January 2020 - 25

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
Try meal kits, customer experience, personalization
There is a lot of concern about meal
kit companies and Amazon's negative
affect on retail markets. According
to a report by Statista in 2017, it was
estimated that by 2025 the meal kits
will be a $5-billion-dollar industry.
But, since that report, meal kit
companies have
had a major
downturn.
According to
BRIAN MOYER
that same report,
the customer
retention rates
look like this:
after one month,
77% of customers
continued to
purchase meal kits. After six months,
48% continued and after one year,
only 29% continued to purchase. Why
are the retention rates so low?
In a consumer survey conducted
by Market Force Information, 57% of
respondents said they weren't getting
enough value for money as their
reason for leaving.
If there is one thing our farm
markets can do is give value for
money! Most farmers are afraid that
they don't give enough food to their
customers which is why the number
one reason our CSA (Community
Supported Agriculture) customers
leave is because they feel they are
getting TOO MUCH food!
On the bright side, those who have
tried meal kits are at least cooking!
They've experienced cooking
with quality ingredients so they
will continue to seek high quality
food which means they should be
purchasing those ingredients from
your farm. We can also give our
customers something that the meal
kits can't deliver on and that is a great
experience and relationships.
Most of the customers surveyed
preferred the third option but, in the
end, what the market's customers
actually purchased was already cooked
meals that can be taken home and
served. The point being this market
is catering to their customers needs
by asking them. As the market owner
told me, " My customers are busy. They
don't have time to cook and they will
pay to save time. " This market is solving
problems for their customers and when
you do that, you create loyal customers.
Technology in the consumer world
increasingly knows what we buy, how
often we buy, and how much. Some
farm markets use this technology
as well, but it cannot match having
a relationship and connection with
our customers. Retail consultant
John Stanley said, " We all want to be
treated as an individual and we all have
problems we need solutions for. The
more we can personalize the solutions
we offer the consumer, the more
successful we will be as retailers. "
We know that retail is evolving
so we need to pay attention to what
our customers are looking for, what
problems can we solve and create
personalized solutions and an
exceptional experience for them.
We cannot compete with what
these large companies provide but
we can look for things that they
can't do and capitalize on that. Let's
take advantage of some " old school "
technology like a conversation and a
handshake. VGN
Stokes Seeds Trial Evaluation
Researching the best for our
customers since 1881.
flaglEr
77 day, high quality 8 in/20 cm
bicolor ear with 16-18 rows.
Strong plant with good stress
tolerance offering excellent
yield potential. Intermediate
resistance to Rp1-GFJ Rust.
If there is one thing
our farm markets can
do is give value
for money!
Look for opportunities to create
" personalized " solutions for your
customers. A market that I work with
conducted a survey of their customers
asking them how the market should
offer their meals. Option one, in
raw form? All the ingredients, but
the customer would have to do the
prep. Option two, in prep form where
everything is sliced and measured and
the customer would assemble and cook
or option three, everything is prepared,
and the customer would take home
and bake.
laSallE
54 day, high quality easy
to harvest been with high
consistent yields. Good heat
resistance. Resistant to CBMV,
Halo Blight and Brown Spot.
hErmES
SkYhawk
90 days. Highly productive
dark orange medium round
10-12 lb/4.5-6 kg pumpkin with
strong handle, uniform size and
well-defined ribs. Semi-bush,
multi-fruited plant. Resistance
to PM.
Contact Your Area
Territory Manager:
Tom Pagels
NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, LI
609-247-7140
Tom Dauria
NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, WV, LI
908-489-4896
Randy DeMay
New York
585-747-3379
Tim Clark
WI, MN, IA, ND, SD
608-609-5884
George Dobson
New York, MA, CT
585-405-4160
Karen Grybko
NH, VT, ME, MA, RI
603-654-5362
Early maturing smooth,
attractive jumbo sized fruit
with a perfect blocky shape
and mid-green color. High
yields with resistance to
BLS 1-10.
James Young
MI, OH, IN, IL, MO, WI, MN
616-250-0329
Ken Wagner
IL, IN, MO, KY, TN
317-409-3445
- Quality Seed Since 1881 -
1-800-263-7233 │www.stokeseeds.com │ Box 548 Buffalo NY 14240
VGN | JANUARY 2020 | 23
Tom Jacobs
MI, OH, IN
616-307-4322
Carol Korey
New York
845-544-4122
NEW
http://www.stokeseeds.com
January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2020
