Heineken sets sights on e-commerce launch

Tuesday, May 28, 2013 - 14:17 by Graham Miller

Heineken is best known for its beer, but it could soon be entering the world of safe shopping online after it plans for an e-commerce outlet were revealed this month.

Marketing Week reports that Heineken is looking into launching a dedicated site for online product sales as a result of research which suggests that improving its brand image through this type of outlet will lead to greater sales of the beverages it produces.

The Heineken site will sell everything from beer glasses to branded items of clothing and other novelty products.

Heineken has experienced a slowdown in sales growth over the last few years in the UK and elsewhere around Western Europe, with analysts claiming that this is due to the fact that the drinks market has simply become increasingly competitive.

The brewer is looking to combat this with safe shopping online and although the e-commerce hub is apparently in the early stages of development, it could well be launched before the end of the year.

Various drinks firms have been using the web to boost sales and brand recognition over the last few months, with social networking services being a particular focus.

Heineken has been testing the waters in the UK this year by offering fans the chance to buy products from within web ads built into sites like Facebook, which is an intriguing new direction for e-commerce to take.

These social tools definitely help retailers and producers to raise awareness about products and engage with people on an individual basis, as well as work out what is being said about their brands by people from around the world.

With such information available to them, companies like Heineken could well become more prominent in the online space over the coming months and years.