The Ultimate Guide to FMCG Branding, Marketing, and Website Design

FMCG branding can be challenging, as you’ve got to create a product that stands out in an increasingly oversaturated marketplace.

Just think about the amount of products that exist in the FMCG space, and it’s no surprise that brands have a difficult time competing.

For absolute clarity, FMCG stands for fast moving consumer goods, which are products that are sold quickly at a relatively low price.

This includes cosmetics, toiletries, food and drinks, dried goods, and other consumables.

Because all of these products are a necessity (i.e, we all need toiletries and food), brands need to sell a high number of units to make a profit.

They also have the task of heavily influencing purchasing decisions as consumers are more swayed by convenience than desire in this type of market.

I mean, who really desires a toilet roll? The reality is, you need one.

This is where FMCG marketing comes into play, as the type of campaigns you create and the way you position your product is key.

Thankfully that’s what this blog post is about as we’re taking a deep dive into all things branding, marketing, and website related in the FMCG sector.

So, strap yourself in and let’s get to it.

Where and How Do You Make Your Money? What Is Your Business Model?

Your business model is how your company sells its products to customers and makes a profit.

Usually in the FMCG market, manufacturers sell the goods to wholesalers, who sell them to the retailers, who in turn sell them to the consumers.

For example, a company such as Nestle, will sell their products to ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco, and the Co-op, who will then sell them to customers.

This business model is very popular, as it means FMCG brands don’t need to worry about logistics and sales points, whilst also operating a manufacturing company.

Another thing to remember is that FMCG brands need to sell a lot of units to make a profit.

That’s because FMCG products are sold at a relatively low cost, so you need to sell more of them to make money.

This pressure is slightly lifted when relying on retailers as they are managing the sales process on the brand’s behalf.

However, using a centralised retailer is not the only route for FMCG brands….

Direct to consumer marketing

An increasing number of companies are also starting to sell direct-to-consumer (D2C) and cutting out the middleman.

Why?

Because D2C marketing brings brands so many advantages.

Whilst it is a lot to manage as you have to be capable of manufacturing, shipping, and distributing your products all from your own facility, it brings brands closer to their customers.

Many brands are also starting to offer subscription services which allows customers to replenish their products, whilst still getting high quality products from a brand they trust.

By definition, FMCG products are low-cost, consumable, quick-selling products that are used and replaced in a constant cycle.

This makes a subscription model an ideal choice, and also gives brands a consistent flow of customers.

The Dollar Shave Club is an example of an FMCG brand who performed exceptionally well when they started their subscription service for shaving cream and razors.

In fact, the brand performed so well that Unliver bought the company for a whopping £1million – proof that the D2C model really does work.

Know Who You’re Talking to

In any industry, you need to know who you’re talking to otherwise any marketing campaign will not be pitched at the right level.

You need to understand your customers and what they want from your product/ service so that you can make sure you’re meeting those needs.

For example, if customers are looking for a make-up product that is relatively cheap but still provides good coverage, this allows you to tailor your product to suit those exact needs.

It means you can communicate how your product meets both of these requirements which will engage your target audience.

However, in the FMCG space, things can get slightly more complicated as you’ve got more than one audience to think about.

You’re not just appealing to your customers (unless you solely operate a D2C model), but you’ve got to appeal to wholesalers too.

You need to consider what these types of buyers are looking for and how to attract them.

As we mentioned earlier, wholesalers are the middleman between the manufacturer (such as Nestle or Heinz) and the retailer (such as Asda or Sainsburys).

Therefore, as an FMCG manufacturer, you need to work out how you’re going to get wholesalers to buy your products.

Often, wholesalers are interested in three things when it comes to buying products: price, availability, and customer demand.

As a result, you need to convince them that:

• Your product is a good price
• You have enough stock readily available for them to sell
• You can prove customers want your product

If you’re a complete startup, proving that customers want your product can be challenging, as you might not have built up enough sales yet.

Unless you’ve been selling directly to consumers for quite some time, it’s difficult to prove that your product is actually generating demand.

This can make it more difficult to pitch your product as you’ve got no numbers to back you up.

The easiest way to build up sales as a start up business is to start selling through D2C channels first, and then once you’ve generated a good amount of sales, you can start reaching out to wholesalers.

Market segmentation

Market segmentation in a general sense, is important because it allows you to accurately target the right people.

If you aim too broadly at a large audience, you’ll end up reaching a lot of people who aren’t that interested in your product/ service.

This means you could end up spending thousands of pounds on a campaign which isn’t that optimised.

And no business, startup or established, has budget to burn.

Bur by segmenting your audience, you’re more likely to reach the right people who will become loyal customers.

You can segment your audience by splitting them into categories based on one or more characteristics.

For example:

• Age
• Gender
• Income
• Occupation
• Ethnicity
• Family structure
• Religion

It’s important to note, that out of the two business models (D2C and wholesaler to retailer), market segmentation is slightly more relevant for D2C sales.

That’s because you’re selling directly to customers, so you need a firm understanding of their wants and needs.

However, the same concept does still apply when you’re selling to a wholesaler, as despite the fact they’re not the actual end buyer, you still need a firm understanding of who your end buyer is.

If you don’t, then how are you going to convince the wholesaler that your product has any place in the market?

You still need to demonstrate a solid understanding of your product to prove its value, and this includes knowing who your customers are.

Below are some reasons why market segmentation in a general sense is important.

It helps you better target your audience

Using the D2C model, if you know your customers’ needs, you can create a product that addresses these needs instead of targeting a broad range of people (and not really knowing what they want).

However, by segmenting people based on the characteristics above, for example their age, you can create campaigns that are targeted specifically to them.

Let’s break down an example to make this easier:

Let’s say you’re a food company that uses demographic data to segment your market by age group.

By looking at sales across these segments, you might notice that 25-30 year-olds are not buying as many yogurts as older segments.

Therefore using this information, you would start looking at ways to tailor your marketing campaigns towards the 25-30-year-old age group.

This might involve making your product packaging more fun and youthful and using other promotional channels such as Instagram to reach the younger audience.

It allows you to market more accurately and reliably

Following on from the point above, when you know who your target audience is, you can create marketing campaigns that speak to them more directly.

For example, if you know you need to reach more 25-30 year olds with your campaign, this would affect the language you choose.

Instead of being serious, you might choose to use language that is fun and lighthearted to appeal to their personality traits.

Or you might change up your social media tactics and use more gifs or memes – both of which are popular with the younger generation.

It reduces risk and optimises your budget

When you’re targeting the right people, it increases the likelihood of them converting into a customer.

Because you’re targeting the right people with the right message, you’ve got a better chance of your campaign being a success.

