If you read the Metrilo blog often, you’ve noticed we preach profitability and sustainable growth for ecommerce companies. We see so many companies go out of business not because they don’t have sales, but because they don’t make any money! Yes, that’s right. Sales don’t automatically mean you earn money.

How much do you make on a sale?

That’s the gross profit margin formula, this is what you make from each product.

This is the net profit margin formula, what you earn after all costs and expenses of the business.

Now, we are not experts on interest rates and taxes, so we can’t give you advice on how to lower those. But we can help when it comes to sales, marketing and how to optimize it to get better profit margins.

Food packaging is a fickle thing. On the one hand, unique and eye-catching packaging is needed to stand out and be seen. But on the other, brand loyalty can be so fierce that even the most awful packaging redesign won’t scare off customers.

No matter which way you look at it, consumers are increasingly harder to please and surprise.

Add on other factors like sustainability and convenience, and suddenly you can see that quality food packaging is more than just a plastic bag.

Here are several ways unique packaging for food grow and evolve in recent times, and how we see it changing in the future.

This report looks at the current state of ecommerce food brands in terms of marketing and sales performance, customer retention and lifecycle.

While it is not representative of food brands globally, it may serve as an essential ecommerce metrics benchmark for ecommerce companies starting out in the field.

Participants: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) food brands we work with that agreed to be part of the survey.

The csub-categories identified are: coffee, tea, chocolate, wine, meat and meat products, fresh juices, ready meal deliveries and miscellaneous food.

Methodology: The data is aggregated through the Metrilo accounts of consenting companies.

Despite being an influencer is the dream of almost everyone on Instagram, influencer marketing is facing challenges. Trust in influencer posts on social media is declining sharply, with only 4% of people believing what they say.

But we don’t discourage you to use influencer marketing in your marketing mix. It makes perfect sense for consumer brands because of its precise targeting and lifestyle fit.

We only remind you to track the performance of influencer ROI closely in order to have your budget under control and generating the results you want.

So let’s go over the basics of influencer marketing from your point of view and how you can stay on top of it.

Retail and manufacturing are becoming one, and customers are loving it. In the US alone, 40% of potential online buyers expect that in the next five years, DTC brands will account for 40% of their shopping.

Savvy DTC brands know this and are building up. They’re collaborating and using smart marketing tactics to drive sales, grow their revenue and ultimately improve their brand image and online presence.

Here, we have tactics and concrete examples of successful marketing efforts to inspire you, namely:

1. Package inserts
2. Cross-promotional email marketing
3. Sharing Facebook lookalike audiences

Tim Ferris was only able to become successful and famous for his 4-hour work week because he delegates his daily tasks to subordinates who handle everything for him. He doesn’t do the nitty-gritty of everyday operations himself and you don’t have to, either.

In fact, the sooner you delegate those time-consuming tasks, the better manager you will be because you’ll free up brain capacity for more long-term strategic thinking and creativity for building your brand.

What you gain when delegating:

• Time
• Efficiency
• Brain power for the bigger picture
• Employees specialize in the delegated activities and quality of work goes up (better than you doing it absent-mindedly)