Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
online; look on it as an improved mail order catalogue. Businesses used to
sell from mail order catalogues
30
years ago and can do that again online
using modern technology.
Nowadays, consumers go online before they decide where to visit. The
majority of culinary tourists still prefer to visit or buy from businesses that
inspire them rather than ordering everything online. A business therefore
needs to integrate a web shop along with a physical culinary store.
Some essential tips:
•
Do not try to compete with Amazon and other major online businesses.
If you think you can move boxes from warehouses to consumers as they
do - forget about it. You will not win that game unless your budget is
nearly unlimited;
•
Focus on your local tourist catchment area and on your existing visitors.
If you decide to ship produce to visitors, keep it local to help you keep
control of delivery;
•
The web shop is an online showroom. Customers orient online but often
buy offline, so encourage them to visit your facility. At every product de-
scription you can add a line such as 'Visit our attractions if you want to
see, touch, smell and feel the experience';
•
Don't focus on price; focus on being a day-maker. Add testimonials from
your existing clients to your web shop and add practical tips. This helps
customers recognize that you are not just another web shop, but a know-
ledge hub for consumers and have customer advocates.
Click and collect is an excellent way to drive more traffic to a busi-
ness. You can set up a web shop and collect orders from the web, but you
do not have the hassle of deliveries. Surveys confirm that click and collect
is getting more and more popular and at present is the most profitable de-
livery model. Consumers do not have to walk through the entire facility
and are assured of the availability of the products they ordered. You can
add a free coffee coupon to encourage them to come back soon to make a
longer visit.
Know the facts
•
It is estimated 10% of products will be sold online during the next few
years;
•
The challenge is the delivery system, not the online page.
Facebook
Facebook was found in 2004 by Eduardo Saverin (business aspects), Dustin
Moskovitz (programmer), Andrew McCollum (graphic artist), Chris
Hughes and Mark Zuckerberg who took over the business and grew it
within a decade to the most important social network of the world. It should
not surprise you that a lot of your potential and existing guests are using
Facebook. And as a business you should be where your customers are and
