Know how to build a successful Organic food eCommerce business
Connect With usIf you are planning to start an organic food eCommerce business then you should be aware of different aspects of it. As an online business you need to handle the delivery part and this can be challenging as you are dealing with perishable goods. However, when done right, you will be able to make good profits out of your business. This means you need to have an effective organic food business plan first that considers all the aspects of the business before you go online. This can be everything right from acquiring your products or raw materials from the suppliers, managing the inventory, logistics to final customer satisfaction.
As per Allied Market Research, the global organic market for food and beverage is expected to reach $327,600 million by 2022 with a CAGR growth of 16.4%. As per another report, it is estimated that the average market size of organic food and beverages is estimated to reach $620.00 billion by 2026. This means investing in an organic food eCommerce business can be good and by taking the right step now, you will be able to be part of these numbers!
So, if you are wondering how to start your organic food business online then just follow the points mentioned below and you will be able to get a basic idea about what you should be doing.
Start by choosing right eCommerce solution
When it comes to investing in an eCommerce solution, choosing the platform remains as the first priority. Depending on the range of products you plan to sell and the kind of the market you plan to cover, you will need right eCommerce solution. Moreover, the type of business you have and its budget also plays a key role. If you are a low on budget start-up business then choose Shopify or BigCommerce. In case you are a small or mid-sized business then you should think about choosing one from Magento, Shopware or WooCommerce. Similarly, choosing SAP Hybris, or Magento Cloud Commerce or Salesforce Commerce Cloud can be best for enterprise grade solution.
Just like any other eCommerce business your organic food store needs to be looking good, should be easy to navigate, have products and its sub-categories listed properly, the use of graphics needs to be done as required, etc. all these things can be done well when you invest in a good organic food eCommerce template. The eCommerce platform you choose for the store will help you achieve the same. eCommerce platforms may have a number of free templates as well as paid ones. You can choose to go your way based on your budget limit.
Consider A Green theme
When designing your eCommerce site, you should think about including green colour in different elements like logo, buttons, menus, images, etc. This will help your audience relate more to the online store and its products.
Below you can see how True Foods Market has used green colour in the above portion of their homepage. Here you will see usage of green colour in the logo, menus and the strip with promotional deal.
Another example that we will see here is the one of The Giving Nature. The store is into offering a range of organic products along with natural ones. At various places like in the above example, the website has made use of green colour.
https://www.thegivingnature.com/
Again, you will agree to the abundant use of green colour in the homepage elements of the site called The Organic Food Stores-
http://www.theorganicfoodstores.co.uk/
Product description
Just like any other online selling business, organic food eCommerce should also include product description section with all needed details. Product description should include the content of the product mentioned on the page. You can also include the way of using the product and the way it can be stored.
Here at The Food Market, you can see how the product Organic Golden Bolivian Quinoa Grain has the description covered.
https://www.thefoodmarket.com/products/3-x-organic-golden-bolivian-quinoa-grain-500g?taxon_id=961
Buyers also are concerned about the nutritional value of the product they are buying and so including such kind of information will help the buyers make informed decision.
So again, let’s take the example of the same product mentioned above:
Apart from that, mentioning the allergens present in the product is very important. People who are looking for safe products will be able to decide what they should buy and what not.
Just look at the case of product named Chocolate Stars, Gluten Free, Organic, Doves Farm from Abel & Cole and you will see how they have mentioned ingredients and allergens-
https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/chocolate-stars-doves-farm-300g
Show all options
In case the product is available in different weights and packs then it would be better that you showcase the same on the product page. This way the customer will be able to know the price for varying weights of the product and choose the one that they seem fit for their needs. This will save the customer from looking for various other options on the store, while, for you, it will be a great chance to push instant sale.
Just check out how the products Organic Dates Pitted Deglet Noir 1Kg pack at Buy Whole Foods Online also offers other buying options to the customers based on the weight of the product. So just by choosing the favourable option, the customer will be able to buy the product from here itself-without having to leave the page!
https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/organic-dates-pitted-deglet-noir-1kg.html
Add to Favourites
Sometimes people have the tendency to shop the same product again and again at regular intervals. So, you can help customers find all their liked products at a single place by offering the option of ‘Add to Favourites’. This way, all that they have to do is to add them to the list when they are at the product page. Later all such products will become easily accessible to the user for quick shopping.
If you look at the same online store mentioned-above, you will see that a special section has been added on the product page to help customers add them to the list of their favourites on the go.
https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/organic-walnuts-light-broken-500g.html
Add ‘You might also like’ section
You can increase profit margin on organic food at your store by including this section in your product page. You can list out here other products which either complements or supplements the product described on the page. This will let the customer to pair them along with their purchase or help them remember something that they had forgot earlier. In both cases, it is a win-win situation for you as it will boost your conversion rates. Adding such a section on your eCommerce product page can work well in terms of cross-selling.
