Food and beverage brands connect with fast-moving consumers

Editor’s note: Alejandra Zubieta is the event coordinator at social media SaaS company Bazaarvoice, Austin, Texas. This is an edited version of a post that originally appeared here under the title, “Food shoppers are always connected.”

If you’re a food and beverage maker, this is an exciting time.

Due to the incredible rise of mobile technology – consumers spend over 15 hours a week researching on their phones – there are incredible opportunities to gain new consumers and retain existing ones. But there are also increased risks of losing consumers to competing brands.

How can your food and beverage brand thrive in this changing marketplace?

In our constantly connected world, mobile devices have become king. This provides immense opportunities for food and beverage makers.

Grocery stores have some of the highest mobile usage levels of any industry, with 30-to-35 percent of food and beverage product page views being accessed from a mobile device. This means you always have an opportunity to reach new consumers and engage with them quickly.

Whether it’s an existing or prospective consumer, they’re most likely researching nutrition and ingredient information, recipes and grocery lists on the go. In many cases, this means standing in the aisle deciding between your brand and a competitor – and 93 percent of consumers that research on a mobile phone go on to make a purchase!

These consumers are using many channels to make purchasing decisions, including searching the Web, blogs, social media, in-store messaging and word-of-mouth.

But how can your business be ready for these fast-moving consumers?

Make sure your branding and content are optimized for any mobile scenario – including having fast load times, simple Web site navigation and displaying the most relevant content first.

You may want to consider mobile-first development, which prioritizes the needs and considerations of mobile consumers.

When it comes to mobile, food research doesn’t normally begin with your mobile site or app – it usually starts with search. The fresh, authentic, keyword-rich content contained in CGC-like reviews has been proven to positively impact SEO, improve your search rankings and drive more traffic to your site.

By encouraging consumers to contribute CGC about your products, and by publicly interacting with them on social media channels (including quickly responding to their questions and comments), you can also increase their loyalty and gain new consumers.

There are incredible opportunities and challenges for food and beverage brands. These opportunities are being driven by dramatically increased food and beverage choices, as well as the unstoppable growth of mobile devices and their CGC-contributing users. Brands that adapt to and engage with these excited but fickle foodies have the greatest chance for success.