Otherwise you could be chucking thousands of pounds at a campaign which is never gonna generate results because it’s pitched at the wrong level.

For instance using the example above, if you wanted to reach younger people, you’d be better off investing your budget in online advertising such as social media and PPC.

More traditional tactics such as direct mail and handouts are better suited to an older audience.

Whilst the above points are important for any industry, market segmentation in the FMCG space is particularly important because …

FMCG is a high-competition space

You have a lot of brands competing for the same customers.

For example, consider just how many crisp brands there are (Walkers, McCoys, Pringles etc).

Whilst all of these crisp brands will have their own unique selling point, they’re still crisps at the end of the day.

So, how do these FMCG brands make sure customers buy their crisps over another brand?

They segment their audience.

This allows them to remain competitive as they have a thorough understanding of their market as a whole, and how to target specific people.

People’s needs and desires constantly change

People’s needs change depending on the situation which can be very tricky.

For example, in the alcoholic drinks market, someone having a glass of wine with their dinner on a weeknight is in a very different mindset to when they are out drinking in a club with friends on a weekend.

Therefore, this person fits into several segments depending on the environment they are in. This doesn’t happen as much with other sectors, as people usually fit into one particular fixed segment.

As such, an ‘occasion-based’ segment has to be created which accounts for the different scenarios a customer might be in.

It’s important to remember that in the FMCG space, lots of purchasing decisions are driven by habits and tastes which need to be accounted for.

Innovation is constant

To remain competitive, you need to keep innovating and developing new products.

If you don’t, you’re going to be left behind.

Take cosmetic beauty brand No.7 as an example. If they only sold foundation and that was it, they’d be quickly overtaken by other cosmetic brands which offer a bigger product range.

That’s because these brands are giving their customers more.

Instead of people finding a foundation from a brand they like (and trust), but then having to find a makeup-remover, cleanser, and body wash from another brand that they like (and trust), they can get all 3 products from the same company.

This maximises sales for the FMCG brand and also gives them several opportunities to push other products in their range.

How to segment your market

Now that you know why market segmentation is important for the FMCG sector, let’s take a look at how you can implement this in your own business…

Get the right people on board at the beginning

Market segmentation should drive decisions at every level of a business, from marketing to product development.

That’s why it’s important to get these people on board from the get-go to optimise the process.

One way of doing this is to carry out stakeholder interviews with key people in your business. This allows you to gather important information from key departments which could inform the segmentation process.

Furthermore, holding interviews helps create more buy-in so that everyone is on the same page and understands how to use the research moving forward.

Ask the right questions

When conducting market research to inform a market segmentation, be specific about the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of the choices people make at different times.

Ask them about a range of different scenarios to ensure their diverse needs are represented.

This is because people’s needs change depending on what situation they are in (as mentioned above in the example above when it comes to choosing an alcoholic drink).

This means you need to have a clear understanding of their habits and preferences as these are key motivators when it comes to purchasing decisions.

Identify the segments with the most potential

Even though one of your segments might be a relatively small percentage of the market as a whole, it could account for a large share of sales.

This is particularly important to remember in the FMCG space, as competition is very high.

Therefore, whilst targeting a specific niche might seem like a good way to limit your reach, it might actually bring the most value.

How to bring your segments to life

Once you’ve created your market segments, you need to bring them to life.

The first step in this process is to create personas.

If you haven’t done this already, then make sure to use our free customer persona worksheet below.

Download your copy here

This is a fictional profile that summarises the key qualities of each segment, including their needs, behaviours, and pain points.

The aim behind each persona is to help others in the business understand each segment and how they differ from one another. This means they are in a better position to serve their needs and convert more people into customers.

The main challenge with FMCG is:

• You have to create a brand that people want to buy, even though, unless selling D2C via your own site, you’re not selling to them – you’re selling to a wholesaler
• Convince wholesale buyers that people want it, and the brand has to work for them too
• Your branding for 2 audiences (wholesalers and consumers)

FMCG Branding

In this section we’re going to take a deep dive into FMCG branding, as this is what makes consumers pick certain products off a shelf.

Many people fall into the trap of thinking branding is all about how a product looks (for example, product packaging, colour palette, logo etc) but it extends to every single part of the brand.

Whilst how your product looks is key (especially if you want your product to be picked up off a shelf) it is not the be-all and end-all.

You need to build a strong brand narrative and give people a reason to buy into your brand. People might think this is impossible for an FMCG type company, however, lots of brands have got this nailed.

For example, Surreal and Magic Spoon are two cereal brands that go beyond simply selling cereal.

Whilst this is obviously their core offering, they create such a strong and memorable user experience from the moment you land on their website.

Everything from their typography, to funky colour palette, to the use of playful imagery, creates cereal which is fun.

Who knew cereal could be anything more than, well, cereal?

But through clever and bold branding, they have gone past the ‘norm’ and created something that sparks the imagination; they’ve created something that sparks excitement.

So, contrary to popular belief, you can create a brand in the FMCG space that has a strong brand narrative.

And if you want to be competitive, doing this is key.

The reason for this is that lots of products in the FMCG space aren’t that ‘glamorous’ or ‘exciting’.

For example:

• Baked beans
• Toothpaste
• Crisps
• Milk
• Toilet paper
• Beer
• Deodorant
• Pet food

These products pale in comparison to, say, hot sauce branding, which tends to sit on the opposite end of the scale.

It’s for this reason that you need something much stronger than pretty product packaging.

You need a strong brand.

Branston Pickle TV Advert

There’s no campaign that demonstrates the power of a strong brand story better than Branston Pickle.

This one gets me every time, and yes, I know it’s just a jar of pickle!

But, by creating such an emotive and meaningful story throughout the ad, it makes you want to buy it.

In case you haven’t watched the ad, it follows a young girl who has left home, started a new job, and is working long hours. When she arrives home after another long day, there’s a small package waiting outside of her front door.

Inside it is a jar of Branston pickle which has been sent by her mum and dad as it’s her all-time favourite.

Although it’s just a jar of pickle, it’s a much needed pick-me-up, and there’s a real sense of nostalgia to it.

It just goes to show that sometimes, when you’re feeling crappy and tired, all you need is some comfort food. And that’s exactly what this product is.

Brand strategy

A successful branding strategy requires a detailed plan as this sets the direction for the entire campaign.

First and foremost, your brand must establish:

• Brand Identity
• Brand positioning (what gives you edge and where do you sit compared to competitors)
• Brand story
• Brand values (what is most important to you)
• Brand mission (what are you trying to achieve)
• Brand touchpoints (where will candidates or employers find you and learn more)
• Brand messaging (the message you are trying to get across)

Brand Identity

Once you have identified what your brand strategy looks like, it’s time to determine your brand identity.

