Implementing an online ordering solution is an investment in time, training and money for beer distributors. While providing more options to retailers is important, distributors also want proof that online ordering is beneficial to their bottom line and makes good business sense. For that reason, it’s important distributors know what metrics they should be tracking and should set criteria by which they can define success. 

Below are some examples of metrics measured and tracked by distributors who have successfully implemented online ordering solutions. Additionally, for some web analytics listed, a distributor may consider asking the solution provider to offer the data to assist with understanding online consumers and what is and is not working.

• Setting and measuring goals

  • Number of retail accounts registered
  • Number of retail accounts ordering

  • Increase/decrease in distribution and volume with registered accounts

    • Sales: CEs shipped, revenue, margin per CE
    • Sales by customers same above containers
    • CEs shipped by SRS trade channel vs. prior year

    • Customer logins

      • Frequency
      • Amount of time spent on the platform
    • Retailer satisfaction/complaints
    • Increased sales of lower-volume products
    • Sales personnel time saved

  • Web analytics – Items to potentially ask from a third-party solution provider

    • Sales by volume and $ by product
    • Units ordered by product
    • Out of Stock Rate (OOS)
    • Search keywords by frequency
    • Customer segment: independent vs. chain, on-premise vs. off-premise, restaurant vs. bar, type of restaurant or bar
    • Detail Page Views (DPVs) per product
    • Average Order Value (AOV)
    • Alternative purchase behavior (consumers that looked at your product but ended up purchasing this other one)
    • Cart abandonment rate
    • E-commerce orders vs. overall orders

    • Site metrics:

      • Website traffic
      • Category traffic
      • Active/inactive users
      • New/returning users
      • Device type (mobile, desktop, etc.)

As previously mentioned, some of the benefits of online ordering systems are time savings for your sales personnel and increased visibility for your entire product portfolio. Those two items should be among those which you benchmark and track throughout your conversion to online ordering. Each distributor will value and measure different aspects of online ordering, but the important part is to make sure you are not just integrating online ordering because it seems like the necessary thing to do. Set goals and evaluate success just like you would for any new product launch.