Extended Table of Contents:

Wholesale Online Landscape

• Wholesale Market Overview – Summary of the UK wholesale sector’s composition, including retail, catering, and hybrid operators, with analysis of online growth and channel diversification.
• Graph: Market structure breakdown – share of retail, catering, and hybrid wholesalers, 2024–2025.
• Economic Confidence & Trading Conditions – Review of business confidence and operating challenges affecting the wholesale sector.
• Graph: ICAEW Business Confidence Index – Retail & Wholesale, 2015–2025.
• Routes to Market – Examination of purchasing channels and the continuing shift toward digital and delivery models.
• Graph: Purchasing channels by customer type – Online, Depot, Telephone, 2024–2025.
• Shopping Missions & Basket Behaviour – Analysis of purchasing motivations, including restocking frequency, promotional buying, and basket value dynamics.
• Graph: Primary shopping missions – 2024 vs 2025 comparison.
• Order Frequency & Customer Type – Comparison of shopping frequency and average spend across retail and foodservice operators.
• Graph: Average order frequency and spend – Retail vs Foodservice, 2025.
• Online Product Categories – Overview of the top-selling product categories online, contrasting retail and foodservice priorities.
• Graph: Top 10 online product categories – Retail vs Foodservice, 2025.
• Online VS In-Depot Product Preferences – Insight into fresh and short-shelf-life product insight tied with online VS physical purchasing.
• Graph: Online VS cash & carry product purchase preference – August 2025.
• Graph: Online VS cash & carry – comparison by reasons, August 2025.
• Case Studies: Operator Innovation – Overview of digital developments from JJ Foodservice, Diageo One, Booker, and Woods Foodservice.
• Visuals: Screenshots and examples of wholesale digital strategy implementation.
• Key Developments in the Online Market – Summary of major technology trends shaping 2025, including AI-led personalisation, content quality, and platform consolidation.
• Graph: Key wholesale innovation themes – AI, content accuracy, and personalised engagement, 2025.

Path to Purchase

• Journey Overview – Mapping of the wholesale online customer journey from discovery to retention, identifying optimisation opportunities.
• Graph: Path-to-purchase model – Awareness → Consideration → Purchase → Retention.
• Pre-Shop Behaviour – Analysis of shopper preparation methods, including list-making, prior research, and use of messaging platforms.
• Graph: Preparation activities before ordering online – Retail vs Foodservice, 2025.
• Landing Pages & Entry Points – Evaluation of the main user access points into ecommerce platforms and their conversion effectiveness.
• Graph: Landing page entry share – Homepage, Login, and Product pages, 2024–2025.
• Feature Prioritisation – Assessment of website features considered most important by operators in each channel.
• Graph: Website attributes rated “very important” – Retail vs Foodservice comparison.
• Product Discovery & Engagement – Measurement of session duration, engagement rates, and key drop-off points in the browsing journey.
• Graph: Session length and conversion rate correlation – 2024–2025 data.
• Device Performance & Conversion – Comparison of device usage, average order value, and conversion rates across desktop, mobile, and tablet.
• Graph: Device share of sessions and purchases – Retail vs Foodservice, 2024–2025.
• Graph: Average order value by device – 2024–2025 comparison.
• Case Study: Ocado UX Analysis – Example of best practice in online retail navigation and search optimisation.

