Technology continues to increasingly impact consumers’ lives, and online shopping is on the rise. Don Goodwin, president of Golden Sun Marketing, says that trend has now reached food.
According to Goodwin, it is difficult to say how this growing trend is going to impact the seed and produce industry. However, he recognizes some areas of concern. For example, he is noticing a commoditizing of food products, which can make it hard for producers to brand their products. “So right now, you go online, and it just says, ‘red grape’ or ‘red tomato,’” he says. “It’s hard to carry a brand through.”
Golden Sun Marketing has been looking at many retailer websites and their online strategies. So far, Goodwin is concerned with how the websites are portraying products. He fears that the bigger this online space becomes, the further commoditized the products will become. Not only will producers have trouble branding, but they will also have difficulty putting specialized products in the market.
“It’s going to require us to really connect seed breeding with brand development and marketing strategies to serve the online space and be effective,” Goodwin explains.
He believes millennials are the generation that is driving the online shopping trend. They have been the early adopters. He says the increase is most likely coming from convenience and a trusting relationship with the technology. “Food is coming along late in the game. We’ve been buying online for a number of years now. Really, it’s part of our DNA,” he concludes.
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