January 2021 - 24

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
Building resiliency into our markets takes priority
BRIAN MOYER
Penn State Extension
bfm3@psu.edu
Trying to predict what the future of our
business will look like is nearly impossible,
particularly given the kind of year 2020
was. However, we do need to make some
decisions about our market moving into
the " new normal " and consider what our
customers want and how they want it.
There is a saying that " 20% of your
products drive 80% of your business. " Let's
identify those 20% of your products or
departments in your point of sale, or POS,
that are driving your business. If some of
those products are not produced on our
farm, do we have second and third tier
providers for the products we don't produce
so our supply chain isn't disrupted.
We have seen changes in consumer
behavior during the COVID-19 crisis,
and we have seen new customers shop
at our markets as well. So, what are some
of the changes we have seen and will
remain as part of our business, and how
do we identify future changes in our
customers needs and purchasing habits?
We need to have a strategy to identify
flavorful salads or bowls can be challenging
to prepare at home, especially when people
aren't grocery shopping as often and may
only have a few minutes between meetings
or be juggling work and childcare. Eating
healthy is still important in these scenarios,
though, and that's where we've found the
most success. "
Large retailers are quickly adding
sudden or potential shifts in our customers'
purchasing habits and needs. We need to
have systems that will allow us to listen for
these changes and react. We've discovered
that our markets can be much nimbler than
most conventional retail. If we can create
methods for capturing their needs, we will
continue to have their support.
Consumers have consistently been
making fewer shopping trips but
purchasing more. Thirty percent are
consistently buying online, up from around
10% before the pandemic. Take the slower
period of the year to take a good look at
your online shopping experience on your
website to see where improvements can
be made and shopping made easier. Also,
where can we create efficiencies with
fulfilling the orders? We want to create
a frictionless digital experience. Easy to
order and reorder. Good food photos,
particularly with prepared foods.
People are looking for a combination
of healthy foods and comfort foods. With
a return to cooking at home, consumers
are looking for ideas and solutions to help
them with their meals.
Luke Saunders, founder and CEO of
Farmer's Fridge, the innovative refrigerated
vending (and delivery) company said in
a recent interview, " The most popular
dishes for our home delivery program have
definitely been items that would involve
a lot of prep or that require customers to
have a lot of ingredients at home, so we
are helping them save time. Things like
a subscription service for their home
delivery customers. If you subscribe, they
offer free delivery. I'm not suggesting that
everyone have a free home delivery service,
but 40% of the American workforce
transitioned to working from home during
the pandemic, so we can assume that a
good portion of that 40% will remain
working from home. What do they need?
How can we get them to purchase more
often from our market?
In a recent survey, transparency and
sustainability were highly ranked. More
than half of consumers (55%) are willing
to pay more for products and services
from companies committed to positive
social and environmental justice. Nearly
two-thirds of consumers agree that " large
changes are needed in the way food is
produced and consumed. "
Markets are nimble and resilient. We can
be the change that our customers want to
see. VGN
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January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2021
