Singapore-based e-commerce company Etaily announced on Sept. 15 that it was partnering with Century Pacific Food, Inc. (CPFI) to help grow Goodest, a pet food range that contributes 25% to CPFI’s e-commerce business despite representing only 0.5% of its consumer packaged goods business.
And according to Etaily, short-form videos on TikTok could be as important to brands as the landing page on e-commerce platforms.
“If a brand is still thinking [only] about the landing page on Lazada and not taking this into account, then we have a big problem,” said Alexander Friedhoff, Etaily co-founder and chief executive officer.
In e-commerce, “it will be your efforts, your understanding of how the landscape works, that helps drive your success — or failure,” said Alexander Lim, CPFI general manager of pet foods, adding that e-commerce has been an “equalizer” for the pet food industry.
Launched October 2021, Goodest is third among pet care products on Shopee and fifth among pet food products on Lazada.
“E-commerce isn’t just another channel. It really is something that you need to study independently, that you have to study as operating with a different set of dynamics,” Mr. Lim said. “You can learn from all sorts of different places on how best to do it.”
Mr. Friedhoff said that retailers and enablers need to work on four fronts to create a seamless omnichannel experience: operations, technology, data, and brand.
Omnichannel, in e-commerce and retail parlance, refers to a shopping experience across in-store, mobile, and online channels.
It’s every retailer’s dream to have an omnichannel experience where consumers can fulfill, buy, and return from anywhere — “but there’s a very long path to execute this,” Mr. Friedhoff said in a Sept. 15 event organized by Etaily.
“Southeast Asia, in comparison to Europe and the US, is not there yet in terms of integration of points-of-sale, and in fulfilling seamlessly in every location,” he said.
He added that, while supply chain issues exist worldwide, businesses can prepare through better forecasting plus adapting their sales infrastructure to the demand being generated.
Gone are the days when having a billboard or TV commercial is enough, said Alexandra Garcia, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) category director for Etaily, who is working with CPFI.
“E-commerce is digital in nature,” she said. “The purchase happens on different touchpoints.”
TIKTOK SELLING
At the same event, Jonah Michael Ople, acquisition and incubation lead for Tiktok Shop Philippines, suggested a combination of affiliate- and self-generated content for getting discovered in the video hosting service.
Tiktok Shop sellers have the option to collaborate with content creators; the latter also have the option on the platform to apply to sellers to promote their products.
“We show videos based on your connections, not your interests,” Mr. Ople said. “Based on that, this is where the brand should go. If you find creators that resonate with the interests of your target consumers, then it makes sense to get them.”
“There are…a lot of users you want to target who believe in these creators, and in the authenticity they present,” added Mr. Ople. — Patricia B. Mirasol