In case of Fresh Direct, you will see that they have listed out a few products which can go well with your box of organic eggs. The title has been set in a way to encourage shoppers to check out the list at least!
https://www.freshdirect.com/pdp.jsp?productId=dai_pid_2002538&catId=orgnat_dai_eggs
Planet Organic, on the other side, provides us a list of similar kind of products like the one we are currently viewing on the product page.
Get necessary certificates when shipping in international markets
Organic produce needs to be fresh and it is the main concern of any online organic food store. The quality of the items matters the most and it becomes critical when you are exporting it. This is the reason why you should be having all the necessary certificates that makes you eligible for exporting in the country with your target audience. You should showcase the same on the homepage of your eCommerce store too. This will build a sense of trust among your customers and encourage them to buy from your shop more often.
Encourage social sharing
Having a social media profile is not a new thing today, rather people have more than one account now. This means encouraging your customers to share their good experiences on the social media page will add value to your products and brand. You can let the customers know about the social media platforms that you follow by placing icons of the same on the website.
Here in case of Fresh Direct, you will see different social media platforms through which users can connect with the brand.
https://www.freshdirect.com/index.jsp?serviceType=HOME
You can also use social media platform to listen to your visitors and their queries. With more people now taking it to the social media to connect with brands instantly when they have an issue, being there can help you greatly.
Just see how the team of Fresh Direct responded to a user who was asking for a specific product in the conversation over a post on multigrain breads.
Focus on money back guarantees and refund policies
When buying online, customers see the products in real only when they arrive. So, if they are buying for the first time, they may have their share of doubts about its quality, condition, proportion, etc. So as a part of building trust and confidence among your customers, you can offer money back guarantees and refund policies when selling organic food online. Such kind of policies need to be mentioned at the footer section of the site. This way, the user can check them out irrespective of the product page they are browsing.
See how the return policy has been placed at the footer section of Organics store-
Rewards and loyalty points
Rewards and loyalty points is one of the best ways of customer retention program and is followed by many online businesses. Being in the organic food trading business you can also encourage your customers to shop frequently for a larger value by using this program. Customers will find such perks to be exciting. Such reward points can then be used by the customers when they shop in future at the same store.
Again, let’s see the case of Buy Whole Foods Online store where you will find that the product Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder gets you 60 loyalty reward points when you shop it.
https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/organic-matcha-green-tea-powder-250g.html
Limited time deal offers
Creating a sense of urgency in case of a classy deal works mostly. Come up with a timer that shows the remaining time left for the deal or a bar that shows the number of items left in stock. Both helps the customer make a quick decision and buy the product immediately. Such a step will help business with higher conversion rates.
Here in case of True Foods Market, the product page of Justin’s Nut Butter Almond Butter, Classic shows remaining 16 products left in stock. Below, it also shows the timer that depicts the remaining time left for the deal.
Come up with ‘About Us’ page
This section is not just about talking about company team, vision and mission. It is more to it! Use this section to talk to your visitors and let them know how you put in great efforts to deliver them the best quality, fresh organic products by overcoming all the challenges as a part of your organic food store business plan. Take the chance to let them know more about your store(s), your offerings, the way you procure your organic food stock, how you manage inventory, etc. Just consider it as a chance to connect with them.
Market your business – Invest in effective marketing strategy
Marketing of organic food products can be done in creative ways. Just as usual, you can choose to go for marketing techniques like email marketing, text marketing, newsletters, (educational) blogs, etc.
Email marketing is something that businesses conduct with the aim of achieving sales. It is about encouraging the visitors who agreed to receive emails from you for newer sales opportunities. Such kind of emails can be like-
Welcome emails that can be used to welcome the visitors or customers who decided to subscribe your brand. To retain the customers, you can make use of retention emails and keep them engaged. Then you can have promotional emails offering them coupons and discounts based on customer’s interested products.
Newsletters are different from email marketing as they are more focused on offering information to the customers direct in their emails rather than pushing for more sales. It is one of the efficient ways to stay connected with the customers even when they are not shopping with you.
You can use such email campaigns to stay on the mind of the people even when they have not shopped from you for a long time!
Just like emails, text marketing can be a good way to reach the audience directly. You can use such text messages to send small and precise messages to your customers.
Blogging is just another thing that your business can plan to follow. You can use blogs as an opportunity to connect with audience give them information about your products, talk about its benefits, its usage, and recipes well! All this will help the brand get added advantage in the market.
Apart from that you can choose to approach influencers like fitness experts, nutritionists, wellness coaches, health experts too. Influencers of all kind are said to have huge number of followers. This means they can be the perfect audience for your products too. With organic food items considered to be a healthy option among fitness and health-conscious people choosing such influencers can be a good way to promote your brand and its products. When such influencers will talk about your products, it will be trusted by their followers too. Their interest in the products will bring them to your website. This means more business for you!
Is organic food business profitable? Yes, when done right! Investing in the eCommerce store is one of the best ways to move it towards the path of success. If you manage to follow the basic points mentioned-above, you will be able to build a strong eCommerce solution for your organic food business.
In case you wish to explore your options and get ahead with such a solution, contact us and together we can come up with something that can be best for you!
