Search OptimizationRevolutionizing visibility by creating the 'prefect e-store'
In a highly competitive market, their products lacked visibility on distributor e-Comm websites. Their portfolio lost among countless competitors on distributor websites and e-commerce platforms. With strong product features but low market penetration the customer engaged Actio Consultancy Group to develop a strategy to ensure their product/portfolio stand out on distributor e-Comm sites and stay top of mind, and drive product penetration in a highly competitive industry.
challenge
The Challenge: Brand & Product Quality Means Nothing if Your Portfolio is Not Visible
On Foodservice Distributor e-Comm websites visibility to operators is critical in driving new ranging. Research shows products in the top 6 items of a product search receive on average 27% more customer clicks. Products in the top 3 search items, gain on average 67% more customer clicks. Products not on the 1st page are highly unlikely to receive any clicks. For our partner their search results were diabolical. Using the #1 search term ‘Tea’, search results revealed of their 11 products just 5 (45%) appeared on the 1st search page. There were ZERO products in the Key Top 6 search positions. Making the result even worse the highest rated product was search position #36 on the first page. The challenge was clear how could Actio help our partner could elevate their search position results for key tea/beverage search terms used by Chefs, Barista’s & Procurement Managers
Defining How Operators Search & Their Most Common Search Terms
To address the poor product search position results required Actio Team to first understand the following:
- Who & When – Who ordered & how often?
- How They Ordered – How did operators engage with e-Comm sites when i) replenishing versus ii) searching for new Ingredients/variants? Identify what are the key search terms & actions?
- Decision Drivers – What influenced product selection decisions i) Brand ii) Quality iii) Ease of Ordering, iv) Availability (Includes Visibility) v) Fit for Purpose (Meets Needs) vi) Value-Added vii) Price & viii) Convenience (Ease of Ordering). Equally critical is also understanding their relative importance.
What Drives Distributor Search Result Rankings?
Once operator search behaviour was mapped and understood, the next challenge for Actio Team was to analyse & understand what factors shaped search result rankings? To do this the job to be done included the following:
- Map Key Distributor e-Comm Sites – Who are the key distributors and how do the search engines work on their e-Comm sites? What do the e-Comm sites they have in common & where do they differ?
- Mapping Search Factors & Algorithms – Understand how Distributor e-Comm prioritize product rankings by mapping i) Search Algorithms ii) Factor Weighting Algorithms iii) Ability to Influence Identified Weighted Factors (Identify Solution Options)
How to Test & Validate Potential Solutions?
Making Changes within Distributors e-Comm Systems is extremely difficult. Frequent or small adjustments in Distributors e-Comm Systems to factors/descriptors that influence search rankings as part of any trial is regarded by sales & marketing teams virtually impossible. The Actio team had to develop the following:
- Mapping Search Factors & Algorithms – Understand Distributor methodology e-Comm prioritize product rankings by mapping i) Search Algorithms ii) Factor Weighting Algorithms iii) Ability to Influence Identified Weighted Factors
- Search Optimization Improvement Solution Options – Develop a range of search optimization improvement initiatives based on understanding of Distributor prioritization factors
- Validation Technology & Approach – Develop a technologies that enable testing of proposed search optimization improvement initiatives.
solution
The solution WP consulting came up with combined cutting edge technology with real world practicality. Everyone knew that the systems had to be updated, the real challenge was updating them without disrupting the whole organization in a negative way. The solution was to introduce proper workload management done through computers, while providing mobile platforms to the stakeholders.
This allowed the workers to be involved in the job instead of feeling like they had been made redundant by technology.
results
The Solution: Optimizing Search to Create the ‘Perfect e-Store’
Actio took 4 x Key Innovative Actions to address identified challenges. They are as follows:
- Operator Ordering Behaviours – Chef/Operator Interviews enable Actio to understand how chefs & operators engaged with & search on distributor e-comm platforms when i) Replenishing Ingredients versus ii) Searching for New/Alternative Ingredients
- Operator/Chef Decision Factors – As part of the interviews with Chef/Operator Actio also mapped what were the key decision factors they took when making decisions to i) Change Ingredients or ii) Select a New Ingredients
- Understanding Distributor Algorithms & Search Ranking Citeria – To identify the factors that would improve our partners search optimization the Actio tech Team replicated distributor e-comm platforms creating a ‘Test Sand Pit’ enabling the customer & Actio channel experts to conduct a series of experiments to Understand Algorithms/Factors that determined key word search results
- Optimization Search – Based on a combination of learnings on Chef Operator Search Behaviours & understanding of Distributor e-Comm Platform Actio developed several conventions & hypotheses relating to description, key word, decisions factors to optimize search results. These were then tested in replicated e-comm site resulting to create several recommendations to optimize search
The Results: Optimizing Search to Improve Product Visibility
Our partner customer reviewed the recommendations aligned with the Actio team on best approach to explain to the distributor ‘Why’ our customer wish to implement the recommended changes. The results were staggering:
- Naming & Description Conventions Changes – The distributor fully accepted the rationale to make changes to product naming & descriptions
- Search Optimization Immediate Impact – 4 x most common search across 11 products resulted in a total of 44 possible results (11x 4). Before changes there were just 21/44 (47%) searches where our partners products appeared the first page. Post changes 44/44 (100%) products appeared on the first page, a +105%
Even more staggering the vital Top 6 search positions improved from 8/44 (18%) to 26/44 (59%) a +325% improvement. In the critical Top 3 search positions our partner went from 3/44 just (7%) to an amazing 16/44 (36%) a +325% improvement/
- You Purchase What You Can See – Superior Visibility – Incredibly, all of the 44 possible search results were in the Top 15 products items in any individual search 11/15 (73%) were those of our partner customer. The fragmented view prior to change became a ‘Brand Block’ exceeding expectations by dominating visually distributor e-comm site word searches.
This new capability had a profound impact on the business approach, Leveraging Learning & Improved Search Results our partner excited at the potential of this new capability moved for forward with i) Online demand creation activity linked to distributor websites, confident their products would be first seen by Chefs/Baristas/Operators/Procurement personnel ii) Expanded the principles & standard for product naming & descriptor convention to other markets & iii) made it standard for all new innovation product launches to optimize visibility.
Contact us at the Actio Consultancy Group office nearest to you or submit a business inquiry online.
Having worked with Geoff & the Actio team over many years I am constantly amazed at their ability to understand our business needs and drivers. Our team greatly value their ability to turn strategy into actionable initiatives.
