For bakery e-commerce, digital cues are key

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For bakery e-commerce, digital cues are key

27 Apr 2023

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

AMELIA ISLAND — As e-commerce maintains a stronghold on consumer shopping preferences, fresh foods like baked goods are stepping into the spotlight. During the American Bakers Association’s annual convention, which took place March 26-28, Jonna Parker, principal and team lead for fresh foods at Circana, hosted a conversation with Molly Hjelm, group director, advertising, for Kroger Precision Marketing at the Kroger Co.; Omar Haque, VP and GM of omnichannel for Bimbo Bakeries USA; and Alicia Kuri, eCommerce category and shopper insights for Nestle Coffee Partners, to address some of the biggest trends in omnichannel for CPG and their impact on the bakery market.

One main concern with digitally purchasing fresh foods is, in fact, that freshness factor. While convenience reigns with e-commerce, there is still trepidation in the perception of freshness.

“We’ve learned through our research that consumers are looking for cues — whether consciously or subconsciously — that will instill the idea of freshness,” Kuri said. “That’s a key inflection point that will push them to make the purchase.”

That’s where content like product imagery can come into play and convey quality and freshness. Kuri suggested creative imagery can even transport a shopper to the moment of consumption.

So, while a packaged product image does wonders for brand recognition, digital imagery of a person consuming the product can recreate the experience they get in-store when they feel or smell it.

“Think about how, in the absence of feeling the product, you can still give the shopper the feeling of that same experience,” Kuri said. “That’s going to drive brand choice.”

That said, the experience can’t end when the shopper clicks the “add to cart” button. Fresh brands like baked goods have to deliver on the promise.

“It’s all about building consumer trust,” Hjelm said. “It’s matching what they hope they get with what they actually receive.”

Hjelm pointed out that the retailer has an important role to play in that. In fact, Kroger has invested in temperature-controlled trucks to ensure fresh foods like produce or bread maintain their freshness and deliver on consumer expectations.

While there are ways to recreate the in-person experience online, there are also ways to provide digital enhancements in-store.

“There are a lot of ways that we can take the benefits of online and bring it offline to inspire our shoppers,” Haque suggested.

For example, e-commerce has the benefit of providing inspiration like recipes and other product-use suggestions that can drive a purchase. In-store, QR codes can bring that inspiration to the physical shopping experience.

In fact, research from Forrester indicated that 70% of shopping behavior is digitally influenced.

“When you advertise, you’re speaking to an omnichannel shopper,” Hjelm emphasized, noting that Kroger’s data collection system is equipped to analyze in-store and online metrics.

“For us, it’s about surrounding the shopper wherever they’re spending their time,” she added. “We know their attention is more fragmented than ever before.”

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