Disrupting the Online Journey

• Impulse vs Planned Purchasing – Comparison of planned restocking versus spontaneous, promotion-led buying across foodservice and retail.
• Graph: How often operators buy unplanned items online – Foodservice vs Retail (2025).
• Banner Creative Effectiveness – Illustration of best-practice banner design to trigger action with clear value, brevity and CTA.
• Visual: Parfetts homepage banner example (promotional CTA and contrast use).
• Foodservice: Drivers of Unplanned Buys – The role of promotions, NPD and perceived sell-through in triggering incremental items.
• Graph: Motivations for last unplanned purchase – Foodservice Top 5 (2024 vs 2025).
• Foodservice: Purchase Decision Factors – Commercial drivers (profit margin, top sellers, case size) vs brand cues when choosing products.
• Graph: Importance of product features when buying – Foodservice (2024 vs 2025).
• Display Media Usage – Placement patterns (homepage/leaderboard) and static banner roles in upper-funnel activation.
• Visuals: Hancocks seasonal NPD; Bestway POR message; Sugro superlative ad.
• Foodservice: Promotion Preferences – Mechanics most likely to convert (e.g., multi-buys) for tight-margin operators.
• Graph: Desired promotions on wholesaler sites/apps – Foodservice Top 5 (2024 vs 2025).
• Foodservice: Weekly ATB Rhythm – Day-of-week add-to-basket peaks, with Sunday as the prime activation day.
• Graph: Add-to-Basket Rate by day of week – Foodservice (Jan–Jun 2024 vs 2025).
• Foodservice: Device x Day Patterns – When desktop and mobile deliver the strongest add-to-basket behaviour.
• Graph: Add-to-Basket Rate by day and device – Foodservice (2025).
• Foodservice: Device x Day Conversion – Purchase conversion high points by device across the trading week.
• Graph: Purchase Conversion Rate by day and device – Foodservice (2025).
• Foodservice: Hourly ATB Trend – Late-evening basket building, with a consistent 22:00 peak year-on-year.
• Graph: Add-to-Basket Rate by hour of day – Foodservice (Jan–Jun 2024 vs 2025).
• Foodservice: Hourly Device Split – Post-shift desktop peaks vs steady mobile replenishment (incl. early-hours spikes).
• Graph: Add-to-Basket Rate by hour and device – Foodservice (2025).
• Retail: Drivers of Unplanned Buys – Promotions, NPD and PMPs as primary triggers for incremental purchasing.
• Graph: Motivations for last unplanned purchase – Retail Top 5 (2024 vs 2025).
• Retail: Purchase Decision Factors – Balance of top sellers, brand, promotion, and profit margin in ranging decisions.
• Graph: Importance of product features when buying – Retail (2024 vs 2025).
• Brand-Led Basket Building – Unified brand campaigns to simplify choice and grow baskets.
• Visual: Parfetts multi-banner brand focus example.
• Retail: Promotion Preferences – Strong pull of discounted NPD vs other mechanics (multi-buys, freebies).
• Graph: Desired promotions on wholesaler sites/apps – Retail Top 5 (2024 vs 2025).
• Retail: Weekly ATB Rhythm – Growing midweek momentum, with Sunday still key for planning.
• Graph: Add-to-Basket Rate by day of week – Retail (Jan–Jun 2024 vs 2025).
• Retail: Device x Day Patterns – Tablet midweek intent; mobile/desktop Sunday surges.
• Graph: Add-to-Basket Rate by day and device – Retail (2025).
• Retail: Device x Day Conversion – Tablet’s midweek purchase intent vs desktop’s Monday completions.
• Graph: Purchase Conversion Rate by day and device – Retail (2025).
• Retail: Hourly ATB Trend – Evening shopping rising sharply vs last year (notably 21:00–23:00).
• Graph: Add-to-Basket Rate by hour of day – Retail (Jan–Jun 2024 vs 2025).
• Retail: Hourly Device Split – Mobile ATB peaking late-afternoon; desktop strongest later in the evening.
• Graph: Add-to-Basket Rate by hour and device – Retail (2025).
• Monetary vs Product-Driven Segmentation – Relative weight of financial vs product factors in purchase decisions by sector.
• Graph: Monetary- vs product-driven purchase factors – Foodservice vs Retail (2025).
• Most Effective Campaign Types – Which promotional campaign formats leaders find most compelling by channel.
• Graph: Most effective promotional campaign types – Foodservice vs Retail (2025).
• Preferred Communication Channels – Channel mix shift (email still dominant; WhatsApp and print rising).
• Graph: Preferred notification channels – Foodservice and Retail (Top 5, 2025).
• WhatsApp Engagement Benchmarks – Read-rate performance and the uplift from segmentation using WhatsApp Business API.
• Graph: WhatsApp message read within 1 hour / 24 hours; open-rate uplift with targeting (2025).
• Graph: One-hour read-rate ranking by day and peak send times (heat points at 11:00, 14:00, 15:00).
• Message Design Best Practice – Elements that lift response for transactional vs non-transactional sends.
• Visuals: Transactional and non-transactional message frameworks (copy, media, CTA, flows).
• Wholesale Case Examples on WhatsApp – Scale, segmentation, and outcomes for Bestway, Booker, and Barry Group.
• Visuals: Channel stats and usage notes by wholesaler (audience size, read rates, sales uplift).

