When the product is not sufficient
Product, design and packaging can be copied, but the experience and trust that customers have in you over time are harder to replicate. That's what separates a random online store from a brand.
Csoaps is a good example. They sell soap particles you can find at the nearest grocery store, but have still built a loyal customer base that comes back again and again. Not because they are the cheapest, but because they communicate something customers identify with and trust.
Why the Brand Means More Now Than Ever
People have never had more choices, consumers are less loyal than they once were and the competitor is just "a scroll" away. It creates some concrete challenges for the e-commerce industry, but if you have a strong brand, customers come back by themselves.
- Shorter attention span - You have a maximum of 3 seconds to capture your interest and give a remembering impression. Without a clear visual identity, you're just part of the noise.
- AI and copying occur faster than ever - Content, design and products can be generated and copied in hours. A brand ID built over time through real customer experiences is not as easy to take.
- Loyalty must be built and earned - Customers choose you not because they have to, but because they want to. That trust is not made by one good campaign, but by that you deliver on what you promise, every single time.
- The cost of advertising does not make it simpler - The CPM and CPC have increased significantly across platforms in recent years. Online stores without a strong brand depend on buying visibility over and over, while online stores with a strong brand receive organic traffic, direct traffic and word-of-mouth that do not cost per click.
Without a clear identity, you quickly become an alternative among many and then compete at the price. It's a fight the few of them win in the long run.
Build something that lasts
One of the most important and perhaps most difficult parts of branding is to decide who you are for, and who you are equally important. not is for. The successful brands define what they should be responsible for early and that choice controls everything from product development to how they meet their customers.
One concrete place to start is to define your position in one sentence: "For [target group], we are the online store that [what you do uniquely] because [why it is credible/solves challenge]." If you cannot answer that, then this is where the work begins.
From there it's about consistency. Brands that maintain a consistent identity across all points of contact report a 10-20% turnover growthSo let's say that this is the same thing as that. Review everything from ads to emails to packaging. Is it felt as if it were from the same brand?
Invest in content that builds the brand over time, not just content that sells today. And target brand, not just conversion: follow the evolution of organic, brand search and direct traffic over time.
Marker as competitive advantage
The graph above illustrates something that many forget: Sales activation gives short-term peaks, but it is brand construction that drives growth. Promotions, discounts and paid advertisements give you an immediate sales point and are necessary, but when the campaign ends, the sale falls back. If you only run sales without investing in the brand, you have to do the same again next month to achieve the same results.
The construction of the brand is slower. You don't see the effect after one week or one month, but over one, two, three years it starts to happen something. Customers come back without you paying for them, you built trust, created community and can set higher prices because customers are willing to pay for something they identify with.
It requires strategy, consistency and willingness to define who you are while delivering on your promises in meeting with the customer.
Questions and answers
FAQ
How to build brand in e-commerce?
Start by defining your position in one sentence: ‘For [target group] we are the online store [make something unique] because [trustable reason]’. Then it is about consistency across advertisements, emails and packaging and investing in brand-based content over time, not just content that sells today.
How do you measure the brand?
Follow the evolution of organic traffic, tag search (search your name) and direct traffic over time. These indicators show whether people are actively looking for you, as opposed to conversion numbers alone, which only measure short-term activation.
How long does it take to build a brand?
The effect is rare in weeks. Typically, you see a clear one-to-three-year ruling with consistent effort, but then in the form of customers who come back by themselves, higher willingness to pay and lower dependence on paid advertising.
What is the difference between branding and sales activation?
Sales activation (vestings, discounts, paid adverts) results in short-term sales peaks, but the effect disappears when the campaign ends. The construction of brands is slower, but builds sustainable demand that drives growth over time. You need both, but without a brand, you have to buy the sale again every time.
Why is branding important?
Because products, designs and prices are easily copied, but trust and experience cannot be replicated. A strong brand gives repurchase, direct traffic and word-of-mouth that does not cost per click and makes you less dependent on buying visibility again every month.
What is branding?
The construction of a brand is the long-term work of creating recognition, trust and a clear identity, so that customers choose you for reasons other than price. It's all about everything from the visual profile and tone of voice to the experience the customer is left with after every meeting with you.
Do you want to learn how to build a brand that generates turnover?
Caroline Heyerdahl, Csoaps' entrepreneurs, shares concrete advice on branding on E-commerce Day 2026, organised 21. April open The Hub in OsloSo let's say that this is the same thing as that.
Her approach has given Csoap's record growth and she shares the secrets you need to do the same!