Let's fix some basics to become unmissable online in 2025...

Get Discovered In 2025.

(5 minute read)

It’s really noisy out there, isn’t it…

There’s more content, more choice and more confusion than ever before.

Customers are all over the place, the team’s flat out and online results are nowhere near where they were during COVID.

I’ve seen it happen inside Tesco, with scaling FMCG brands and across D2C.

So I pulled together a hands-on guide that helps teams get clear on what’s working, what’s missing and what’s impacting growth.

These aren’t theories or AI scripts, just some of what I’ve used to help businesses grow in recent years…

Let’s get D.I.S.C.O.V.E.R.ed.

D - DIGITAL

A good place to start…

When someone searches for your product or brand… what do they see?

Does it make sense? Does it load properly? Does it actually sell?

Too many websites or retailer product pages look good on paper but don’t explain what’s great about the product. A reminder that c.70% of customers are looking to fix a problem. If you don’t tell them how to fix it, you’ll leave them confused and they’ll probably give up.

Go check your website…

Can you tell what the product is and who it’s for in under 8 seconds?
Does your mobile version load fast and reflect your key USP (before I have to scroll)?
Are your product pages the same everywhere or a bit of a mess?
Are you just listing the features rather than telling a story?

At Tesco, even the smallest change went through a comms plan to align to our core objectives and values. I still remember the handwritten signs on the wall more than the dashboards. A constant reminder of what good looks like.

I - INSIGHTS

Most teams have all the data they need, but don’t know what to do with it.

I know first-hand that dashboards are a nightmare, especially when you’re being asked at 100mph to unpick them. I also know that the answers are more often than not there, we’re just not looking for them in the right way.

I once worked with a brand that had a great product… but sales were dropping fast. We checked Google Trends (which is free), and it turned out that people weren’t searching for that product like they used to. So, we re-positioned it, tweaked the offer and sales bounced back by 20%+ in under a month.

We looked at the trending keywords and adjusted the product name, description and headline messaging to match the language customers were actually using. The product didn’t change, we just re-positioned it.

We also adjusted the imagery and made the value clearer, what problem it solves, who it’s for and why you should buy it now.

It wasn’t a full re-brand, just a move in tone, clarity and timing. Sometimes that’s all it takes.

My point is… go find the signals. Don’t just repeat what you did last week.

S - STRATEGY

Sometimes, the challenge isn’t the team or the budget, it’s the direction you’ve been asked to go in.

A good strategy today means knowing who you are talking to, what they care about and where they’re seeing you. Huge PowerPoint decks are not the way forward.

If your strategy still thinks people are browsing website pages and clicking homepage banners, it might be time to rethink it.

I’ve helped brands do just that…

We’ve built specific landing pages just for TikTok or Meta traffic to aid the conversion
We’ve made product pages personalised to match how people shop
I’ve cut projects that were just about vanity and focused on the ones that drove actual growth. Vanity projects are too common in business, and will be impacting growth right now.

Imagine someone clicks from Instagram (they “feel” something)... then lands on a flat homepage that says 50% off. That’s a lost customer right there. "But visits are up 150% Karl" - that's a vanity project right there, not a result.

A reminder: What do you want your customers to “think, feel and do” when they see you? And what do they need next to get them closer to converting. Think "head, heart and wallet". You’ve got around 8 seconds before they leave.

C – CONTENT

If your strategy is throwing an Instagram square out, creating a reel once a week and then posting it to Facebook, this isn’t a content strategy. But even when you are light on resource or struggling for inspiration, don’t just show me a pack shot. Show me someone using your product, enjoying it, having fun with it. Sell an emotion, not what ingredients are in it (snore).

I love how Tesco shares videos of their team stories also. Who they are and how they got there. They are real, human and not product-led. That’s the kind of content people remember. Go check them out...

Also, forget the corporate buzzwords. Tell me what the product it is, why it’s good and show me a 5* review someone left. Even better, get them to say it on video in exchange for a free product (to share with a friend).

If you’re selling crisps, forget the static ad, show me a video of customers reacting to the new flavours in the street. Capture their moments on camera. If the reaction isn’t good, that’s great feedback to take back to HQ.

