It’s hard to over-exaggerate the importance of e-commerce in the digital age. While the brick-and-mortar store doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere soon, sales in e-commerce in the United States reached $396 billion back in 2016. Experts predict that by 2020 that number will be $684 billion. Consumer packaged goods are the newest items to hit the e-commerce market. While these have traditionally been sold at retail stores, there’s been a slow but steady shift towards the e-commerce market even for these goods. Grocery stores, in particular, are predicting a drop in package good sales in store from about 45% today to only 37% by 2025.
What This Change Means For Retailers
Not only are people buying their goods online, but they’re also researching the products that they buy in person before they ever get to the store. over 80% of consumers check online before they go to the store to make a purchase, and 66% want to see at least three pictures of any product when they’re shopping online. In order to keep up, retailers must offer their goods online and must have a good ecommerce content management system to oversee their website and structured data.
What A Good ECommerce Content Management System Can Do
A good ecommerce content management system allows retailers to publish product attributes and grocery images database information so that consumers can see what they’re buying and make informed choices. The system needs to include brand verified product content and an ecommerce content management system should be so intuitive that teams can make changes to their site or to a product in the catalog without having to constantly call for IT help. An excellent ecommerce content management system allows a retailer to do quick site customizations for social media changes, create landing pages and micro sites, add multimedia, and modify the layout of a site easily and efficiently. Product catalog software of this type will also allow retailers to optimize for mobile, which makes up 30% of all the e-commerce in America.
Maximizing Productivity
The move to e-commerce should not be seen as a negative for retailers. A recent survey of a thousand consumers in America found that while 22% shopped online for groceries in 2017, 36% are planning to do so in 2018. An increased number of online shoppers means a decreased amount of traffic at the brick-and-mortar shop. As more people turn away from physical retail locations, those locations can adjust operating hours and staff levels to maximize efficiency, save money, and be open at the right times to take advantage of those shoppers who still prefer to do their shopping in person. An ecommerce content management system can replace an enormous amount of labor and effort at the store itself by efficiently answering consumer questions, promoting products, and managing sales.
The consumer packaged goods industry in North America is just about the largest in the world and is worth approximately $2 trillion per year. As e-commerce moves into CPG, retailers should embrace this move and adapt with the right kind of product content management systems.