It’s time to work out what makes your brand unique.

This is key if you’re hoping to overtake your competitors and win a slice of the market.

Typically within your brand identity, it is wise to include aspects such as:

• Your logo design
• Your font / typeface
• Your colour palette
• The photographs and imagery you use
• The design of your stationary (leaflets, brochures)
• Your appearance on social media
• Packaging

Packaging is a main consideration and component for FMCG brands.

It needs to have “shelf appeal” that makes people see it and want it.

You know what it’s like when you’re walking down a busy aisle in your local supermarket. It doesn’t matter what you’re on the lookout for, whether that’s a tin of soup, a new pack of razors, or a bathroom mop, there’s at least 5 different brands competing for your attention.

So, how do you choose?

What makes you choose PG Tips over Tetley?

It all starts with product packaging.

Recently Asda came under fire about the design of their new packaging for their ‘Just Essentials’ product range, formerly known as ‘Smartprice’.

The rebrand transformed the packaging from white to bright yellow, attracting even more attention to the products.

This caused consumers to criticise the supermarket chain, saying they were ‘embarrassing’ those customers who were on lower-incomes.

One shopper took to Twitter saying that the Just Essentials range has “the most ridiculous bright yellow packaging which just screams ‘we are poor!’ for any shopper buying them.”

This just goes to show how important product packaging is, and how the design of it needs to be carefully thought-out.

Brand positioning

This relates to where you sit in the market.

For example, are you high-end or affordable?

Consider brands such as Walkers and Kettle Chips.

Both are crisp brands, but target different people and hold a different place in the market.

The same goes for your FMCG brand as you need to work out where you are positioned in comparison to your competitors.

Brand positioning has several advantages as not only does it help you differentiate your offering from other brands offering the same thing, but it also allows you to justify your pricing strategy.

For example, Kettle Chips are more expensive than Walkers crisps, even though you’re getting the same sized bag of crisps in the same flavour.

So, why the price difference?

This comes back down to Kettle Chips’ brand positioning as their crisps might be better quality, using better potatoes, with nicer product packaging.

In that case, they’ve positioned their crisps as more premium which helps them justify the increased price tag.

Brand story

Similar to the TV campaign for Branston pickle, you need a brand story.

You need to give people a reason to buy your product that extends beyond the obvious reason of ‘needing’ or ‘wanting’ it.

For example, lots of us buy chocolate, but why do we choose Cadburys?

It’s because of the brand story and brand messaging.

As a confectionary company, Cadburys is known and loved by customers worldwide. It has a strong brand story and dates back to the 1800’s when founder, John Cadbury, started selling tea and drinking chocolate.

Since then, the brand has continued to boom and remains the go-to brand for chocolate lovers across the globe.

Cadburys is a timeless chocolate brand that people know and love. Their brand story has stood the test of time, and remains just as potent today as it did with the brand first started.

Brand Values

You need to consider what values your brand has, as this helps customers create a connection with you and makes them more likely to buy.

For example, as a toilet paper brand, what are you doing to help the environment and reduce carbon emissions?

Is there a way you can align your brand with eco-friendly messaging, so that you can continue providing great toilet paper without harming the environment?

These sort of values are key as it shows consumers that you’re doing your bit. It makes you more personable.

Brand mission

This outlines what your company does and what you’re trying to achieve.

A brand mission is key as it allows customers to understand your purpose. This is key in a competitive marketplace such as FMCG, as this can be used as a differentiator.

For example as a toothpaste brand, your brand mission could be:

“We provide the best toothpaste for families to reimagine a healthier future.”

This lets everyone know exactly what you do, and what you’re aiming for.

This is important both externally (for customers and wholesalers) but also internally for your team members.

It keeps everyone aligned and ensures they know what they’re working towards.

Brand touchpoints

This relates to anywhere that customers come into contact with your product whether that’s at the shops, online, or on social media.

All of these brand touchpoints need to provide the best user experience and encourage people to buy your product.

For example, if you’re selling through D2C, your customer might come across various brand touchpoints before finally purchasing your product.

For example, they might see one of your ads on social media first, then click through to your website, and then chat to one of your customer service team members.

These are 3 separate touchpoints, but each of them needs to encourage your customer to buy. For instance, your website needs to be responsive, engaging, and easy to use or this could discourage people from looking any further.

When a customer gets through to your customer service team, your staff need to be polite, friendly, and readily available or this might make your customer look elsewhere.

All of your brand touchpoints need to work together and encourage customers to ultimately buy.

Brand messaging

You need to identify how you’re going to communicate with your audience to trigger some sort of response.

As mentioned above, whilst many FMCG products aren’t glamorous, they should still evoke some sort of emotion in your customer which makes them want to buy.

This not only relates to your brand story but also every piece of messaging across every single touchpoint.

For example, going back to the example of Cadburys, they use emotive brand messaging that makes you buy into their brand.

According to their tagline, Cadbury believes there is “a glass and a half” of generosity and kindness in everyone, and even when the world can seem increasingly selfish, the generous acts are always there.

Hence the reason why the brand says, ‘There’s a glass & a half in everyone’.

This concept was highlighted in their TV ad titled, ‘Fence’, created by VCCP and directed by Frederic Planchon, who was also behind last year’s ‘Mum’s Birthday’ film for Cadbury Dairy Milk.

The advert shows an older man living on his own, who comes across quite grumpy.

Disturbed only by the noisy children next door, we see him patiently returning the football which repeatedly lands in his garden, back over the fence.

The story ends with a simple act of kindness from the children next door when they give him a bar of Cadbury chocolate. This is to reciprocate his generosity and shows that there really is a glass and a half in everyone.

Brand Guidelines

Brand guidelines are particularly important for FMCG due to the amount of print and replication that is involved.

There are a number of people involved in the supply chain, so making sure all of these people are working towards the same brand guidelines is paramount.

Otherwise you could end up with products or marketing collateral that is produced to different standards.

Furthermore, if everyone in your supply chain does not fully understand (or follow) the same guidelines, they might be using the wrong colours or the wrong logo.

Regardless of where people are seeing or hearing about your product, your brand must be consistent.

This can be tricky as just think about the number of different channels and mediums you’ll be using to promote your latest product.

For starters, you’ll have printed collateral such as leaflets, brochures, flyers, catalogs, roller banners, business cards, and more.

And then there’s your online presence which includes your website, social media, enewsletter, paid ads, videos, and guides.

As a result, your brand guidelines are what hold everything together.

They are the glue.

You can’t be using one logo on your website, and then a different version of your logo on your TV advert.

This creates confusion and inconsistency which weakens the strength of your overall brand identity.

The Best FMCG Branding Examples

Now that we’ve explored the importance of branding in the FMCG space and what makes up your brand, let’s take a look at some examples.

