15 Five-Star Ecommerce Food & Beverage Brands Bringing Perishables Online
Scott Siders
Food and beverage ecommerce revenue is projected to exceed $16.5 billion this year on its way to nearly $26 billion by 2022.
Although the food and beverage sector is the largest retail category in the U.S. by a large margin, the industry has not yet widely adopted ecommerce when compared to sectors such as consumer electronics and household products.
This is due to the perishable nature of food and beverage products, which typically have unique storage and logistic requirements.
Quick processing and delivery are critical and have traditionally been a challenge for retailers trying to take advantage of the immense ecommerce opportunity.
But recent trends, technology advances, and shopper sentiment indicate that the food and beverage ecommerce category is poised for rapid growth.
A recent Nielsen study found that about one-quarter of shoppers order groceries online and 55% are willing to do so in the future.
With the right ecommerce strategy, technology, and logistics solutions in place, food and beverage retailers of all types and sizes can gain market share and even dominate this sector.
Best Food & Beverage Ecommerce Brands
While food and beverage retailers have been slow to move online, many are starting to shake up the industry with outstanding ecommerce sites that attract and convert online shoppers.
To help food and beverage brands remain competitive in this category, we’ve put together the following list of 16 exceptional ecommerce sites:
From well-established brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Atkins to newer brands like Bon Bon Bon and Pilot Coffee Roasters, check out these sites to see how you measure up in the market.
1. Bon Bon Bon.
Aptly named Bon Bon Bon sells a wide selection of bon bons on its enticing ecommerce site and from two brick-and-mortar locations in Detroit.
The company’s bright and beautiful site features large, colorful rotating banners on its homepage, FAQs, a bon bon blog, and swag for sale.
Shoppers can buy ready-made bon bon collections or customize their order by building their own box. They can also sign-up for a bon bon-making class for amateur chocolatiers.
An original Shopify site failed to allow for necessary customizations and thus revenue goals. A platform switch and redesign by BigCommerce partner BrandLabs helped the Bon Bon Bon team attain their visual and UX goals.
According to the team:
“Brand Labs, working with Skidmore Studios in Detroit, created a funky, user friendly BigCommerce site that captures the spirit of the BonBonBon product, the Babes Babes Babes (a rad group of ladies, keeping hand-u-facturing alive in Detroit), and of course the chocolate.”
2. Vivino.
Vivino is the world’s largest wine community where users can buy, rate, and review a vast selection of wines.
Shoppers can quickly view selected wines by category on the homepage or find a specific brand using the search function. Product pages display a wealth of information on each wine, including:
A close-up of the label
The winery and region where it’s made
The grapes used to make it
The food it best pairs with
Average rating
Customer reviews
Special distinctions
Comparisons to other wines
Shipping information
Vivino also enables customers to download its wine app and holds flash sales so customers can purchase wines at discounted prices.
“BigCommerce is the only solution we considered that provides robust functionality and international capabilities, making it a perfect fit for our needs,” said Will Pearson, Commerce Operations Manager at Vivino.
“With BigCommerce, we are able to rapidly expand our brand and grow revenues at a speed that would not be possible on other platforms,” said Heini Zachariassen, Vivino’s CEO.
Vivino rapidly expands internationally with BigCommerce.
Since launching their first store and using BigCommerce as their wine ecommerce platform, Vivino has seen 200% year-over-year revenue growth.
3. Pilot Coffee Roasters.
Pilot Coffee Roasters is a roaster, retailer, and wholesaler of premium coffee.
In addition to its seven Toronto brick-and-mortar locations, Pilot Coffee Roasters relies on its ecommerce site to sell everything from coffee beans to grinders to its Cold Brew coffee.
The relatively sparse but inviting homepage introduces the company’s products with rotating banners. Product pages feature detailed descriptions, high-quality images, Parameter Guides, related products, and the ability to compare products side-by-side.
4. Di Bruno Bros.
An icon in Philadelphia’s culinary scene for nearly 80 years, Di Bruno Bros. has taken its unique brand of specialty foods online.
The company’s appetizing homepage features full-screen rotating banners and excellent photography to encourage shoppers to click-through to products and services.
