E-commerce Industry Outlook Series: Food and Beverage Industry
E-commerce Sales to Grow 38% by 2016

In 2013, eMarketer estimates US retail e-commerce sales will total $259 billion, a 14.8% annual increase over 2012’s $225.5 billion indicating the future is very bright for e-commerce. Retail categories like food and beverage as well as auto and parts have disproportionately low sales online; indicating a large scope for e-commerce growth. Food and beverages, purchased mainly offline, are estimated to contribute $5.8 billion to online retail’s total sales in 2013. It is expected to produce a compound annual growth rate of 17%, a sign of an up and coming category.

Although currently at 6%, a number of research sources believe e-commerce is capable of achieving 20% or more of total US retail sales if big spending categories gain larger traction online. The advent of new technology and changing consumer buying habits are driving transformation in online shopping. Addressing consumer trends is key to driving ecommerce sales for companies in the food and beverage retail industry.

How can Food and Beverage Companies use e-commerce?
Today’s consumers are using a wide variety of channels to shop, including online stores, mobile sites, and social media to compare prices, read reviews, and even order products without stepping into a store. Food and Beverage companies can use these outlets to feel out customer tastes and to turn prospective customers into repeat buyers. With these multiple channels, companies can offer a seemingly endless variety of products, convenient pay and shipping options, and great prices while minimizing operational costs.

• Order Management– Entering and importing orders as well as answering queries about order status is not an easy job for any ecommerce business. With our solution, you can eliminate manual order entry, streamline your order processing, and update customers about their order status while eliminating operational inefficiencies from your existing process.
• Sales Person module-A sales person module will inform your salesman about all of your product purchases via email and simply shows the salesperson invoices and order information. Each time an order is placed, an email will be sent to the sales person for that customer. This module will help the sales person to manage all of their information, including customers and orders. With our solution, reporting of commissions and total orders are available in real time mode.
• Content Management System – Content is what being sold today, where it’s information, service or product. Retailers are often challenged in managing product data since it is widely dispersed, stored in multiple places, in multiple formats, and often duplicated. If you have an online store, it is important for you to have a configured CMS to manage content.

How i95Dev can help
Our industry specific solutions enable retailers to better meet customer mandates, streamline business processes, react quickly to changes and opportunities, and collaborate on order management with customers and suppliers. They also manage sales efficiently through the sales person module and help maintain consistent product information through a centralized inventory. This helps to improve both customer satisfaction and operating margins. To know more about our industry specific solutions, contact us: https://www.i95dev.com/contact/