Boosting Efficiencies

• Search Functionality & Navigation – Analysis of search accuracy, failure rates, and product findability across operators.
• Graph: Search success rate by operator type – Retail vs Foodservice, 2025.
• User Journey Friction Points – Identification of high exit-rate pages and factors influencing user drop-offs.
• Graph: Sessions per transaction and exit page analysis – 2024–2025 comparison.
• Top Search Insights – Overview of the most common queries and their relevance to product mix and brand prominence.
• Graph: Word cloud of top 200 search terms – Retail and Foodservice, 2025.
• Brand Discovery & Product Presentation – Assessment of how “Shop by Brand” and improved content supports decision-making.
• Case Study: b2b.store & Mars Wrigley – Perfect Content – Product imagery and metadata excellence.
• Customer Service & Post-Order Corrections – Evaluation of communication methods and reasons for order changes.
• Graph: Frequency and cause of order amendments – Stock availability vs Forgotten items, 2025.
• Graph: Communication channels used – Telephone, Email, WhatsApp, 2025.
• Service Usefulness Ratings – Measurement of wholesaler service performance across retail and foodservice users.
• Graph: Customer perception of wholesaler service usefulness – 2025.
• Case Study: Swizzels Channel Growth Strategy – How targeted brand initiatives drive penetration in foodservice.

A Moment with the Experts in AI

• Interview: Rob Mannion (b2b.store) – Exploration of AI-native ecommerce systems and the role of automation in scaling efficiency.
• Interview: Alex Kiely (Choco) – Insights on AI-driven ordering systems and personalisation in hospitality supply.
• Interview: Gabriel Van Heerden (Orderlion) – Discussion on predictive analytics, machine learning, and streamlined procurement.
• Interview: Steve King (Dragonfly AI) – Analysis of visual attention modelling and creative intelligence in ecommerce optimisation.

Future of Wholesale Online

• Regulatory & Policy Outlook – Review of environmental and health-related regulations (EPR, DRS, HFSS) and their implications for wholesalers.
• Graph: Key regulatory changes and expected impact areas – 2025–2027 forecast.
• Economic Outlook & Forecasts – Assessment of macroeconomic indicators shaping the sector’s trajectory.
• Graph: UK economic indicators – GDP, CPI, and consumer spending, 2024–2029F.
• Consumer & Demographic Shifts – Analysis of emerging trends driving wholesale demand and buyer expectations.
• Graph: Long-term consumer trend ranking – Value, Sustainability, Digital convenience, 2023–2025.
• Technology & Q-Commerce Innovation – Case studies exploring the evolution of local and rapid delivery solutions.
• Visuals: JW Filshill and Snappy Shopper – examples of digital innovation and social commerce.
• AI in Sustainability & Waste Reduction – Review of AI’s role in enhancing stock management and reducing waste.
• Graph: Sustainability focus areas – Waste reduction, Packaging optimisation, Energy efficiency.
• Localism & Ethical Sourcing – Examination of how wholesalers and buyers are embracing provenance and conscious consumption.
• Graph: Share of customers prioritising local and ethical sourcing – Retail vs Foodservice, 2025.
• Health & Wellness Trends – Evaluation of health-oriented product development and HFSS compliance strategies.
• Graph: Health and nutrition initiatives prioritised by businesses – 2025.
• Case Study: Bestway’s Good Food Retail Network – driving healthier product adoption.