News
Holiday Farm Retail: What Consumers Are Expecting From You
November 29, 2022
For most of your farming customers, holidays are a time for evaluating what's needed to create a more successful operation for the new year. It's a time to take in all the holiday sales and determine the best retailer. So how do they determine what's 'best'? That could be price. It often is. That could be proximity of location. That could be knowledge of your staff or the variety of products you offer. Or - and this happens more than you think - it's that you marketed to them when they were ready to purchase. Convenience is a powerful tool. So with all the reasons someone should buy from you, why should they purchase from you right now?
You should be giving them:
A Festive Experience
While we usually work hard with our ag marketing clients to break away from the clutter, we recommend going with the holiday flow this time of year. It's what everyone's customer base is expecting, what they are excited to see, what they actually WANT to see. For most, it's a happy time of year and a powerful way to use nostalgia (think coca cola polar bear commercial). Dress up your advertising with some jingle bells, greenery, and home-baked chocolate chip cookies and you'll evoke some brand associations that are hard to capture the other 11 months of the year.
An Easy Experience
While we recognize and enjoy the joy that holiday festivities can bring, you can't ignore the stress that this time of year also brings. Eliminate shopping with you as one of those stressors. Provide multiple options to get in touch, cart abandonment reminders, up-to-date inventory updates, and information on your site that keeps them from going down a rabbit hole of research leading them to your competition.
Competitive Hot Tips
Speaking of competition, smart retailers are using this time to A/B test the message that's working best. For example, Tractor Supply is running advertising for percentage savings off or dollar amounts off their items. They'll be tracking which is creating the most buzz in traffic and which is leading to more sales.
They're also using this time to grab sign-ups for their app by offering 100 bonus points to first-time downloads.
We're not suggesting you do the exact same. But we are suggesting you establish 1 or 2 goals, create very clear calls-to-action and track the data. One of those goals should be short-term - a sales goal. The other should meet a long-term objective - sign ups, social likes, YouTube subscribers, etc.
Don't forget your current customers - market straight to them with an email marketing drip campaign, SMS campaign, and customer match campaigns thanking them for their business this year and offering them a value to purchase now that's exclusive to them.
Meet with your internal team and marketing partners in January to discuss your findings, and optimize your current plan based on what you see. And if you don't like what you see, you should set an informal, get-to-know-you meeting with us.
SI EQ is an agrimarketing company blazing the trails of innovation in the ag retail space. We've been partnering with our equipment dealers for over a decade to reach their farming communities with the right message at the right time.
