October 2020 - 18
Firms go digital as COVID-19 curbs marketing
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
Agricultural companies are
investing in their digital storefronts
as COVID-19 shakes up marketplaces
traditionally punctuated by trade
shows, shared meals and firm
handshakes.
Pace International, a subsidiary
of Valent BioSciences LLC specializing
in postharvest products and technology,
recently debuted a new website with a
virtual fruit packing house.
" Things are evolving very, very
quickly with COVID, and the business
that is done has changed greatly
because of the allowance to meet with
growers, or in our case, fruit packers, "
said Jorge Gotuzzo, Pace International
senior director of marketing. " The
allowance of being able to go into a
fruit packing shed or to meet for lunch,
to have a coffee with these
folks - it's not the way it was before. "
The company has traditionally held
a half-day " Postharvest Academy "
in Washington state that draws 150180
attendees. The canceled spring
event would have been the 10th
anniversary of the activity. Now, Pace
International is planning an October
online event - the timing is aimed at
engaging Chilean growers, Gotuzzo
said - featuring live presentations and
interactive features.
The virtual fruit-packing house
feature on Pace International's website
allows growers to select their crop and
then click on an interactive graphic
of a packing line to identify the
problem they're having. The website
then responds with a list of potential
solutions and products from Pace. The
virtual packing line is currently set up
for pome fruit, cherries and citrus, and
Gotuzzo said other crops will be added
in the future.
Pace International also launched
a Spanish-language website in
September and is working on a
sustainable initiative that would give
customers traceability back to the fruit
packinghouse and orchard.
" I'm a strong believer that moving
to the digital world, and adopting the
digital platforms, help you be more
efficient and effective in the way you
reach out (to) your customers, and
how you pass on that information to
them. "
Pace isn't the only company investing
heavily in digital. Wilbur-Ellis
Agribusiness in July launched a new
and improved website. The company
used grower focus groups and other
feedback sessions aiming for easier
website navigation, better search
functions and overall improved user
experience.
" We are focused on the experience
we create for those coming to our
website and want it to be as easy as
possible to research products or find
the information they are looking for, "
Wilbur-Ellis Director of Marketing
Chad Steiner said in a news release.
" The site is very dynamic and will
continually be updated with the latest
news, products and information, so it
is a place anyone can come to for their
agricultural needs. "
Also, Atticus, a branded-generic
fungicides, herbicides and insecticides
provider based in North Carolina, recently
rolled out an updated website with new
tools for users.
Atticus CEO Randy Canady said his
team found the " silver lining " in the
cloud of the pandemic.
" We used this time as an opportunity
to further strengthen the health of our
business, as well as hire experienced
professionals to help advance our
expertise and capabilities to provide
our customers with a significant
RANDY CANADY
Atticus reorganized and hired
additional experienced staff to bring
a more personal touch to business
dealings, but Canady said the website
is also important.
" Particularly in the absence of so
many in-person introductions, it's
important that when someone visits
your website, they get a real sense
of who you are, " he said. " Along
portfolio and the team to back it
up, " he said. " During the pandemic,
we've shifted our communications
with our retailer customers to phone
and email, along with the rest of the
industry. We're also looking forward
to participating in trade shows like
CAPCA, Almond Conference and
ARA in the virtual format to continue
conversations and introduce our
branded-generic crop protection
products to new customers in creative
ways. We've made ourselves available
to problem-solve whenever the need
arises and we look forward to seeing
our customers in person again soon. "
with increased functionality and
enhanced searchability, we feel the
new site really delivers on giving
people a sense of who Atticus is. Our
search filter makes it simple to find
products that are relevant to your
crop and registered in your state. "
The updated website has a variety of
tools for customers, including a new
active account management platform.
" One tool we're especially proud
to offer is a new active ingredient
pronunciation tool that's available
throughout our entire product
portfolio on the website, " Canady
said. " Just search a product with the
active ingredient you're looking for,
then click on the sound icon to hear it
spoken aloud. It's a valuable learning
tool that's easy to use and can help
build confidence in new professionals
working with (active ingredients) like
pyriproxyfen and difenoconazole. "
2020 is a difficult year, but Canady
said it's possible to survive, even
thrive during the disruption.
" Certainly, every business is
experiencing shifts and challenges
during the pandemic, but the way we
operate has given us the opportunity
to slow down to listen to customers,
embrace productivity and rally
together to make stronger decisions, "
Canady said. " We have open lines
of communication with trusted
suppliers and communicate often
with our customers, so even when
there were supply challenges, we
were able to quickly shift and provide
alternative options well-suited
for every crop or business' needs.
Though right now we aren't walking
through our customer's doors as
often as we'd like, make no mistake,
we are still here, committed to
providing an unprecedented level of
service with an unsurpassed business
acumen our customers trust. " FGN
18 | FruitGrowersNews.com
http://www.FruitGrowersNews.com
October 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2020
October 2020 - 1
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/2025-fruit-nut-growers-buyers-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-fgn
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/fgn-vgn-40-under-40-class-of-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2022
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2022
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