Why are most brands still bad at Target.com listings?

I had the privilege of speaking at Cue4 last week. It was a great event with a ton of discussion on the future of retail. The opening speakers discussed Facebook, Amazon, Instagram, etc. Buzzword buzzword buzzword. Everyone was pumped up. After a short break came my session...it wasn't quite as sexy. But it may actually impact your top-line this year.

My goal was to show participants how you can audit and update your Target PDP to drive value and sales. It seems so simple, right. PDPs are basic. But I've met many Target CPG vendor leaders who want to talk cutting edge digital, but their PDP pages look like junk. By junk, I mean...1 image (old package), weird abbreviated title copy, 0 reviews and unanswered Q&A. With search results that don't show up until page 4. And these are leading brands. Not good.

It confuses me. It's 2018...Target digital sales have been outstanding quarter by quarter. They bought Shipt. But, do a Target.com search for sunscreen, cereal or yogurt and you'll find examples of what I'm talking about.

So, I asked my team, why are vendors still so bad at this?

Here is a list of 4 reasons we came up with. These are things within the control of most CPG offices. Read it and maybe you can address these in YOUR office. What do you think? What is holding your team back? Leave a comment and let us know!

1. Lack of Skill Set - There are surprisingly very few people who actually know HOW to update their data and content. If you see something that is wrong on your PDP, do you know how to update it? How about adding a video? Or fixing your drug facts? If the answer is no, I assume the bad content will be there a long time.
2. Accountability - In our experience, this is not fully defined. Some offices ask the sales team, some ask shopper marketing. Others blame their HQ team or the rep. Who is it in your office?
3. Prioritization - CPG brands want to talk about digital growth, but when it comes to fixing the day-to-day customer facing retail platform, no one seems to have any money to dedicate. Digital grocery and essentials are making up most of the $ growth. If it takes $20K, $50K, $200K to get your brand right, it's worth it. Vendors who have are seeing the impact online and instore. Cancel a marketing campaign, invest the funds and fix the basics.
4. Asking the Sales Team - The sales team is busy and is trained to focus on big, revenue driving initiatives. The sales team isn't going to dedicate itself to becoming experts on Target.com data and content. For most brands, Target.com drives 1-4% of sales directly. You and I know it impacts up to 40% of sales...but that doesn't show up on the P&L and that is where sales focuses.

DIGITS has expertise in retailer 1st party digital programs. We manage Cartwheel and Target.com for many CPGs. Contact me if you need help fixing these problems in your office.