The secret to standing out: AI-driven digital shelf analytics

Vaibhav Dabhade, Founder and CEO, Anchanto

In the ever-evolving landscape of retail, the digital revolution continues to reign supreme in 2023. Despite a resurgence in physical stores during 2022, the e-commerce sector experienced an astounding surge in 2022, with global sales surpassing the staggering $5.7 trillion mark.

Only in Singapore, the revenue projections of the e-commerce sector are set to escalate from $6.59 billion in 2023 to a promising $10.45 billion by 2027. Furthermore, in Singapore, the influence of online shopping is pronounced, with Millennials and Gen Xers dedicating approximately 6 hours to their online retail shopping, and up to 67% of Millennials and 56% of Gen Xers preferring online shopping over traditional brick-and-mortar stores.

SME retailers will find that the rise in demand comes with increasingly complex expectations. To find new avenues for growth, businesses must be able to adapt to the changes with new technology and partnership opportunities.

Retailers are also grappling with the challenge of identifying and narrowing gaps with their competitors’ offerings to maintain a competitive edge. Establishing a robust brand presence, differentiating oneself, and building consumer trust through precise product data are pivotal. A vital aspect of achieving this is the optimization of Digital Shelf, ensuring a compelling online representation of brands’ products or services across various E-commerce platforms.

Elevate Your E-Commerce Strategy: Harness the Power of Digital Shelf Analytics

In order to meet consumers’ expectations and stand out among the competition, the utilization of a digital shelf analytics platform becomes indispensable. In the context of e-commerce, the digital shelf serves as the online counterpart to physical product displays in brick-and-mortar stores. It constitutes an array of digital touchpoints where consumers discover, learn, compare, and ultimately make purchase decisions. Furthermore, Digital shelf platforms leverage AI-driven insights to gauge brand health and product performance.

However, it is best to monitor digital shelf health to maintain a competitive edge as generating and extracting digital shelf data might not be enough. Hence, unlocking and leveraging key capabilities through a digital shelf is a must in order to stand out in this highly competitive retail arena.

Empowering Retailers with Healthy Digital Shelf

  1. Strategic Pricing: A solid pricing strategy enhances profitability. Yet, most lack one. Competitive prices influence 51% of shoppers to switch brands. Brands can avoid price wars and boost brand image with insights on price trends and competitor pricing. This maintains competitiveness and earnings. 
  2. Enhanced Content: Real-time shelf health data informs sales and revenue. Informed strategies improve customer experience through better content. Market sentiment scores from reviews help brands address concerns. Comparing visibility, engagement, and traffic with rivals fine-tunes approaches. 
  3. Efficient Replenishment: Maintaining stock is vital. Insights on product availability across channels aid tracking. Monitoring competitors’ launches is easier. Comparing sales helps meet demand when rivals run out of stock. 
  4. Optimized Revenue: Accurate analytics reveal GMV by marketplace, brands, and more. Monitoring top-performing products streamlines efforts. Detailed charts identify bestsellers, enabling data-driven decisions and revenue optimization. 
  5. Reduced Losses: Analyzing product comparisons reveals revenue loss to unauthorized sellers. Digital shelf analytics integrated into operations protect brand value, flagging violations and building trust. 
  6. Staying Ahead: Comparing products with competitors aids differentiation. Analyzing parameters like price, reviews, and discounts identifies improvement areas. Detailed information supports strategic decisions. Armed with this knowledge, retailers make informed decisions and adapt strategies for a competitive edge. Understanding competitors’ strengths highlights areas for enhancement. 

In the rapidly evolving landscape of the e-commerce industry, retailers must stay attuned to emerging trends and technologies to remain competitive as online shopping is increasingly influential towards Millennials and Gen Xers. Hence, it is crucial for SEMs to establish a brand presence by delivering exceptional customer experiences with their online stores. Achieving this requires optimizing the Digital Shelf, ensuring a compelling online representation of products or services across various E-commerce platforms.