HUBERTUS, WI - A dystopian future might not feel as far-fetched today as it did a few years ago as the digital echelons grow, accelerated by a global pandemic and punctuated by the possibility of a recession. But, what do buzzwords like artificial intelligence, NFTs, cryptocurrency, and metaverse mean for the future of food, and how do you fit in it?

It’s easy to think that some of these online trends don’t apply to fresh produce—especially if you believe a website and social media are the basic requirements of your online presence. You might want to think again.

According to a current report from DataReportal, the average American spends seven hours and four minutes per day looking at a screen, which is split about 50/50 between desktop and mobile viewing. In fact, 80 percent of consumers participate in some form of online shopping at least once a month, and they all say the experience could be better.

Enter the concept of UX and UI.

Wait, what? These acronyms stand for user experience (UX) and user interface (UI), which are two different things, but fundamental to the entire online experience in every application you use.

A user interface or UI is the interaction between a user and a product, the “what” of how it works. The best way to define user experience is how you feel during your interface with a brand, product, or service accessed online. Apple became one of the original masters of both UX and UI as they created easy-to-use, seamless applications in an environment that felt and looked good.

Today, the online experience is evolving at a rapid pace for most businesses, and your baseline for online success is you have a website. Now, ask yourself, how good is it?

Uxeria reports that 75 percent of people form their judgment on a website’s credibility purely on how it looks and over 70 percent of businesses don’t have “call to action” buttons—user engagement tools like a “Learn More,” “Buy Now,” “Get A Free Recipe Book,” or “Where to Buy.” Even more concerning, if a website is out of date or not mobile friendly, 94 percent of consumers will think you are a disreputable business or simply don’t care or know how to make it better.

Despite the major advances in online food retailing, we still have major gains to make in digital marketing across websites, online community engagement, and user experience, in order to create frictionless points of entry. Over the coming months, we’ll be exploring a variety of online applications and digital experiences and discussing how they can be optimized for today’s online consumer to help build brand engagement and, ultimately, sales for food and fresh produce.

Stay tuned for micro conversations on things like NFTs and the metaverse and how they offer new virtual shopping experiences, how things like mobile ID marketing and geofencing can optimize brand awareness for promotions, and the type of content that wins on Google.

The in-store experience will always play a vital role in merchandising success, but we cannot bury our heads in the sand and take a Luddite approach to the technology that powers our lives and that of our customers. Let’s talk about what your customers are about to talk about, and watch for our next article on the Top 5 Trends in Website Design for 2022.

FullTilt Marketing