Internationalisation
Oct 12
10 of the Best Plant-Based Food Ecommerce Sites On Shopify
The plant-based food market is booming. There are so many brands in this space that it is hard – but not impossible – to stand out. Here’s a list of 10 plant-based food brands that are using Shopify and its integrations in creative ways to sell their products worldwide.
Written By
Mia Willmott
In August 2021 Bloomberg Intelligence released a groundbreaking report that received global attention. The report identifies that the plant-based foods market may jump in value from $29.4 billion in 2020 to $162 billion by 20301.
The report noted that whilst some food-related consumer habits come and go, plant-based food consumption is here to stay – and grow. This is largely down to an increasing percentage of the global population adopting a flexitarian diet; reducing, but not eliminating, their meat consumption for reasons largely informed by the negative environmental impact of the meat industry.
What does this mean for plant-based food ecommerce sites?
Given that such exponential growth is forecast, it is no surprise that there are more and more companies vying for a spot in the global market. This is reflected further in the number of these companies that are using Shopify as their ecommerce platform.
Below we’ve curated a list of 10 of the best plant-based food ecommerce sites. From long established brands like Huel and Allplants, to budding newcomers like Juicy Marbles and Crispy Fantasy, Shopify continues to prove itself as an adaptable and scalable ecommerce platform for global D2C brands.
#1 Tyme Food
Tyme Food is a food subscription service helping to “take the thinking out of eating better”. Their lunches, snacks, breakfasts and drinks all offer different nutritional benefits – all of which are clearly outlined in a bright graphic on each product.
As soon as you click through to Tyme’s website you are immediately hit with beautiful videos of their food. It’s hard not to feel hungry at the sight of these fresh salads and breakfast bowls! The colours pop and the greens look enticing.
This use of video engages the customer and quickly communicates what Tyme does: they make good food that you can eat enjoy on the go. Together with these videos are positive quotes from Trustpilot, high-impact customer photos from Instagram, and impressive third-party endorsements that reaffirm to the customer that Tyme is “convenient, nutritious and sustainable”.
Tyme also includes Recharge in their tech stack to provide a seamless subscription service for their customers. All these elements demonstrate how Tyme is using Shopify’s platform to create a food ecommerce site that engages individuals, converts them to customers and keeps them coming back for more.
#2 Allplants
This is a company “backing the flexitarians” with their #TryingToVeganBut campaign that encourages everyone to give eating more plants a go. It is a wise move to target this flexitarian demographic of consumers given that the previously mentioned Bloomberg Intelligence report positions this group as one of significant growth and increasing influence in the market.
Allplants are one of the largest plant-based meal subscription services in the industry and their use of Shopify demonstrates this. Not only is their design and imagery engaging, but their short stop-motion videos clearly display their products to customers.
Individuals are increasingly concerned about eating food that is sustainable and ethical. As a plant-based B-Corp, Allplants are aware of this and want to tell their customers all the good that they have implemented into their business. They are transparent about their ethical production lines and encourage customers to recycle or return packaging.
#3 Tropeaka
Tropeaka is an Australian health food start-up that now boasts a global cult-following. They are a favourite amongst millennials for their 100% plant-based products designed to support daily health and wellness. From protein and superfood powders, to bars and nutritious teas, their product line is full of goodness.
Given that their products are enjoyed around the world, Tropeaka rely on Shopify Plus to provide a robust ecommerce platform with websites dedicated to different international regions.
They openly encourage customers to research and educate themselves on healthy choices2, but also help shoppers find the perfect products for their needs with the use of a quiz, powered by Octane AI. Completion of the quiz generates zero-party data, which is used to personalise a customer’s experience of the site.
Due to their highly-engaged online following, any product suggestion from the quiz comes with overwhelmingly positive reviews from customers. These reviews are further supported by third-party endorsements from health professionals and media outlets.
#4 Juicy Marbles
Juicy Marbles quickly catches your attention with their bold imagery. You see succulent cuts of beef, but soon realise this is plant-based meat. Your attention is then held with their bright and witty copy, as they explain their products and the story behind them.
It is this duo of humorous copy and strong images that make Juicy Marbles stand out in the plant-based meat market – a market that, as mentioned, is becoming increasingly crowded.
This European-based brand is slowly improving their faux filet mignon recipe and introducing new products too. As a relative newbie to this industry they are certainly doing something different, but only time will tell if their cuts of “meat” are favoured by the masses.
Nonetheless, they have build a striking and memorable food ecommerce site with Shopify, that will serve their brand as it grows and adapts in the coming years.
#5 Crispy Fantasy
Next up, another new kid on the block. Crispy Fantasy are already experiencing great support across Europe for their junk-free cereal that packs a plant-based protein punch. The UK breakfast cereals market has seen a marked uptick in the past two years and Crispy Fantasy are certainly a brand to watch in this space.
The brand exudes nostalgia with its 90s-style colour palette and the way it transports you back to eating a bowl of chocolatey cereal before school. But it is also a healthy, hassle-free choice, with each portion providing 8g of protein and less than 3g of sugar. This combination of nostalgia, bold design and clear communication around ingredients is likely why Millennial and Gen-Z customers are loving the brand.
Crispy Fantasy are currently using their Shopify site as a platform to sell through Amazon. We look forward to seeing how their sales model changes as they grow and become a more established player in the breakfast cereals industry.
