I want to use my final column this year to talk about a topic close to all our hearts, stomachs and prospects for growth - food. We’re all probably full after a number of festive lunches but now is the time to start planning for 2016.
Food sourcing, preparation and presentation is generating unprecedented excitement and engagement. People are intensely interested in new ingredients and recipes - we can see this from the leap in consumption of food-related content, via magazine sections, TV shows, books or views of video content - food-related views on social media are up 170% year on year.
The UK is at the forefront of food video. We have a wealth of inventive content creators who provide interesting, entertaining and inspirational ideas and recipes together with a healthy topping of fun. Food-related content on YouTube made by UK creators has been viewed 1.6 billion times and has international appeal too - amazingly, Americans watch more UK-created food content than Brits do themselves.
Food-related content and activity should be baked into the strategy of any grocery business for 2016. The set-piece Christmas ads from supermarkets have boosted awareness of their brands but now you need to capitalise on this with year-round content.
There are a variety of approaches, ranging from brands creating their own content, with great examples being projects from Tesco Food & Wine or Asda’s Mum’s Eye View, to partnering with established food-focused vloggers. Native content creators like DJ BBQ and Cupcake Jemma already have huge audiences and often specialise.
The opportunities are immense, and not just for UK sales. US, German and Chinese shoppers see the UK as a key retail destination for online shopping and consistently outspend UK shoppers online [OC&C Strategy Consultants, PayPal and Google]. Grocery retailers that prepare content with an eye on the international market are well-positioned to enjoy export sales.
However, operations need to be integrated to benefit from all the sparkling content. Marketing teams need to ready promotional offers for ingredients in support of recipes and partner with e-commerce teams, home delivery and store managers to make sure stock is readily available.
If there is one thing I would like you to do to prepare for next year, it is to investigate where your brand can offer advice and ideas. Search for one of your own products or take a look at your consumer website and identify where you can provide strong content. This one small test can spark a revelation and help you think more creatively about the customer experience you want to deliver in 2016.
Martijn Bertisen is country sales director at Google UK
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