Food Navigator USA | Investing in the Future of Food

Hinge Global CEO and Founder Fred Killingsworth explains in this episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s Investing in the Future of Food that online sales of food and beverage are growing too fast to ignore, and that failing to sell online not only is a missed sales opportunity but it leaves brands vulnerable to third party sellers that could eat into their overall market share and potentially damage a brand’s reputation.

‘There will be winners and losers’

Killingsworth estimates that the food and beverage industry at large is worth roughly $22 billion and expected to expand $60-$100 billion over the next four years with e-commerce representing the best opportunity for manufacturers to be a part of that growth. However, he cautioned, “there will be winners and losers based on people’s investment and adoption of best practices, technology and operational changes that are required to reach the digital consumer.” He added that the best place to reach consumers – both at the retail level and through food service and business-to-business is on Amazon, where six out of 10 people on the Internet have already purchased a grocery item. He explains that consumers are being trained to shop on Amazon and to understand the convenience it offers – as the acclimate to the experience and the benefits they will increasingly turn to the website – making it crucial for all brands to be a part of Amazon.

It is time to get off the fence

Despite the potential opportunity, Killingsworth says many large CPG companies continue to sit on the fence either because they don’t know how to engage with consumers online or they don’t have the budget to do so effectively.

However, he recommended, they “scrape up” a budget, even if minimal, to invest in online sales now. He explained that a $100,000 investment in e-commerce could easily grow to a $50 million business in two years. But, he added, if they wait not only will the value increase drop but the amount needed to invest to receive the same returns will increase.

Beyond just the missed sales, he explained that third-party sellers are taking advantage of brands that are not actively selling their own products online by selling their goods in their place.

Click here to read the article in its entirety.

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