10/31/19 
Drive sales online? Have you ever wondered what drives sales in physical and online stores? How your products fly off the shelves is the same both in the physical and digital world.
Availability, the share of shelf, visibility, sales support—but what do those principles look like in practice?
Reports highlight how many consumers shop online and on smartphones and how fewer people shop in physical stores.
What sounds like an opportunity to drive sales online isn’t as simple as many think. You can implement and ensure conversions online the same way brands practice to ensure product visibility in physical stores.
That’s why more and more top global consumer brands are now allocating resources to enable them to take control of product visibility in their online sales channels—not just in physical stores.
It’s no wonder. Suppose we don’t work to optimize the key factors that affect or drive sales online and offline. In that case, product visibility will suffer, and you risk losing a massive amount of sales opportunities.
The key factors that affect how your products fly off the shelves are the same in the physical and online world.
Availability, the share of shelf, visibility, sales support,—but what do those principles look like in practice in these different channels?
What factors drive sales online and in physical stores?
You can’t leave product visibility online up to chance. But you need to activate your resellers to help to maximize sales. That’s why mystery shopping, auditing, and merchandising have been so crucial for decades. However, in times of digital transformation, those methods are not enough.
Suppose you want to defend your position in the market and avoid losing sales opportunities across the board. In that case, you need cost-effective ways to take control of product visibility in your online sales channels.
Start by giving your products attention. Why? Because most resellers appreciate all the support they can get to improve product visibility. Keep one thing in mind, though: just as in physical stores, they understand brands who speak for the whole category, not only pushing their agenda.
Manufacturer/retailer collaboration is the key to success, and, as we know from physical stores, there won’t be many category leaders. Category management thought leaders would run the show online, so use this window of opportunity to connect with your resellers.
Don’t be afraid to take charge of product visibility to drive sales online. Because getting started doesn’t have to be difficult if you remember what works offline. Plus, we’re here to help.
