Optimization and improvement of E-commerce for GSK NL 

Background

GSK NL has been active in the Netherlands since 1921 and the office in Amersfoort employs around 250 people in medicines (medicines and vaccines) and self-care products (self-care products and over-the-counter medicines). GSK's vision is to make its medicines available to as many people as possible to help them do more, feel better and live longer. GSK Consumer Healthcare has a leading position in the Netherlands in oral care, over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements.

For GSK NL, the digital product shelf represents a great opportunity for growth. More than half of customers' buying journeys start in the search box and companies must invest in the product experience for the digital customer. To be able to adapt their content for products based on new requirements from retailers and customers, companies need to collect data on how their digital channels perform as well as insights from their customers. Customers are more likely to change brands on the digital shelf as they can easily compare products between the different brands. In this case, companies need to rely on their content such as photos, videos, descriptions, instructions, pricing and ratings as well as reviews. These different pieces of content are then displayed on retailers' websites to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions.

Assignment

The role of Digital Shelf Manager (DSM) for the Dutch market was to promote GSK NL’s brand visibility and conversions/sales on the digital product shelf for priority resellers (e.g. Amazon, Bol.com, Kruidvat etc.). Our DSM was also tasked with ensuring that no important parts of the content were missing or incorrect which could result in missed sales opportunities.

The assignment was to support and lead GSK NL on issues such as:

• How can we simplify and improve the process around the digital product shelf?

• How do we define key requirements for e-commerce? (Pictures, descriptions, other content, ratings and reviews.)

• How do we evaluate how our brands perform across the various retailers in the Netherlands and how do we increase search and sales?

• How can we ensure that the quality of our content is perfect before we make media investments to increase visibility, searchability and conversions? (traffic x conversions = sales)

Result

Increased understanding of the importance of working with content for e-commerce and optimization of the digital product shelf and adaptation of internal functions.

• Key Account managers: what questions should they ask retailers about content for e-commerce and increased understanding of what good collaboration between manufacturers and retailers should look like.

• Brand Managers: How should they create content based on the key factors of e-commerce? For example, they should ensure that they include the most vital keywords in titles and descriptions.

Improved and more efficient processes around the handling of the digital product shelf

• KPIs

• Implementation of the SiteLucent tool: A web-based tool that shows the presence of products on the digital product shelf, based on e.g. product titles, descriptions, pictures, price, ratings and reviews etc. The tool helps to analyse all resellers and ensures a centralised datastore for increased insights, e.g. around the performance of the digital shelf and online sales

• Implementation of the World of Content (PIM system): A platform that handles and delivers content automatically, customized for the individual reseller.