The FMCG brands below have got their branding spot on, from their product packaging to their brand messaging.

Who knows, you might be able to take some inspo to use in your next campaign!

Credit to Stocks Taylor Benson Graphic Designers

Morrisons Saver Range

Now, I bet you didn’t expect to see this one at the top of the list!

However, a lot of praise should be given to Morrisons for their saver range, as their packaging pushes the boundaries. Usually, any ‘budget type’ product comes with packaging that is a little drab and dreary – all in an effort to save some pennies of course.

For Morrisons, it couldn’t be more different.

These designs are loud, proud, and unapologetic, commanding space on the shelf with bold and in-your-face typography.

It’s very refreshing actually, and just goes to show that budget-range doesn’t have to mean cheap design.

The Morrisons ‘saver range’ is a great example of how you can achieve eye-catching packaging design without spending a fortune.

Credit to Kellogs

Kellogs

Shoutout to design agency, Landor, for these fantastic packaging designs!

Kellogs is a brand we all know and love, but even they can get lost on a busy shelf.

Their old product packaging was looking a little tired and outdated so it called for some much-needed TLC. Thanks to the team at Landor, it has been given a modern refresh that’s fit for the consumers of today.

What’s fantastic about these designs is the consistency between different boxes of cereal. Kellogs don’t just sell one type of cereal, but several, which makes a strong brand identity key.

The design for the cereal boxes have been stripped back from what they were previously and boast a much more minimalist approach, letting the iconic colours of each cereal brand really do the talking.

This means people walking down the cereal aisle, can quickly spot their favourite brands amongst the cluttered shelves!

The new packs also have a tasty looking image of each cereal bowl to really get the taste buds tingling.

Read full case studyhere

OPI Frutta

We couldn’t talk about some of the best FMCG brands without mentioning one of our previous clients!

Make way for OPI Frutta – an innovator in the healthy snack sector. They are disrupting the market as they have developed a new way of freeze drying fresh fruit, retaining all of the natural flavour and texture.

OPI Frutta engaged the services of Canny to create packaging that had visual appeal on a busy shelf.

Our challenge was to create a brand that positioned their fruit snacks as an exciting, vibrant, alternative choice for people looking for a healthy snack alternative.

Because Opi’s snacks are a game changer in the snack space, we designed bright, eye-catching packaging that avoids organic and health food design trends. This vibrant palette makes Opi’s products stand out.

The use of real-world images of various fruits made the flavours universal in any language, whilst also giving Opi a clear cut advantage over the competition.

Many other healthy food brands use too much or too little fruit imagery in the packaging, whereas we found that perfect sweet spot.

In short: we created a healthy brand that continues to shine to this day!

FMCG Web Design and Development

Whilst lots of FMCG products are bought in physical stores, huge numbers are also bought online.

This is where the D2C model comes into play, as selling directly to customers through their own website can be a great way for FMCG brands to maximise their profits.

Aside from this, brands can also learn more about their customers by selling products through their own site as they can collect a great deal of customer information.

Having a good website is certainly not just a ‘nice to have’, but an absolute must.

Online shopping is huge in today’s digital world, and you could be missing out on hundreds of sales if you don’t have an effective website.

From clear navigation, to fast loading times, to being well designed and functional, there’s a lot to consider to make sure your website is a success.

Even if you’re selling through a wholesaler, having a website is still important.

For a long time, companies have battled with retailers in terms of maintaining power over their brand. When it comes to in-store transactions, brands are unable to monitor who is buying their product and why, as retailers are at the sharp end of the process.

Therefore by having an online presence, FMCG brands can get closer to their consumers and observe what people are looking for.

That said, let’s explore why having an effective website is important for FMCG companies.

Why is an effective website important in the FMCG space?

As we’ve mentioned above, having a website is important for any FMCG brand, regardless of your business model.

Whether you’re selling through the wholesaler to retailer model, solely D2C, or a bit of both, an online presence is key.

Let’s unpick some of the other reasons why having a website in the FMCG sector is important:

• Source of information for customers – By having a website, consumers can find out more about your product and what makes you unique. You can use this space to educate your audience and to encourage them to buy products.
• Builds your brand image – Your website strengthens your overall brand image as it gives you the opportunity to promote more of your values and products. It’s another way for consumers to find out about your offering which also increases your brand awareness.
• Overcome geographical locations (and sell your products worldwide) – If you solely rely on selling your products through retail, you might be limited in terms of locations. Unless you’re an established FMCG brand with transportation and logistic teams, you might be limited to only selling in your local region. Moving online allows you to ship products all over the world.
• Monitor consumer buying habits – Your website brings you closer to your consumer and allows you to build a picture of their buying habits. By setting up analytics and tracking, you can monitor what consumers buy and why which allows you to gain valuable insights. You can then use this information to nurture the relationship and push more products.
• Open 24/7 – Unlike a physical store which has to close, your online store is open 24/7. This means consumers can buy your products at a time that is most convenient for them instead of feeling restricted. This can also help mitigate geographical barriers and issues with time zones, as customers can make a purchase from any location.
• Easier to encourage impulse buying – When you have a website, you can quickly upsell other products that consumers might not have considered. For example, if a consumer is on your website buying a pack of razors, you could suggest a bottle of shaving foam or skincare cream at the checkout stage so that they get the ‘full package’. This encourages impulse buying as you already have their attention.
• Consumers can find products quicker – Instead of trawling round lots of busy aisles and cluttered shelves trying to find your product, your website allows customers to easily search for the product they need. By having a dedicated search bar and clear product categories, users can locate the exact product much quicker, which in turn, reduces any frustration.
• Scale your business – Because of some of the points mentioned above (i.e. your online store being open 24/7 and overcoming geographical barriers) having a website allows your business to scale. It means you can reach new markets quicker and scale your business on a broader level.
• Use customer data to build long term relationships – When customers are in a store, they might not often feel comfortable giving out their personal data. However, when they make a purchase online, you’ll have access to important details such as their name and email address which allows you to follow up with them and nurture the relationship.

Now more than ever, consumers are buying products online.

Whether this is the clothes they’re wearing, the car they want to drive, or their favourite skincare product, the world is digital.

When it comes to FMCG brands, you need to be competitive. It’s such an overcrowded marketplace that you need to ensure that wherever your customers are, you are.

Delivering the best user experience is also key to remaining competitive as customers want to feel valued and cared about.

Even when it comes down to buying something as simple as a box of cereals or a toilet roll.

If you’re solely relying on selling through retail, then you’re missing a trick. You have very little control over the customer experience, and you’re missing out on the opportunity to connect with your customers.

