4/02/08

Organic - That's Sooo Mainstream - What is Your Point of Difference???

In the last few years farm shops and farmers markets have had the opportunity to promote fresh organic produce and as a result of this strategy have seen a significant growth in sales. But, it is a new year and retailing is a fast moving industry to be in.

I have just been around a Safeway store in Seattle, Washington State, USA and having walked the store I have to ask myself why I would shop in a farmers market when this was the offer in the local supermarket!

The organic section takes pride of place in the fruit and vegetable area. The signage is very professional and the produce looks excellent. I therefore decided to check out a few other supermarkets and the offer was very similar.

Back to the Safeway store through. I was able to pick up a free leaflet called 'The Fresh Grocer" with tips on fresh produce from Tony Tantillo. The first page told me that the best buy in the markets this month was Navel Oranges from California, the article then went onto tell me why he thinks this, how I should store them in my home and tips on nutrition followed by a series of recipes. The leaflet then went on to discuss other produce in season and also to discuss acai, a new fruit on the market from Brazil (check out www.whatisacai.com for more information) The article mentions that this is such a delicate fruit that it cannot be shipped to the USA and be sold as a premier fruit, but that Safeway now has juice of the fruit and again Tony goes on to discuss the health attributes of the fruit.

The customer is left with the perception that Safeway are a caring company, they care about your health and what is happening in the marketplace that you should be aware of.

Having visited Safeway I then went to another supermarket down the road, QFC or Quality Food Centres, the same produce presentation was evident, plus there flyer talked about the health benefits of the produce they were selling.

This leaves the farmers market with a quandary, how do they market themselves to provide a point of difference in the customers eyes, a lot of the old high ground the farmers markets' used to have has been taken away from them. I.e. we know our produce and the supermarket do not. We sell healthy locally grown and organic and we provide better service, the service in the Safeway produce department I experienced was excellent.

Therefore this is a time to brainstorm with your team what your points of difference are and how you are going to get this message across to your customers. Every individual will have a different message, but I believe you need to consider the following in your think tank.

1 - You are not a third party
By nature supermarkets rely on a distribution chain to operate efficiently, this is their strength and it is also there weakness. The supermarket owner has to rely on a Tony Tantillo, a separate personality to get the credibility message across. You are the grower and you are the front to your business, you are the celebrity and this is a marketing opportunity you can build on. If you want to be the grower and then hide in the background and let you team be the sole heroes in the customers eyes, I feel you are losing an opportunity. By nature many growers are introverts, but in the future they must be seen as part of the marketing strategy. The grower is going to be believed more than any other person in the communications chain.

2 - Promote Food Miles
Back to the food distribution chain. Most of our highways are blocked with vehicles taking food around the country. This is because supermarkets rely on central distribution points. This also means that a locally grown carrot may have travelled around the country before it reached the local supermarket shelf. This means the farmers market can promote the distance travelled as a positive. I love signs in markets that say "Picked this Morning" This is what the customer wants to see and wants to believe. This is a unique marketing opportunity you should be building on.

3 - Provide Cooking Demonstrations
Some supermarkets have tried cooking demonstrations, but have found them difficult to implement, especially as consistency in offer is critical in the customers eyes. Cooking demonstrations that are consistent are an opportunity the supermarket finds difficult to implement, you can capitalise here.

4 - Build on Personality
We have just changed our butcher, there was nothing wrong with the last butcher, he sold a good quality product, but we were recently shopping locally and our butcher was closed for Christmas, as a result we needed to find another butcher. When we went in to the new butcher we found the personality team, you know the style of customer service we used to get in a butchers shops of old, a bit cheeky and full of banter. It was a great experience and we are now moving our business to this shop. Recruit a team that will provide this banter in your store. The customer does not expect it in a supermarket and may be offended if they do get it. But in a farmers market it is acceptable and you are allowed to go the extra mile. Those that do will be remembered and can build on this loyalty.

There are people out there that can provide this banter, you have to go out there and find them.

5 - Keep it Seasonal
Today's customer is not as aware of seasonal changes as those of the last generation. Oranges and strawberries available all year around has become an expected situation in peoples' minds. This is also an opportunity to promote seasonal. Provide seasonal recipes that can be used by your customers, entice the customer by telling them what is coming next. In Hong Kong Airport there is a large sign counting down the days and hours to the opening on the 2008 Olympics. Why not have a similar sign in your farmers market, i.e. "Only two weeks to go before we pick the freshest apples in town" and similar messages. Create the excitement that encourages the customer to want to come back.

Farmers markets have a role to play in the future market place. Consumers want to buy from the local grower, but they will not come without an effective marketing campaign.

Before you plan your marketing campaign take a journey around your local supermarkets and look at how they are presenting their produce offer, then plan a marketing campaign that builds on your strength to ensure you have a prominent place in the consumers mind.