September 2021 - 22

Customer expectations change during pandemic
FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
BRIAN MOYER
Penn State Extension
bfm3@psu.edu
purchase that item. That's a linear
purchase. Not anymore.
Today, the customer takes many
There is no longer a linear path to
purchase. Once upon a time, your
market might place an ad in a paper
with a coupon. The customer would
see it and bring it into your market to
paths to your business. They are
looking at your website, they
might be following you on social
media - all before they show up
at your market, so the customer
experience starts well before they
arrive.
The earlier example of placing
an ad in the paper with a coupon
to lure customers is so 20th century.
As one retail industry expert put it,
" discounts don't build relationships. "
Today's customer wants an experience
and personalization. Consider a
" rewards " program rather than
discounts. Discounts don't keep the
customer coming back as much as a
reward does, since the customer needs
to keep coming back to redeem the
reward. Look for ways to make the
mundane fun.
A market I work with was purchasing
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frozen pizzas from a wood-fired pizza
maker, a popular item. When the
pandemic restrictions hit, the pizza
maker stopped wholesaling their pizza
because their retail demand was so great.
The market still wanted to offer pizza
at their market, so they purchased a
wood-fire pizza oven and set it up in the
parking lot. Every Saturday, they custom
make pizzas that customers can order
before going into the market and pick up
when they leave. The market highlights
the toppings they use, featuring products
and vendors from the market, creating
strong brand values. There is also
the benefit that people can see them
making pizza from the road, which can
be enticing. The market has taken a
popular product and created a sense of
destination around it.
Customers will no longer accept
mediocrity. They are looking for a hightouch
and/or high-tech experience. We
need to look for ways to engage with the
customer both at the market and online.
Suppose you have recently shopped
online yourself and notice that most sites
have a chat area for customer questions.
When a customer comes to your
website, they will expect that someone
will be there to answer it if they have
a question. A Retail Dive article titled
" The pandemic raised customer service
expectations: report " says, " As the line
between digital and in-store experiences
blur, consumers expect to interact with
retailers via chatbots, video chat, and
voice applications more in two years
than they do today. " The article goes on
to say, " This sea of change in consumer
behavior has been on retailers' collective
radar for years, but the pandemic
accelerated it. "
During the pandemic, sampling and
demos were discouraged. If you are
looking to bring sampling and demos
back, we may need to rethink how we do
that, as many customers may be nervous
about taking samples. The sanitation
protocols put in place during this period
give the customer a level of comfort. So,
we will continue to see wiped counters
and hand sanitizer throughout our
markets.
Paying attention to changes in
consumer behavior can be frustrating,
but it's always essential to have constant
communication with your customers.
As Walmart's Sam Walton famously said,
" The customer can fire the CEO. " VGN
http://www.stokeseeds.com http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com
September 2021

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