You’re missing out on the opportunity to learn about their wants and needs, which would allow you to tailor your products to suit.

In the next section we’re looking at what your website should include, so let’s dive in.

What should a website in the FMCG include?

Whilst there are some basic principles that apply to all websites (which we’ll look at further down), there are some things that a website specially in the FMCG market must do.

The two most important things to bear in mind when designing your website in this market, are your value proposition i.e. what you can offer your customers, and the quality of your website content.

Unlike other channels such as a TV ad or a radio ad which will be played to an already ‘tuned in’ audience, you need to get people to find your website.

You need to give them a reason to look for you. This can be a particular challenge in the FMCG market due to the very nature of these products.

It’s not often that people are going to actively search for a new brand of toilet roll or a new brand of tinned soup, as most of these products do what they say on the tin (pardon the pun).

This means you need to give customers something of value…

Your value proposition

Your website content should either offer utilitarian value (solving a need or helping someone do a task) or entertainment value.

Since many FMCG brands don’t have much to offer in terms of utility (because let’s be honest, people don’t need instructions on how to use toilet paper), brands should lean more towards providing entertainment value through their website.

This involves creating content that is worthy of people’s attention, rather than just focussing on content that makes your brand look good.

Providing some form of entertainment can turn even the most boring of FMCG products (sorry to any of you toilet roll brands, but let’s be real) into something that is fun and engaging.

Every brand in the FMCG sector needs to consider how they can offer entertainment value when designing their website.

The quality of your content

The quality of your content is key, and although this applies to any website, it’s particularly important for FMCG because of the type of products you’re selling.

As noted above, FMCG products aren’t always the most interesting and are usually bought based on necessity rather than a strong desire (i.e. when buying a new car or designer handbag).

This means the quality of your content has to be a priority as you need to engage your audience.

You need to motivate them to visit your website and provide an experience that is worthy of their time. This involves giving customers something they couldn’t have gotten through another medium such as a social media ad or billboard.

Essentially you need to reward people for their visit and give them a reason to come back again.

An example of an FMCG company who does a poor job of their website content is Trident chewing gum.

Credit to Trident Chewing Gum

Their website content is very thin on the ground, and apart from showcasing their flavours, a product locator, and their social media links, there’s not much else going on.

Now unless you’re a Trident mega-fan, I highly doubt anyone is going to go actively looking for this website. And is anyone really interested in all of the different flavours?

I doubt it.

Yet there’s so much more they could have done here.

For starters, they could have provided some utility, but doing some research to find out what search queries people use when looking for Trident gum. Answer The Public is a great place to start, and gives you an insight into what customers are looking for.

For example, customers might want to know:

• Is Trident gum vegan?
• Is Trident gum gluten-free?
• Is Trident gum packaging recyclable?

They could then build a simple FAQ around these questions. It’s about being strategic and thinkin of ways to make customers not just need you, but want you.

Whilst Trident gum is not going to be a huge part of people’s lives (after all, it is gum) there are ways to be part of what people care about (i.e. a vegan diet, the planet).

Normal considerations for any website

Just because you’re building a website in the FMCG space, it doesn’t mean the standard requirements of a website don’t apply.

You may be advertising the best products on the market, but if your navigation is all wrong, or your team isn’t responsive, you won’t be getting anywhere fast.

Take a look at the standard features of any website design below…

Be Concise

Just like any website, you should implement short and snappy phrases as well as CTA’s to get people to buy your products.

The same rule applies to all content, don’t say something in 20 words if you can say it in 10.

Ultimately, it’s not worth spending your time making your website content extravagant and super detailed, as long as website visitors can find the products they need.

Be Responsive

Regardless of whether your website is being accessed on mobile or laptop, it needs to be responsive and deliver a good user experience.

Remember you’re in a competitive landscape, so if your website is poor, people will go elsewhere.

There are hundreds of FMCG products to choose from (regardless of whether you’re selling cosmetic products, food, drink, or toiletries) so customers are quite literally spoiled for choice.

Make Life Easy

Make products easy to find otherwise customers will get bored.

If you’re selling lots of different products under one brand (for example Heinz), make sure they are easily categorised and easily searchable.

Don’t have them buried in strange places where customers have to start digging.

The more time customers spend trying to work things out on your website, the more likely it is that they’ll leave and bounce back to Google.

Make life as easy as possible for them by having all of your products in an easily accessible place.

Keep Things Up to Date

As soon as you launch a new product it should be on your website.

Make sure you keep your website regularly updated or you could be missing out on hundreds of sales. Never limit your offering as your product range can give you a competitive edge.

For example, veganism is a huge trend and is increasingly on the rise.

People want vegan products but they are still in short supply (relatively speaking compared to mainstream products) which gives you an opportunity to expand your offering.

If you’re a food company, and you’ve launched a range of vegan products, upload these to your website as soon as possible.

This will expand your offering and allow you to target a much broader audience, thereby increasing your sales.

Be interesting

Your website should be visually appealing otherwise people will not be engaged.

You want to give them a reason to stay on your website and to explore the products you have on offer.

As such, use eye-catching imagery, easily digestible text, and videos to make your website more interesting.

Of course, every design decision needs to be aligned back to your brand identity, but being boring is rarely a good thing.

I feel like we’ve spoken about toilet roll alot on this blog (a sentence I never thought I’d say), but it is very fitting.

Toilet roll is not the most exciting thing and is a product people will always need. So, how do you conjure up any sort of interest and excitement when it comes to selling this?

Well, it’s time to get creative and use your website as a visual medium. You can’t get away from the fact that it is a toilet roll, but can you put this into a fun and interesting animation or a playful scene?

You want people to stop to find out more, rather than just scrolling past you.

This is important regardless of whether you’re operating a retailer or D2C model as you want to prove that you understand your customers wants/ needs.

The Best FMCG Website Examples

We thought to round this section off, we’d include a couple of FMCG website examples that are engaging and have got it spot on.

The examples below just go to show that regardless of what product you’re selling, you can still make your website both fun and functional.

Credit to Surreal cereal

Surreal cereal

We’ve touched on this brand earlier in the blog, but it needs another mention.

Surreal cereal have got their website design bang on, as they’ve transformed cereal into something fun and exciting.

To be honest, I kind of forget that it’s actually just cereal they’re selling as it feels like a magical world where anything is possible. Just take the elephant rocking on a honey hoop for example.

It’s all a bit surreal (sorry, couldn’t help myself!) but that all adds to the experience even more.

It knocks other cereal brands out of the park, as the brand is not afraid of doing something a little random and different.

Credit to Heineken

Heineken

What I like the most about the website for Heineken is the layout.

Everything has its place and there’s plenty of white space without the design looking cluttered. That said, it’s not too boring or plain either, which can be a difficult balance to strike.

