Mondelez India, the maker of Cadbury’s chocolates, Oreo cookies and drink mix Tang, has devised an exclusive product strategy to push sales on e-commerce platforms. The company has launched a slew of products on marketplaces, e-grocery apps as well its direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform to suit the needs of consumers shopping online.
“We have a tailored approach towards different model on e-commerce such as e-grocery, marketplaces and hyperlocal platforms,” Garima Dikshit, head of modern trade and e-commerce, Mondelez India, told Moneycontrol.
For instance, she said, on marketplaces such as Flipkart and Amazon where consumers are buying one product at a time, the company is focusing on tapping opportunity in the gifting space and launching exclusive products, while for e-grocers, it is pushing premiumisation and upsizing through larger packs it does not usually sell on such platforms.
Under this strategy, Mondelez India stocks larger pack sizes of its products such as Oreo biscuits and Dairy Milk chocolates that cost over Rs 100 on e-grocery platforms as opposed to the Rs 10-20 price points that are the among the top sellers in general trade.
Exclusive products
The company also partners with e-commerce companies to draw insights on consumer behaviour. For instance, the company partnered with Flipkart during its flagship sales event Big Billion Days to understand which products would work on the platform.
“We introduced the Madbury pack, which allowed customer customise and create their own Cadbury flavour, during Flipkart’s Big Billion Days and almost half of the inventory on these packs sold out in the pre-booking phase on the platform,” said Dikshit.
“One of the big successes for online marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart has been chocolate gifting through e-commerce exclusives. Varied types of products are available in giftable formats such as satin and jute bags, baskets, trays, etc., and these exclusives contribute more than 25 percent to online sales and it is a very fast-growing segment for Mondelez India,” said Dikshit.
The company is similarly test-marketing a biscuit offering ahead of its launch with another marketplace.
The D2C focus
At the same time, Mondelez India is utilising its D2C or direct to consumer platform to offer personalised products to consumers as well as test-market its products. According to Dikshit, about 80 percent of the products on its website cannot be found in traditional stores or even on other e-commerce platforms.
“Our D2C journey started much before the pandemic as we realised there was a potential in the premium gifting segment and that we can offer consumers specially curated and personalised gift boxes,” said Dikshit.
Apart from targeting the individual customer on occasions such as weddings and festivals, the company’s D2C strategy is also eyeing corporates.
Besides this, she added, Mondelez India is also using its website to get consumers to sample new launches as it is a good way to get feedback.
“Our D2C business continues to double year-on-year and serves an important strategic objective of brand building and shopper connect,” said Dikshit.
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