Introducing The Digital Shelf

Consumers are shopping online

Since the advent of the internet, more consumers have transitioned from shopping in brick-and-mortar retail locations to online retailers. This trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since stabilised; however, it continues to grow steadily year over year. Although technology has developed rapidly, the relationship between brands, retailers and distributors remains as unsystematic as ever. At Eebz, our mission is to leverage state-of-the-art software driven by reliable data to help you sell more online, faster.

Source - Retail E-commerce sales worldwide from 2014 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Merchandising

A brief history

During the glory days of physical retail, teams of merchandisers would be dispatched to brick-and-mortar locations armed with planograms, diagrams agreed upon by both the brand and retailer, often as part of a paid arrangement. These planograms dictated product placement, ensuring items were ranked based on demand and margins. The most in-demand, high-margin products were positioned at eye level to maximise visibility and sales.

Planograms were rigid, optimised using historical data, and unable to adapt to real-time fluctuations in demand.

Unlike in physical retail, where the objective is to occupy as much shelf space as possible to maximise visibility for potential customers, the digital shelf operates on a different paradigm. Rather than competing for physical space, products online must rank highly for product-specific or category-based search terms.

Why is E-commerce different?

1. Retailers need more product information – High-quality images, detailed descriptions and specifications are essential for conversions
2. Pricing is highly transparent – Consumers can compare prices instantly, making competitive pricing crucial
3. Product visibility is limited – Unlike physical shelves, only a few products appear per search page
4. Discovery is algorithm-driven – Search rankings depend on optimised titles, descriptions and keywords
5. Stockouts disrupt sales and ranking – OOS instantly lowers visibility and impacts long-term performance

Digital Shelf Analytics to the rescue

1. Ensure pricing and attribute compliance – Share accurate marketplace data in a compliant way
2. React quickly to stockouts – Minimise ranking impact and recover lost sales faster
3. Optimise PDP execution – Maintain brand consistency and maximise product visibility

"Retail is detail" - James Gulliver

Click here to view details about our Eebz Digital Shelf app