If you’re selling a supplement, forget that it has that groundbreaking ingredient in it. Show me the person or animal zooming around the park, living their best life (in real life).

Just sell to a human and don’t over-complicate it.

Stop over-thinking it. People like to see the raw details, the behind-the-scenes stuff. That’s real life.

O - OPTIMISATION

This is the bit most teams say they’re doing, but usually aren’t.

With all the noise out there, it’s probably going to take you longer to get discovered than normal, so aim to make it better each week. Aiming for perfection is pointless - we don’t have time.

Also, leave breathing space for your optimisations to be measured - classic error. Don’t change too many things in one go, just stagger them, then check the data. Did anything move the needle?

Some of the quickest wins my teams have had are from simply fixing the basics…

Creating pages just for email or social traffic (customers behave differently)
Matching images and video to each retailer’s look and feel (you can add your story or USP in images too!)
Switching the language to match what customers are actually searching for (human voice)
Getting teams to be the customer. Go check the website, click the links. Do your teams get it?

Trust me. If everyone on your team spent 15 minutes on your website this weekend, you’d find what you need to fix on Monday morning.

A reminder… Customers don’t know everything we know in HQ. Stop thinking they do.

V - VALUE

We all think price is the most important focus in 2025. I think it’s clarity and trust first. Price is important, but it’s not everything.

I’ve tested every proposition in my career, and discounting is the worst long-term strategy for customers and the P&L. I understand we use it to get people over the line (the boardroom pressure is real), but for me, adding value should be the focus, and that’s not always a discount.

Think about the basics first…

Can I add better product info? Did I solve the problem for the customer?
Give something free that creates an emotion (a bottle, a bag or a treat perhaps?).
Provide a checkout that works and is fast.
Send a follow-up email that’s actually helpful not another discount.

A reminder… Retention starts before the purchase. You need emails 1, 2, 3 and 4 ready before they even start the journey.

In my old business, we sent out orders with chocolates and a handwritten card on occasions. It was low-cost, minimal effort, but customers kept coming back.

E - EXPERIENCE

The best brands feel the same across every touchpoint. Stores, websites, social media (even Google). It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to feel like your brand.

A customer once told me, “Your shop felt just like your Instagram, that’s why we visited.”

That person had followed for us for 3 months before converting. Sometimes you're so close to a sale, so it’s important to keep showing up, consistently and on-brand.

Make sure your delivery, your packaging and your returns page still feel like your brand also.

A quick fix for the weekend…

Go and check your “thanks for ordering” email and add some human words to it. It will usually be automated and robotic (and forgettable).

R - REVIEWS

Still underrated and still gold in my opinion. It’s proof why a customer should shop with you.

People want trust and clarity. “Should I shop with this brand?” - that’s what’s running through their head.

If your product has great reviews, show them off everywhere, every week.

Also, don’t be afraid to share how you got it wrong sometimes. Show how you listened and how you reacted to fix it.

I helped one brand recover from a string of 1-2 star reviews to a 4.6 rating - it was a simple UX issue, not visible to an untrained eye.

Often the ones who love your product forget to leave a review. Go get them, build a campaign around them. Drive more positive reviews. Social proof is everything today.

If reviews keep coming in low, get under the bonnet and find out why - then fix it fast. It’s usually something basic.

Summary.

During my career, I’ve found that Tesco, D2C startups and £30m FMCG brands all have one thing in common. When growth gets stuck, the problems are usually small and fixable, but are on top of a to-do list as long as my arm.

If your brand or digital channel feels stuck… it’s rarely one big issue. Usually, it’s a few simple things that need fixing and most of it comes back to basics.

I’m Karl Rutterford.

I’ve worked in retail and digital for over 25 years; from leading teams and transformations at Tesco HQ to launching and scaling D2C brands. I help teams get clear, align on what matters and start moving forward again. Ultimately, I help brands fix what’s not working so they can grow online.

Right now, I’m open to roles where digital performance needs a fresh pair of eyes and ears; whether that’s in supermarket HQs, FMCG or retail brands that need to grow digitally.

Drop me a message if that sounds like you or feel free to share this with someone who could benefit from it.