Marketing Strategies Targeted at

Farmer’s Market Consumers

Kynda Curtis

Assistant Professor & State Specialist

University of Nevada, Reno

Customer Appeal

� Fresh products

� Local products

� Minimize “food miles”

Support local agriculture� Support local agriculture

� Socialization

� Community event

Customer Types

� Survey of 12 farmers’ market in Nevada

� 669 respondents

� Three customer types

Organic and Health Enthusiasts� Organic and Health Enthusiasts

� Homegrown Enthusiasts

� Not Enthusiast

Customer Types – Organic/Health

� Willing to pay premium / less concerned with pricing

� Eat 70% of meals at home

� Healthy lifestyle – diet & exercise� Healthy lifestyle – diet & exercise

� Concerned with food safety

� Higher education levels

Target Organic & Health Enthusiasts

� Clear labeling for certified & non-certified organics

� Information

� Recipes� Recipes

� Storage

� Nutritional / safety benefits

� Wine parings / meal planning

Customer Types – Homegrown

� Less willing to pay premium / somewhat concerned with pricing

� Eat 90% of meals at home

� Supporters of local agriculture & ag open � Supporters of local agriculture & ag open space

� More children in household

� Home gardeners

� Canning & storage

Target Homegrown Enthusiasts

� Clearly label product origins – state & region

� Tell “farm story” with poster pictures & in

brochures

� Family appeal of booth� Family appeal of booth

� Information

� Gardening / arid region suggestions

� Canning / preserving

� Recipes / preparation / pairing

Customer Types – Not Enthusiasts

� Least willing to pay organic premium / very concerned with pricing

� Least concerned with diet, exercise, food safetysafety

� Eat 40% of meals at home

� Lower education levels

Target Not Enthusiast

� Ready-to-eat foods

� Tell “farm story” to differentiate from grocery

� Justify/explain pricing� Justify/explain pricing

� Information

� Recipe / preparation / pairing

� Organic / local differentiation

General Market Programming

� “Green movement”

� Home gardening

� Youth in agriculture

Local purchasing & eating� Local purchasing & eating

� Organic / natural production

� Water conservation

Programming: “Green Movement”

� Customers who recycle & compost

� Highlight sustainable benefits of local foods

� Composting demonstration� Composting demonstration

� Reduce landfill deposits

� Feasible with limited space

� Recycling information for area

Programming: Home Gardening

� Customers who garden & can / preserve

� Composting demonstration

� Canning demonstration

Gardening education� Gardening education

� Specific to arid region

� Emphasize natural & organic methods

Programming: Youth in Agriculture

� Customers who participated in 4-H & FFA

� Create family-friendly atmosphere

� Competitions� Competitions

� Fruit and vegetables

� Livestock

� Baked goods / prepared foods

� Crafts

Programming: Buy/Eat Local

� Customers shifting away from mass retail

� Specific shift towards buying & eating local

products

� Cooking / preparation demonstration� Cooking / preparation demonstration

� Recipes

� Wine pairings / tastings

� Host “meet the farmer” events

� Community benefits

� Food safety & freshness

Programming: Organic/Natural

� Customers unsure of meaning

� Increasingly prevalent in mainstream grocery

� Educate on production methods� Educate on production methods

� Profile organic/natural vendors

Programming: Water Conservation

� Customers interested in conserving water in arid climate

� Invite speaker from local water authority

� Low-water landscaping demonstration� Low-water landscaping demonstration

� Native plant landscaping information

Marketing

� Emphasize quality

� Foster relationships w/ informative materials

� Appearance of booth� Appearance of booth

� Community membership

� Customers

� Colleagues

Marketing: Emphasize Quality

� Many quality & value attributes rated above price

� Customers’ attitude different from cost-consciousness at groceryconsciousness at grocery

� High quality products whose value exceeds price

� Purchasing from local producers keeps money in local economy

Marketing: Foster Relationships

� Use brochures to tell “farm story”

� Simple

� Food safety

� Special production methods� Special production methods

� Connection to customer by sharing

personnel story

� Recipe cards

Marketing: Booth Appearance

� Initial impression on customer

� Role of salesperson vs. producer

� Provide information� Brochures / recipes

� Upcoming product availability � Upcoming product availability

� Market events

� Provide shade

� Multiple display levels

� Color contrasts

� Keep booth neat, stocked, condensed

� Logo & signage

Marketing: Community

� Customers� Participate in home/garden/health shows

� Donate leftover food to needy in community

� Provide weekly market space free-of-charge to local charitylocal charity

� Colleagues� Invite competing market managers

� Coordinate competing markets to avoid scheduling conflicts

� Work with competing markets on beneficial governmental actions

Market Advertising

� Word-of-mouth

� On-line

� Local

“Work the media”� “Work the media”

Advertising: Word-of-Mouth

� Most effective

� Emphasizes importance of excellent service and relationship development

� Positive customer experience � Positive customer experience

� Negative customer experience

Advertising: On-line

� Generally not as effective as other advertising methods

� Increasing main household information source

� E-mail newsletters� Cost-effectiveCost-effective

� Environmentally friendly

� Feature vendor profiles

� Provide attendance incentives� Newsletter

� Coupons

� Code words

� Prize drawing

Advertising: Local

� Team with locally owned businesses

� Display signs or flyers

� Newsletter acknowledgement

� Information provided� Information provided

� Time & place of market

� Overview of products

� Vendor availability

� Barter with market products

Advertising: “Work the Media”

� Editorial media coverage 7x more valuable than paid coverage

� Emphasize market event as community interestinterest

� Media packet

� Build relationship w/ key media

� Press releases

� Follow up media spots with thank-you’s

Market Assessments

� Mystery shoppers

� Dot surveys

� Attendance counts

Vendor surveys� Vendor surveys

Handouts

� Marketing to Farmers’ Markets: Ideas for Market

Vendors & Managers in Nevada. University of Nevada

Cooperative Extension Special Publication, SP-09-10

�� Nevada Farmers Market Customer Profiles. University Nevada Farmers Market Customer Profiles. University

of Nevada Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet, FSof Nevada Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet, FS--0909--of Nevada Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet, FSof Nevada Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet, FS--0909--

45.45.

�� Why Customers Shop at Farmers’ Markets in Nevada. Why Customers Shop at Farmers’ Markets in Nevada.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Fact University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Fact

Sheet, FSSheet, FS--0909--32.32.

�� Buying Local: Perceptions of HighBuying Local: Perceptions of High--End Chefs in End Chefs in

Nevada. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Nevada. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Fact Sheet, FSFact Sheet, FS--0909--41.41.

Thank you!

Questions/Comments….