The brand identity is also immediately obvious.

If you don’t know that their main brand colour is ‘green’ after looking at this website, then something’s wrong. It’s quite literally everywhere!

From the top navigation bar, to the footer, to the colour of the actual bottles, it permeates the site and creates a really strong brand image.

Their products are also really easy to find and are laid out in a lovely grid format. This makes it super simple for customers to find the beer they want, which is a huge plus.

Credit to Quaker Oats

Quaker Oats

What I love about the Quaker Oats website is that it offers customers more than just the product.

Below the banner image there is a whole section dedicated towards recipes (all of which obviously contain quaker oats) but it’s a softer sell than just having the product image.

The brand is telling customers how to do something new using their product.

It’s a very clever marketing strategy as Quaker Oats are still managing to promote their product without it being pushed onto the customer directly.

It also goes back to our earlier point about offering your customers some sort of value. Providing them with new and exciting recipes does exactly that, and it gives them a reason to come back to the website in the future.

Another clever inclusion on the website is the social media links. In fact, there is a whole banner dedicated to promoting the social media channels which gives customers another way to consume the brand.

FMCG Marketing

So, you have a great brand and website, but now you need to market it.

This is the lifeblood of any successful brand, as there’s no way household names such as Heinz or PG Tips would be so well known without marketing.

It’s how people find out who you are, and what you do.

But how do you choose which marketing channels to use or what type of product packaging to create?

It all starts with your FMCG marketing strategy.

An FMCG marketing strategy outlines every single part of your marketing campaign. It addresses the ‘why’ of every decision you make so that it all ties back to your goals and objectives.

For example, how is creating content going to help you achieve more sales?

How is having a strong social media presence going to increase your brand awareness?

This should all be documented in your FMCG marketing strategy as it keeps the entire project on track.

Without it you’re operating in the dark, which is a recipe for disaster. You need to have a clear idea of where you’re going, and how you’re going to get there.

In fact, without a clearly defined FMCG marketing strategy you’re setting your product up to fail.

When it comes to marketing your product, there are lots of tactics for you to take advantage of to make sure your product is seen and heard.

Let’s dive into some examples…

Content marketing

Companies need to create fantastic content as part of their FMCG marketing strategy.

High quality, meaningful content allows brands to engage consumers and helps create a connection between the brand and its audience.

Content can come in many different formats including videos, blog posts, social media, guides, downloads, and infographics.

Deciding which type of content to create depends on several factors such as your target audience and your position in the market.

For example, if you’re trying to target younger consumers then you might decide to create content such as Instagram reels and Gifs.

On the other hand if you’re targeting an older generation, you might decide to create long form content or focus on email newsletters that don’t contain as much moving imagery.

However, both of these things should be outlined in your FMCG marketing strategy, which is a document you should always refer back to.

Regardless of what type of content you choose to create, the main priority is ensure it is relevant, valuable, and consistent with thetone and style of the brand identity.

As mentioned earlier in the blog, customers should know what to expect from a brand and should never feel confused when they see an ad or campaign.

Social media

Using social media allows FMCG brands to connect with consumers and share information about their products.

Aside from this, FMCG companies can also use social media channels to build awareness of and develop communities around their brands.

In turn, this can have a huge impact on sales, as they’re getting their product directly in front of their target audience.

FMCG brands use social media for a variety of purposes, including:

• To share product information – Use this space to communicate your USP and differentiate yourself from your competitors
• Share how-to videos – This might include videos of recipes or tutorials to drive more consumer interest
• Interact with customers – Social media can be used to gather customer insights and feedback
• Customer engagement – FMCG brands can use social media to post quizzes or polls to get people’s thoughts on different products

Social media is key for FMCG brands as it provides a direct route of communication.

If you’re a company selling purely through retail, then having this digital connection with your customers is so important.

Otherwise, it all feels a bit faceless.

Use social platforms to promote your brand, as well as your brand personality. After all, this can be one of the biggest contributors to someone’s purchasing decisions.

If a customer feels as though they ‘know’ your brand and ‘like’ your brand then they’re much more likely to invest.

Use social media to your advantage and tell customers why they should choose your product over someone else.

Credit to Garnier

Use influencers

FMCG brands can build relationships with their target audiences by using brand ambassadors in the form of influencers.

50% of IG users claim they are more interested in a brand if they see their adverts on Instagram.

Therefore, FMCG companies can use this to their advantage by investing in influencer marketing.

But what does this actually mean?

As the name suggests, influencers are people who are influential to a particular group of people. For example, think of people such as Molly Mae, Holly Willoughby, Kim Kardashian, and David Beckham.

Essentially, any one who is well known and has power and influence (that all-important word) over a group of people.

Why they are an influencer is a different topic. For instance, Molly Mae is arguably an influencer due to her stint on Love Island, However, she is now the creative director of clothing brand Pretty Little Thing and has several product lines.

Therefore, she has built up her online presence to such a point that people buy products simply because she is promoting them.

For any FMCG brand, this is exactly what you want – someone who can appeal to the masses through their own network following.

Lots of FMCG brands have already started to incorporate this into their FMCG marketing strategy including cosmetic brand, Garnier.

They use celebrities such as Davina McCall and Holly Willoughby to promote their range of home hair dyes.

It’s a highly effective marketing strategy as both of these women have luscious locks, and by saying it is all down to Garnier, you’re encouraging more people to buy the product.

Email marketing

FMCG brands can use email marketing to develop one-to-one relationships with consumers before they step foot in a supermarket.

By reaching out to customers directly, it allows brands to get close to their customers which helps drive customer loyalty and repeat sales. This is especially important for brands who don’t sell directly to consumers, as email provides the opportunity to understand a customer’s wants and needs.

Based on submitted consumer data, brands can also effectively target individuals with campaigns that are relevant to their needs, which increases the likelihood of people buying.

For example, based on a customers’ postcode, brands can push a new retail promotion that is happening in their local area.

Also, as these customers have opted in to hear from the brand from previous promotions, they’re much more likely to buy again – especially if they’re directed to a supermarket near them.

When it comes to making the most of email marketing, FMCG brands should follow the key principles below to ensure their campaigns are a success:

• Segmenting their email marketing campaign according to previously identified buyer personas, and making sure the subject line, featured image, and the angle all appeal to that persona
• Keeping their database up to date by cleansing it every 3-6 months, by looking at subscribers who have opened and/or clicked an email in the past 3-6 months and those who haven’t

This allows you to keep each of your email campaigns strategic and targeted so that it is opened by the right group of people.

Video marketing

Video marketing is huge for FMCG brands as it has the power to increase customer engagement, build brand recognition, and enhance brand visibility online.

