The food and beverage industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years from small-batch artisans and niche brands using Shopify to supercharge their ecommerce presence. In this blog, we explore three up-and-coming UK food and drink companies absolutely smashing it on Shopify and positioning themselves for rapid expansion. Read on to discover the breakout stars and their secrets to ecommerce success.
O’Donnell Moonshine
I first stumbled upon O’Donnell Moonshine whilst wandering through a Christmas market, when I suddenly blurted out – LOOK AT THOSE COOL BOTTES! Their eye-catching packaging and intriguing name straight away drew me in. A quick Google later and I was hooked – both on the idea of proper English moonshine and O’Donnell’s particular flavours and charm.
Fast forward to today and I’m a bona fide O’Donnell evangelist, with three flavours in my drinks cabinet and a moonshine cocktail repertoire to rival Mad Men’s Don Draper. But what truly sealed the deal was visiting their Shopify store, which utterly captivated me with their origin story and small-batch brewing process.
Through vivid copy and eye-catching photography, O’Donnell’s site transports you to their distillery, where innovation and tradition blend to create a spirit like no other. The pride they take in their craft oozes through each page. And reviews from fellow moonshine lovers provide that extra nudge to purchase. Yotpo isn’t my favourite reviews application, but the O’Donnell’s team use it really well bypassing style limitations we have experienced with the app in the past making sure the reviews stand out and are easy to read.
While a tad more refinement around content and layouts could optimise the mobile experience, their store conveys the uniqueness of their product spot on. It’s the perfect launchpad into the O’Donnell moonshine world.
Their Shopify store is simple but effective. It carries all of the best practices to scale up an ecommerce brand. With a strong brand and good marketing presence, I am really excited to see this brand grow and grow over the coming years.
The Great British Porridge Co.
As a porridge fanatic, I’m quite particular about my oats. So when I first stumbled upon The Great British Porridge Co., I knew I had found something special. Beyond their incredible array of porridge, their Shopify store stands out by clearly conveying their wonderful product and brand.
Right from the clean, uncluttered homepage, their commitment to quality porridge shines through. The bold hero banner features beautiful porridge photography alongside visible call to actions driving customers to explore their range.
Throughout the site, useful USPs communicate their differentiation – handmade in small batches, using sustainably sourced ingredients, and completely customisable. This messaging signals to customers that they offer a premium porridge experience unmatched by competitors.
They smartly showcase their subscription options featuring tempting savings to encourage repeat purchases. The subscription offering is explained clearly with details on frequency options, the ability to customise deliveries, and cost savings compared to one-time orders. Recharge really is the best!
The one area where Great British Porridge Co. could level up its store is by implementing a robust third-party review platform like Reviews.io over Shopify’s basic review app. Reviews.io centralises review collection across channels like email and SMS. It provides advanced filtering, better display customisations, and review management tools that build customer confidence through authentic testimonials. This makes reviews more visible integration with the likes of Google, etc. Post-selling strategies are extremely important. Offering future discounts to help build reviews is a great way to build both brand reputation and to bring in repeat orders to up your customer’s lifetime value.
With mouthwatering photography, strategic USPs, and a frictionless buying experience, The Great British Porridge Co.’s Shopify store is as comforting and wholesome as its porridge itself. Whilst also being stocked in some of the most well-known supermarkets in the UK – I am excited to see how the Great British Porridge Company continues to expand and grow online over the next couple of years!
Doughnut Time
Doughnut Time’s tantalising artisanal doughnuts are enough to make anyone’s mouth water. But beyond their crave-worthy confections, their Shopify store stands out for smartly implementing tactics to increase average order value.
For example, Doughnut Time enables customers to add gift cards during checkout, making it easy to purchase their products as gifts whilst covering delivery costs. They also showcase potential add-ons like DIY kits that encourage larger basket sizes by upselling complementary items.
Doughnut Time’s detailed allergen information builds trust with customers that have dietary restrictions, and their transparent nutrition facts give confidence in the quality of the handmade treats.
There are still opportunities for Doughnut Time to optimise the online experience. For sold-out products, they could automatically recommend a similar or seasonal item rather than forcing customers to re-navigate the catalogue, streamlining the shopping experience.
Using user-generated content from their Instagram via apps like Sauce would further highlight customers enjoying the products and potentially increase conversion rates. User-generated content provides social proof through real customer photos and reviews. This authentic perspective builds trust and confidence in the brand. Displaying content created by satisfied buyers gives potential customers influential peer validation that helps drive purchase decisions and increase conversions.
For brands looking to incrementally increase AOV to enable free shipping, take inspiration from Doughnut Time’s strategic integrations. Small touches like gift cards and clear allergen info exemplify converting customers into repeat buyers.
O’Donnell Moonshine, The Great British Porridge Co., and Doughnut Time are just a couple of examples of how setting the foundations on Shopify, elevating your branding and story, strategic user experience, and the right tech stack can unlock tremendous growth for food and drink brands on Shopify. By conveying their unique value propositions and crafting frictionless online shopping journeys, these emerging players have built the foundations to scale successfully. Their journeys showcase inspirational benchmarks for small F&B businesses looking to find their niche, connect with customers, and grow their reach online. The opportunities ahead for artisanal food producers on Shopify are endless.
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Don't Get Left Behind - Upgrade Your Store to Shopify and Grow
