Agritourism Farm Marketing Ontario Report – Customer Insights
I was just reviewing the On-Farm Marketing study which was completed in Ontario, Canada during the fall of 2008 for the Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association. Here are some interesting facts from their research and my responses that I would like to share with my farm friends.
#1. 63% of customers spend from $16 to over $100 per visit at a farm market. (It is important to monitor your average customer sale and to set goals to increase this amount every year. If you don’t, it’s easy to fall behind.)
#2. 95% of customers are “extremely likely” or “likely” to recommend the on-farm market to friends. (As we often hear, word of mouth marketing is our best marketing strategy. What are you doing to impact “praise” for your business?)
#3. 76% of customers take less than 30 minutes to drive to the on-farm market. (For many farms, this means that you might need to expand your marketing reach beyond your own town.)
#4. 30% visit the market at least once per month. (Don’t forget to reward these customers with loyalty programs, coupons, classes, festivals or special V.I.P events. What can you do to get them to make just one more visit per month? I offer 25 of these marketing strategies & how to implement them in my book Fresh Grown Promotions.)
“Family fun, freshness of product and tradition are prime motivators for customers visiting on-farm markets.” We are beginning to come into harvest season and it’s always good to remember the basics and train your employees to do the same.
In order to find agritourism operators in North America, go to the Rural Bounty website.
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