There’s no denying that video marketing is important for any sector, but in the FMCG space it can greatly help consumers with their purchasing decisions.

As alluded to earlier in the blog, FMCG products are commodities – they are necessary purchases. As a result, customers sometimes need a helping hand to choose one brand over another – which is one of the many reasons why video marketing is so important for an FMCG brand.

Let’s take a look at some other reasons…

• Consumers enjoy watching videos – Search engines such as Google and Yahoo! place videos at the top of search pages as most internet users like to watch videos before buying a service or product. For instance, using the example of Garnier hair dye, it would be easier for customers to see the before/ after results of the hair dye which could be shown in a video. They could also watch the full process to see how the dye is applied to hair, so they knew how to do this at home.
• Video marketing increases your ROI – Effective SEO combined with video marketing are a huge part of how a website ranks in Google. By being positioned at the top of the search results, you can engage new customers and increase sales.
• Videos play a large part in the decision-making process – Consumers like to learn about products and services before they actually buy them. Videos can inform their purchasing choices by showing them how something words in practice.
• Builds trust – Videos help instill confidence in the shopper. By showing your customer how something works or what your product is capable of, you’re building their trust. It’s this level of transparency that customers appreciate as it shows you have nothing to hide. If you’re claiming your product is the best, then prove it. Use video to invite your audience into your product or service.
• Increases sales – Through strong brand awareness, increased engagement, and higher site rankings, you’ll drive more traffic to your site and convert more leads into customers.

More and more FMCG brands are starting to incorporate video into their FMCG marketing strategy.

As the market continues to become overcrowded, these brands need to focus more on promoting long-term growth rather than just price promotions.

Whilst money is always going to be a key factor, brands need to concentrate on creating emotionally-driven campaigns that resonate with the consumer.

This is what makes video such a fantastic medium as you can build your brand story, create a strong narrative, and draw the audience in.

FMCG Marketing Examples

Marketing campaigns are essential for any FMCG product as they it’s how companies conjure up interest and draw customers in.

It’s how they encourage consumers to buy their products instead of choosing their competitors.

Over the last decade, there have been some fantastic marketing campaigns that go above and beyond the actual product.

Whilst the product is obviously important, it’s the other elements in these campaigns that make the brands so memorable.

It’s important to note that FMCG brands can get a little creative when it comes to their marketing campaign as the whole aim is to hook the customer.

Whether that’s running a competition or having a brand ‘mascot’ (which we’ll delve into below) the whole idea is to create a connection between brand and consumer so that people are encouraged to buy.

Let’s take a look at some examples.

Credit to L’Oreal

L’Oreal

When it came to the marketing strategy for cosmetic brand, L’Oreal, they wanted to invite customers behind the scenes.

This is always going to be a powerful marketing tactic as customers love to feel part of the brand. They also love being able to have a little snoop!

Using this knowledge, L’Oreal showed the process of making its product and the people who make it happen. They also used ‘#lifeatloreal’ across their social media channels to introduce their company culture and show what it’s like to work for the brand.

By inviting people into the company, they’re building a valuable level of trust and loyalty with customers, as it kind of feels like one big family. It breaks down the barrier between a brand and its customers by showing people how products are really made.

As a result of this strategy, L’Oréal communicated a message about the credibility of their team members and products, so the customers don’t have to hesitate when making a future purchase.

Credit to Marketing Week

Andrex

Whilst Andrex is a brand of toilet roll, I bet the first thing that came to mind was the Andrex puppy?

This brand mascot has been used on the marketing campaigns since 1972 and is a true staple of the brand. You can’t even say the word ‘Andrex’ without thinking of the labrador, which is a level of brand recognition that lots of FMCG companies would love.

Whilst the idea of having a brand character has somewhat fallen out of fashion with many becoming a little gimmicky, the Andrex puppy remains an instant cue for the brand.

But why has it been so successful?

Not only is the Andrex puppy cute, lovable, and memorable, but it’s also highly relevant to the brand.

This concept is explained by Matt Stone, marketing director of parent company Kimberly-Clark…

“Andrex the puppy isn’t just a “random mascot”, but a “metaphor” for its products. Puppies are soft and comforting to the touch, the same qualities the brand claims makes its own products superior.That combination of doing it consistently to the point that it becomes embedded in people’s memories, but also having a reason for why you have an icon or mascot and how it can communicate what your actual product is, is what I think makes [a brand character] strong and is where people can win.”

So, it seems our four-legged friend is here to stay!

Credit to Snickers

Snickers

“You’re not you when you’re hungry’.”

A tagline I’m sure we’re all familiar with, and an example of a winning marketing campaign by Snickers.

Back in 2017, Snickers gave a new twist to their chocolate bars by changing the title on the packaging from ‘Snickers’ to different types of personalities for when you get hungry.

I wonder if hangry was at the top of the list?!

To add to this, they changed their classic brand philosophy ‘You’re not you when you’re hungry’ to ‘Who are you when you’re hungry?’ to conjure up interest and invite the audience in.

Rolling out 20 second videos on social media, Snickers asked the audience one simple question – Who are you when you’re hungry?

The campaign put the brand at the forefront of people’s minds as the ultimate hunger-quencher.

Tools to Help

When it comes to creating a great FMCG brand, there’s no need to do it on your own.

Sure, you first and foremost need to have a product that people actually want, but how do you promote it and make it a success?

Thankfully, this is where technology comes into play.

There’s a whole plethora of tools available to marketers and business owners to help you attract as many consumers as possible.

It’s about choosing which tools are right for your business, and using them to maximise your offering.

Below are a handful of tools which can help.

Customer data platforms

A Customer Data Platform (also known as CDP) is a piece of software that collects data from multiple tools to create a centralised customer database containing data on all touch points and interactions with your product/service.

You can then segment this database to create personalised marketing campaigns that speak to specific customers.

For example, if a brand of crisps is trying to find out more about their customers purchasing habits, their CDP would be used to gather data from different touch points the customer interacts with such as Facebook, the company’s website, and email.

The CDP will collect all of those data points, consolidate them into a unified customer profile, and then make that profile usable to other systems that might need it, such as Facbooks ads.

This allows the company to use segmentation to better understand the wants and needs of their audience, and as a result, create more personalised marketing campaigns.

B2C e-commerce technology

Business-to-consumer ecommerce, also called retail ecommerce, is a business model that involves sales between online businesses and customers.

An example of B2C e-commerce is Amazon – an online retailer I’m sure we’ve all bought from!

With this type of business model, everything is done over the internet apart from the shipping and delivery process. As such, this increases the level of ease and freedom for both the consumer and the brand, as transactions can happen anywhere, at any time.

