Unilever is targeting a 40% boost in online sales during 2015 as it hastens efforts to encourage shoppers to buy online
With consumers increasingly tapping technology for their purchases Unilever is following rivals such as Mondelez, in shifting its marketing budgets onto cheaper and more targeted digital-led strategies.
Making the announcement while on a trip to India, Unilever CEO Paul Polman expects the $58bn consumer goods giants to win significant sales volumes through the e-commerce channel globally.
Polman said: “We have had a good start to the year, helped by favourable currency movements but also an improvement in underlying sales.
“This is despite a continued challenging trading environment in many parts of the world. The actions we have been taking to put us on track for higher levels of growth are starting to pay off. We have further strengthened the innovation pipeline, and are increasing investment behind the core of our brands, as well as extending into premium segments and new markets. We continuously strengthen our go-to-market capabilities and sharpen our execution.”
Unilver aims to use desktop and mobile to understand how customers are moving between virtual and physical channels.
Last year, the firm launched a hackathon to hunt for start-ups that could help it gain this insight with successful applicants receiving $50,000 to fund a pilot.