excited, and, ultimately, sell more product.
How does this translate into the design of my site?
Starting out, you should nail the following:
- A simple (often one-page), well-designed, mobile-friendly website built for ecommerce.
- Large, high-quality imagery or videos to tell your story and establish credibility.
- Strong copy that conveys your brand’s key messages.
- Easy site navigation (someone shouldn’t have to click more than 3 times to find anything) and clear call(s)-to-action.
What Are Some Good Examples?
The Good Ritual (@thegoodritual)
An Australian-American brand in the functional coffee space that’s really nailing their story and messaging. Using clear visuals of their packaging, they use social media to showcase the why/how of their products. When your product contains a new or obscure ingredient (for The Good Ritual, that’s a supplement called l-theanine), explaining why that ingredient is important to your product and brand is a great way to elevate your story.
Joolies (@joolies)
An emerging brand that took the humble, ancient date and elevated it through beautiful packaging and explanatory messaging that makes you wonder why you haven’t considered dates a part of our regular diet before! Their focus on the origin of their ingredients (a date farm in the Coachella Valley of California) repaints the mysticism behind this modest dried fruit and makes it feel like a necessary addition to any natural foods pantry.
Omsom (@omsom)
An authentic brand focused on loud, proud Asian flavors. Instead of shying away from their culture, they embrace it. Their intense brand colors, real family photos of the founders, and in-your-face graphics and website design makes you want to join the party. Omsom's style may not be the right fit for everyone (and that’s ok!), but what they do right is dial in their messaging for the adventurous, youthful home cook that wants to spice things up.
We've partnered with Rodeo CPG to help food & beverage brands get a jumpstart on scaling their business. Learn more about Rodeo CPG's upcoming Jumpstart course. This post was written in partnership with Rodeo CPG.
It’s easy to get swept up in the complexity that comes with building your ecommerce site. However, like most things, simple is better. In this post, we’re going to outline the handful of things that should be a focus in the early-days.
What Are The Most Important Things To Get Right?
Tell a Story
When consumers shop online they’re looking to discover something new, exciting, and reflective of their values. A powerful online identity means utilizing digital communication tools to tell your story in a way that endears your target audience before, during, and after they become a customer.
Stay in Touch
Maybe you’re a wiz at artful TikTok videos, or love making explainer videos for YouTube. Perhaps personal Instagram stories cataloging your everyday life as a business owner are your thing. Weekly emails are a quick and easy way to keep your audience updated on your brand and announce new products, too. Using these tools effectively is key to gaining followers and keeping them, and loyal fans are the most likely to become (and stay) customers.
The Product Has to Sing
It goes without saying that having an excellent product should be top priority. Customers won’t come back if you don’t deliver on your marketing and product promises. Are you explaining the product benefits accurately? Are you using testimonials to express user feedback? All of this digital messaging helps tell your story, get consumers excited, and, ultimately, sell more product.
How does this translate into the design of my site?
Starting out, you should nail the following:
- A simple (often one-page), well-designed, mobile-friendly website built for ecommerce.
- Large, high-quality imagery or videos to tell your story and establish credibility.
- Strong copy that conveys your brand’s key messages.
- Easy site navigation (someone shouldn’t have to click more than 3 times to find anything) and clear call(s)-to-action.
What Are Some Good Examples?
The Good Ritual (@thegoodritual)
An Australian-American brand in the functional coffee space that’s really nailing their story and messaging. Using clear visuals of their packaging, they use social media to showcase the why/how of their products. When your product contains a new or obscure ingredient (for The Good Ritual, that’s a supplement called l-theanine), explaining why that ingredient is important to your product and brand is a great way to elevate your story.
Joolies (@joolies)
An emerging brand that took the humble, ancient date and elevated it through beautiful packaging and explanatory messaging that makes you wonder why you haven’t considered dates a part of our regular diet before! Their focus on the origin of their ingredients (a date farm in the Coachella Valley of California) repaints the mysticism behind this modest dried fruit and makes it feel like a necessary addition to any natural foods pantry.
Omsom (@omsom)
An authentic brand focused on loud, proud Asian flavors. Instead of shying away from their culture, they embrace it. Their intense brand colors, real family photos of the founders, and in-your-face graphics and website design makes you want to join the party. Omsom's style may not be the right fit for everyone (and that’s ok!), but what they do right is dial in their messaging for the adventurous, youthful home cook that wants to spice things up.