Because of this, B2C e-commerce is one of the fastest growing sectors in the global economy with more brands than ever taking advantage of this model – including FMCG brands.

B2C ecommerce is estimated to make around 6.3 trillion USD in global sales by 2024. – Statista.com

Apart from the level of ease, there are lots of reasons why FMCG brands are using B2B ecommerce to sell their goods, some of which we have discussed in this post.

For instance, they can get to know customers better by using online analytical tools to monitor behaviour and buying habits. In a physical store this is nearly impossible to do, as you might only have a handful of customers who you truly ‘know.’

Therefore, not every customer is getting the same personalised experience which is a huge missed opportunity.

When it comes to starting your B2C ecommerce business, you need to pick the right platform. You need to choose an ecommerce platform that comes complete with the features and functionality you need.

Below are some popular ecommerce platforms with built-in B2C capabilities:

• Shopify – Shopify is the leading cloud-based, multichannel commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses.
• WooCommerce – WooCommerce is the most popular WordPress eCommerce plugin and comes with a free option. It’s packed full of features, perfectly integrated into your self-hosted WordPress website.
• Salesforce – Salesforce B2C Commerce starts with trust and innovation that empowers customers to create unified and intelligent digital commerce experiences.
• Centra – Centra is a SaaS e-commerce platform for medium to enterprise-sized fashion and lifestyle brands running a Direct-to-Consumer and/or wholesale ecommerce business./li>
• FastSpring – FastSpring’s easy-to-use global ecommerce platform includes all of the features brands need to sell more and reach a global audience.

Data management platforms

A data management platform (or DMP as it’s also known) collects, organises, and activates first, second, and third-party audience data from various channels.

Before we dive in, first party data relates to data collected from your website, CRM systems, social media, email, mobile, and apps. I

Second party data is someone else’s first-party data. It comes from a mutually beneficial relationship with another company (such as a partner or supplier) with whom you share data.

Finally, third party data comes from websites and social media platforms that are not your own but can be used to reach a wider audience. It’s needed to augment first-party data so that marketers can increase their reach and improve personalisation.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get back to what a DMP can do for your FMCG brand.

Essentially, it uses the data mentioned above to build detailed customer profiles that drive targeted advertising and personalisation campaigns.

For example, at some point you would have visited a website to look at a product and then noticed ads for that product on every channel you go on. That’s a DMP at work.

If we put this into context, a data management platform has categories, for example “baking enthusiasts” who can then be targeted with specific ads. Therefore anyone who’s visited a baking website or a relevant blog post with a DMP tracking code might be categorised as a “baking enthusiast.”

Nearly every website contains a tracking code that monitors visitors as they travel the internet, meaning brands can design targeted campaigns.

Marketing automation tools

Marketing automation tools are an absolute must for any business.

They save you bags of time whilst also making the process much more efficient, more streamlined and more effective.

You can also measure the outcomes of marketing campaigns to ensure you are creating targeted, personalised, and timely marketing experiences to convert prospects into customers.

They’re so useful that we’ve dedicated a whole other blog post to the best marketing automation tools, so make sure you give that a read for the full low down.

In terms of your FMCG brand, there’s lots of automation tools for you to take advantage of, some of which are relatively inexpensive.

We’ve rounded up some of the best ones below which can help kickstart your marketing efforts:

• ActiveCampaign – This platform helps thousands of businesses to engage with their customers. It gives businesses of all sizes access to hundreds of templates and automations that combine transactional email and email marketing, marketing automation and CRM for powerful segmentation and personalisation across social, email, messaging, chat and text.
• Sendinblue – ​​Trusted by over 300,000 businesses worldwide, Sendinblue is an all-in-one marketing platform that allows businesses to engage with contacts and build better customer relationships through targeted and meaningful communication. They can cover the entire marketing funnel with an all-in-one solution for marketing automation, email marketing, SMS marketing, chat, Facebook Ads, CRM and for sending transactional messages via email and SMS.
• Braze – Braze is a comprehensive customer engagement platform that powers relevant and memorable experiences between consumers and the brands they love. Context underpins every Braze interaction, helping brands foster human connection with consumers through interactive conversations across channels that deliver value quickly and continuously.
• Omnisend – Lots of ecommerce businesses already use Omnisend’s email and SMS marketing to increase their sales and lighten their workload. Full integration with ecommerce platforms, pre-built automation workflows, and intuitive, no-code editing make it easy to get up and running without diving into the gritty details.
• GetResponse – GetResponse is simple-yet-powerful marketing automation software that empowers businesses to run online marketing effectively. Along with 24/7 customer support available in eight languages, GetResponse features more than 30 tools: email marketing, website builder, conversion funnel, marketing automation, Ecommerce, live chats, webinars, paid ads, and more.
• Act-on – Act-On is the world’s leading growth marketing automation platform that is designed to deliver adaptable, scalable, and evolving marketing automation for teams of all sizes, industries, and growth projections. Best of all, Act-On is easy to implement, highly configurable to bespoke needs, and supported by the best customer services team in the industry.

Social listening tools

Social listening tools need to be a top priority for any FMCG brand as they allow you to find out what customers are saying.

They act as your inside man, as you can learn what customers want from your product and tailor your offering to suit.

Through effective social media monitoring, you can understand customer conversations that matter most and address specific needs.

So often brands get bogged down with posting on social media, that they forget to actually pay attention to what customers are saying about it.

Your team might spend hours crafting the very best campaign to launch a new type of gin, but what do customers think?

Do they like it or are they not keen on the packaging?

Do they want a different flavour or does this tickle their taste buds?

Get involved in the conversation and pay attention to these discussions. They are absolutely vital if you want to create a successful product.

Thankfully, understanding what conversations your audience are having online doesn’t mean you have to trawl through every single social media platform.

Introducing: social listening tools.

Below are some examples of social listening tools for you to use in your own business:

• Netbase
• Locobuzz
• Brand24
• BrandWatch
• Mention
• Sprout Social
• Falcon
• Hootsuite
• Synthesio
• Buzzsumo

The Ultimate Guide to FMCG Branding, Marketing, and Website Design

So, there you have it – your ultimate guide to FMCG marketing, branding, and website design.

We’ve covered a lot in this blog, from understanding your business model to identifying your target audience.

Hopefully you’ve learned something useful and understand more about how to be successful in this sector.

The most important thing to remember is that FMCG products, by their very nature, are a commodity. These products are simply things that people need so they are not influenced by the same factors when making a purchase.

That’s why you need a sound FMCG marketing and branding strategy, supported by an effective website, so that you can hook customers into your product and give them a reason to buy it time and time again.

If you need some help getting started, simply get in touch with the team at Canny. We’ve helped various FMCG brands such as Kono Coffee, and we can do the same for you!