#6 Aloha
Aloha has seen a significant boost in sales since replatforming from Magento to Shopify Plus3. Their dynamic new website not only better represents them as an employee-owned B-corp, but quickly brought a 289% increase in sales.
They took advantage of Shopify Plus’ customisation tools to help them put customer service front and central to their site. With the backend integration of subscription and email marketing, along with flexible design, the overall customer experience of the website dramatically improved. This is evident in the impressive stats they’ve seen since moving to the Shopify Plus platform.
The customer experience is further enhanced with the incorporation of a chat bot and comprehensive FAQ section. Aloha also offer VIP perks and a membership loyalty program, both reinforcing their commitment to customer satisfaction.
Overall, Aloha’s decision to migrate to Shopify Plus means they are no longer limited by their ecommerce platform, but have a scalable site that will grow and evolve with them.
#7 Athletic Greens
Athletic Greens is a company with one core product, AG1. This is a greens powder that is 100% plant-based and a one-stop shop for all your nutritional needs.
Over the past few years, Athletic Greens have established themselves as a leading brand in this space – a space that straddles the health and wellness industry and the plant-based food industry. One way they’ve achieved this is by heavily championing influencer partnerships, with a particular focus on Youtubers creating travel and lifestyle content.
You can read this article about the benefits of influencer marketing for your ecommerce brand, but key advantages include rapidly building trust with consumers and growing direct connections with niche audience segments. This type of social proof is further supported by third-party endorsements, health experts and thousands of customer reviews, which all help to boost consumer confidence and encourage conversions.
Athletic Greens also leverage a friend referral scheme in the US – a common marketing strategy amongst D2C food ecommerce brands. By tapping into their existing customer base and rewarding them for referring friends, they are simultaneously improving acquisition and retention.
Moreover, they demonstrate a commitment to transparency by outlining a detailed ingredient list and noting that their formula is constantly being updated according to the most recent science. This is particularly important for today’s buyers, who are increasingly looking for clarity and honesty from retailers.
#8 Immi Eats
Immi Eats are harnessing the power of plants to level-up instant noodles and in doing so they are being heralded by many as one to watch.
Their ramen packets are more nutritious than anything else on the market and, according to the customer reviews and third-party endorsements, they are tastier too. Serving up social proof is a great way to quell any concerns that potential customers may have, helping push shoppers along the acquisition funnel.
Immi Eats’ Shopify store is full of bold imagery, bright design and fun animation. Perhaps what stands out most on this food ecommerce site is the way they utilise their blog, Rameducation, to showcase inspiring recipes and inform customers of the nutritional benefits of their ramen.
Cooking up an effective content marketing strategy can help you demonstrate authority in your niche, increase website visibility on search engines and nurture meaningful connections with your customers. You can read more about the benefits of content marketing here.
Overall, this is a highly engaging Shopify site able to grow with the company in the coming years, much like many of the other younger brands in this list.
#9 Dream Pops
Dream Pops are all about making sweet treats that aren’t full of junk and, like so many other companies in the food industry, they are looking to plants for inspiration.
Their story began with ice cream; they wanted to create something that had all the best bits of ice cream, but wasn’t full of dairy and refined sugar. After multiple iterations they finally produced a plant-based ice cream that satisfied their cravings.
What started with ice cream has since evolved into a product line full of nostalgic, tasty and healthy desserts. Their online store uses fun animation and imagery to communicate the brightness and humour of this brand. But behind this playful exterior, Dream Pops clearly outlines their products’ ingredients and use of superfoods – helping to gain customer trust through clarity and transparency.
We see in this site how, once again, Shopify has helped a plant-based food brand create an online store that fully represents a brand’s identity. This is all the more essential in a market like this that is predicted to grow exponentially in the coming years.
#10 Huel
Swanky worked with Huel between 2015-2018 to support their rapid growth by creating and growing a Shopify Plus store (complete with subscription programme) that continues to serve them as an international company.
Huel are now a go-to brand for plant-based meal supplements. Their online site is geared towards their subscription service and is full of features that increase customer confidence. This includes a strong emphasis on reviews, positive Trustpilot ratings and customer stories. Combined with a responsive customer service function and dedicated community forum, this is a recipe for repeat purchases and loyal customers.
Is Shopify right for your plant-based food ecommerce site?
It’s inspiring to see how all of these brands are bringing something unique to the plant-based food market. They’re using the Shopify platform and its integrations to serve up compelling customer experiences that attract and retain customers.
The evidence of Shopify’s competence for this market is clear in the range of the brands above. From international big-hitters like Huel and Tropeaka, to market-newbies like Immi Eats and Crispy Fantasy, Shopify offers everything you need now and in the future.
At Swanky we have worked with a number of leading food and drink brands from across the globe, including HelloFresh, Itsu and Pasta Evangelists, helping them build and grow their Shopify Plus stores with transformative results in mind.
We’re now recognised globally as the go-to agency for D2C subscription brands looking to elevate their ecommerce presence with exceptional food and drink subscription websites.
Want to find out more about our experience in the industry and how we can help you stand out in the plant-based food market?
Contact our team of Shopify Plus Experts now!
For reference
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/bi-research/?dyn=plant-based-food [2] https://anthillonline.com/this-australian-health-food-start-up-that-focuses-on-millennials-has-recorded-a-10-million-turnover/#:~:text=Tropeaka%20is%20now%20a%20cult,high%2Dquality%20and%20wholesome%20foods [3] https://www.shopify.co.uk/plus/customers/aloha