Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The result of that one sentence was that farmers' markets were inun-
dated over the next 10 days with consumers trying to buy goose fat. Those
that had the product in stock experienced a sales increase of over 400%. That
was a
10-
day wave. It was an unexpected wave, but still a wave.
Waves can be based on:
•
Yearly events such as Valentine's Day;
•
charity causes;
•
sports events;
•
women's causes; and
•
instant waves generated by broadcasters.
2.
Branding is essential
Successful farmers' market stalls stand out from the crowd. We recently met
a farm market stallholder in the USA, who gave us his business card and on
it said he was 'the King of Corn'.
We asked what type of crown he wore at the market; he asked if we
were serious. Of course we were. If you call yourself the 'King of Corn', you
have an opportunity to stand out in the crowd and really get noticed. He felt
he would look foolish wearing a crown; our reaction was that in that case he
was using the wrong name to brand his business.
Successful producers make sure their dress code stands out from
every other stallholder in the market. The aim is to be noticed and remem-
bered. That is part of the rules of retailing and an integral part of the brand
strategy.
Ideally the salesperson could match what they wear to what they sell.
For example, if you sold corn you could wear a yellow shirt with a slogan
on it, if it was strawberries a red shirt or, based on one we saw recently, a
farmers' market stallholder selling tomatoes wore a red shirt with the slogan
'Red Plump and Juicy' written across it.
3.
Name badges build trust
A farmers' market is part of 'experience retailing' and consumers want to get to
know about the personalities at the market. They want to form a relationship.
Research carried out by Shoppers Anonymous in Perth, Western Australia,
shows that retailers who wear a name badge are perceived as providing 15%
better customer service than those who do not wear a name badge.
Name badges for stallholders in farmers' markets should be compulsory.
They can make so much difference to relationship-building with customers.
Not every customer will be bothered about names, but others find it a nice
touch and will want to use the team member's name. The name badge need
only be the first name. The name should be in lower case and be in large
enough type-face so customers can see it at a glance.
Local badge supply companies provide a range of different styles of
name badges. Choose a style that suits the business and get at least three of
each name done. It is guaranteed someone will lose their badge.
