Baking & Snack - May 2022 - 42

E-COMMERCE
nel includes online-only sellers like
Amazon, while the omnichannel
is represented by in-store retailers
such as Walmart and Target that
also sell products online.
Each channel is growing in different
ways and serves a unique purpose.
E-commerce pioneer Amazon has the
largest share of the online grocery space
and accounts for half of all online sales, IRI
reports. But omnichannel grocery sales are also
growing quickly, largely thanks to strong customer loyalty,
Mr. Gagliardi said.
" When you look at the US grocery industry, these
retailers specifically have the most loyal consumers of
any industry, " he explained. " More and more shoppers
generationally shop at the same grocery store over and
over again. "
When consumers migrate their shopping experience
from in-store to online, they want to shop at the store
they've gone to their entire life.
" Those new omnichannel retailers that are able to
exist in-store and online, they're actually growing the
fastest and taking share away from Amazon, and especially
for bakery we would expect that to continue, " Mr.
Gagliardi said.
Food brands should capitalize on this consumer loyalty
and get their products on omnichannel sites. But
establishing a presence on pure players like Amazon is
equally important.
" Because of the size and scale of Amazon here in the
US, it still is a must-win for all brands and all catego42
Baking & Snack May 2022 / www.bakingbusiness.com
Brands should establish a presence on both pure-play and
omnichannels.
Muffin Town
ries, although it might not be their No. 1 revenue driver, "
Ms. Heikkinen noted. " I think pure-play has a place and
needs to be managed more so as a marketing tool for
perishables. "
If brands aren't putting their products in front of consumers
in the pure-play space, others will.
" If you're not choosing to engage with Amazon, there
will be someone else out there, a third-party seller, who
will take your brand and sell it online, " Mr. Gagliardi
warned. " And if they're doing it, then you lose control
of your brand messaging, you lose control of what that
product detail page can look like. Some third-party individuals
will set it up with what they believe the brand
stands for, opposed to what you and your brand managers
believe it should stand for. "
Muffin Town, Chelsea, Mass., sells its products on
Amazon as well as numerous other online platforms.
In addition to the Muffin Town website and Madeline's
Pantry,
well as Google Shopping, Facebook and Instagram.
" The goal is to get us into as many omnichannels
as possible, " said Roger Piffer, director of marketing,
Muffin Town. " Orders come from all these channels, and
more visibility means recognition. "
Knowing where to start
With so many sellers to choose from across pure-play and
omnichannel, some companies may be unsure where to
its own online bakery, Muffin Town's baked
goods are available on Walmart, ePallet and Instacart, as
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - May 2022

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