Product pages feature quick overviews and full descriptions, multiple product images, reviews, and recommended products. Shoppers can also learn about Di Bruno Bros.’s extensive history, watch company videos, and view menus.
“Our previous website required a lot of custom code for many features that are included with BigCommerce, which made it really difficult for us to update,” said Janeane Tolomeo, Marketing and Content Manager at Di Bruno Bros.
“The digital space continues to change exponentially, and having a platform proven to keep pace with trends and functionality advances was important to us. Now we have a site people want to visit.”
Di Bruno Bros. increases conversions by 63%.
This iconic brand boosted traffic, orders, and revenue on BigCommerce. Read more about their story.
5. Silk Road Teas.
Silk Road Teas was the first company to source single-origin, rare, and artisan teas from China for the U.S. market. The company builds credibility by sharing its history and expertise on the site’s About page.
A pop-up greets shoppers with an invitation to sign-up for Silk Road Teas’ mailing list in exchange for 15% off their purchase.
Product pages are built to convert with multiple product images, the ability to zoom-in for a closer look at the tea leaves, very detailed descriptions with taste profiles and brewing suggestions, customer reviews, similar products, and dynamic pricing.
“Our best sales channel is the internet because our customer is looking for information. Both our category pages and our individual product pages allow for a detailed level of information sharing that helps us to rank highly in search and drive organic traffic,” said Ned Heagerty, founder of Silk Road Teas.
“BigCommerce gives us the backend flexibility to build a customer-centric brand without a single barrier to our future growth.”
Silk Road Teas achieves 2X industry average growth.
BigCommerce’s out-of-the-box features enable Silk Road Teas to increase traffic by 21% and average order value by 14%.
6. Cuvee Coffee.
Cuvee Coffee takes a unique approach to its ecommerce site.
Depicted in the image above, the homepage has no navigation and simply consists of images and links to the company’s café, roastery, and Nitro Cold Brew product.
When you click-through, you can learn more about the coffee bar and dig deeper into Cuvee Coffee’s products.
In addition to high-quality imagery and detailed product descriptions, product pages display the coffee beans’ region and country of origin, the process used to produce them, and other specifications.
7. Con’ Olio Oils & Vinegar.
Con’ Olio Oils & Vinegars opened the first premium olive oil tasting bar in Austin, Texas and launched an ecommerce site to sell its award-winning extra virgin olive oils, vinegars, and related products online.
The homepage displays rotating banners with appetizing imagery, new and featured products, and snippets from the site’s blog.
Shoppers can use the site’s faceted search function to quickly filter products based on price and brand.
Then they can zoom-in on product images, read full descriptions, learn which foods best pair with the type of oil or vinegar, read and write reviews, compare products side-by-side, and view related products.
“We chose BigCommerce because, for a very low fee every month, we got all the technology we needed to run our business and reach more customers,” said Jeff Conarko, founder and CEO of Con’ Olio Oils & Vinegars.
8. Beer Cartel.
Beer Cartel is an Australia-based craft beer store. The company’s ecommerce site is an extension of its shop in Sydney that stocks over 1,000 craft beers.
From the homepage, shoppers can browse new arrivals and perform a quick search by beer style, brewery, and country.
The site’s massive catalog enables faceted search so shoppers can quickly and easily sort through products.
Product pages display an image of the beer bottle or can, an Untappd rating and customer reviews, the beer’s country of origin and brewery, the beer’s flavor profile and alcohol volume, and similar products.
Beer Cartel boosts website traffic by 100% and sales by 34%.
Learn how Beer Cartel leveraged content marketing and the BigCommerce platform to drive thought leadership, revenue, and customer loyalty.
9. Ben & Jerry’s.
Ben & Jerry’s online store sells this iconic brand’s ice cream, frozen yogurt, merchandise, and gifts.
Rotating banners on the site’s homepage entice shoppers to browse the brand’s wide selection of products.
Product pages display multiple images, ingredients, nutrition facts, related products, and information about Ben & Jerry’s planet-friendly sourcing, purchasing, and manufacturing processes.
