How we created the e-commerce strategy for a FMCG player and implemented a POC to make it concrete and transfer knowledge

THoM helped to define the e-commerce strategy for this client active in multiple (non-)EU markets with various brands and distribution strategies.

The main goal was to decide on a relevant, feasible, and actionable e-commerce strategy that included a POC. The objective of the POC was to generate incremental value in the coming years.

The team defined 3 phases in the e-commerce assessment, from defining where to play to choosing what to do concretely.

By the end of the project, our consultants provided the following analysis and conclusion:

1 – Building the landscape & competitor assessment

• Report with an overview of the general e-commerce landscape

Content: Global assessment, market assessment (5 markets), category & shopper deep dive

• Report with a deep analysis of the e-commerce strategy of 5 key competitors

2 – Settling an internal vision session

• Report on the potential e-commerce channels to pursue: (1) e-retail, (2) marketplaces, (3) niche & pure players, (4) direct-to-consumer, (5) meal delivery

• Workshop session where research was presented & where they drove conclusions on the internal vision, using 10 “What if”-scenarios as a discussion opener

3 – Providing an e-commerce strategy & scenario analysis

• Strategic summary document per brand, channel & country
• Documentation of the pro’s & con’s of each scenario
• High-level timeline & action plan for the POC 

The next phase was to implement the POC. From the strategy discussion, it became clear that this should be Amazon in the UK. The team, together with marketplace partner, helped the client to make the business case, set up the store & logistics according to Amazon’s requirements, get listed and ran the campaigns for the duration of the POC.