10. Wholey.
For over 100 years, Wholey has sold a wide selection of fresh seafood, fish, meat, and poultry. Now its ecommerce site gives customers a way to conveniently shop and order online.
Wholey’s easy-to-navigate site lets shoppers zoom-in on product images, view recipes and reviews, learn nutrition facts, read customer reviews, and view similar products.
Wholey also positions itself as a resource by providing FAQs and articles on everything from the best way to store seafood to frequently asked questions about frog legs.
11. Widmer’s Cheese Cellars.
Widmer’s Cheese Cellars has been manufacturing the finest Wisconsin cheese since 1922.
The company’s comparatively new ecommerce site keeps the tradition of quality going by providing customers with an exceptional online shopping experience.
Shoppers can take a tour of Widmer’s cheese factory and learn about the history of the company, find locations where they can buy Widmer’s cheese, and browse award-winning products to view high-quality images, extensive descriptions, reviews, and related products.
12. WA Fresh Delivered.
From poultry to produce and from bread to baby food, Australia-based WA Fresh Delivered is your one-stop-shop for groceries.
The site’s homepage features weekly specials and navigation that lets you quickly jump to your desired category.
Product pages display appealing product images, detailed descriptions, and similar products.
If you’re looking for a convenient way to browse and buy groceries online, WA Fresh Delivered has you covered.
13. Rudy’s Bar-B-Q.
Rudy’s bills itself as the best mail order BBQ around. With 43 brick-and-mortar locations throughout Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma, the company has earned its loyal customers and attracts new customers everyday with its ecommerce site.
Online shoppers can view Rudy’s complete menu and locations, as well as shop the company’s smoked meats, sausage, rubs, apparel, and gift sets.
After selecting a specific product, shoppers can choose sides, add items to orders, view shipping information, see similar products, and even watch a video with preparation instructions.
14. Atkins.
Atkins’ low carb diet program uses a lifetime approach to help people lose and keep off weight. Atkins meal kits are one-week diet plans delivered to members’ doors.
Shoppers can learn about low carb diets, compare its weight management meal kits, and get answers to frequently asked questions.
Product pages show the nutrition facts, ingredients, and specifications of each meal in the kit and shoppers can read product reviews to see how effective the program has been for other users.
15. Sub-Zero Superfoods.
Sub-Zero Superfoods are ready-to-blend smoothies and bowls that are ready in seconds.
The company’s simple but effective ecommerce site walks shoppers through the process of using the product and leverages a user-friendly interface with inviting imagery to help them select the right Sub-Zero Superfoods for their situation.
Shoppers can view complete product descriptions, ingredients, and nutrition information as well as get answers to frequently asked questions.
Executive Summary
Food and beverage brands have traditionally been slow to adopt ecommerce, but recent trends show that revenues in this sector are rapidly on the rise.
Although food and beverage ecommerce revenue was only about $11.5 billion in 2016, it’s expected to reach $26 billion by 2022.
Retailers who leverage advances in technology, changing shopper behaviors, and the right ecommerce platform and strategies can take advantage of the opportunity to expand their business.
The 16 food and beverage sites highlighted above are getting an edge on their competition by providing customers with online shopping experiences that include:
Large rotating homepage banners and high-quality product images
Customer ratings and reviews
Featuring related products to encourage cross-selling
About pages that share retailers’ origins and corporate story
Detailed product information and nutrition information
Visualization tools to zoom-in on products
The ability to compare products side-by-side
Giving customers a quick, convenient, and satisfying ecommerce experience from browsing products online to receiving orders at their door is a sure-fire way to keep them coming back.
Borrow ideas from these top food and beverage sites to implement your own ecommerce strategy and put your business on a path to sustained growth.
Scott is an enterprise content marketing manager, researcher, and writer at BigCommerce. His 20-year career as a marketing writer has included writing for many different types and sizes of businesses, running a content marketing company for 9 years, and specializing in digital commerce for the past 5 years. With a dynamic background in creative writing, content marketing, SEO copywriting, blog management, and social media content, Scott is focused on helping businesses grow by providing highly researched, educational content in executive formats so they can make the right technology decisions.