THE "GO TO" PLACE FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN SPECIALTY FOOD MARKETING.
Repeat customers are where it’s at
I had lunch with a friend 2 weeks ago. Someone I hadn’t seen since my school days.
When I told her what I do for a living (marketing for online food sellers)—she said she didn’t think most people bought food online.
“I buy lots of stuff online,” she said. “But food? I guess I need to examine the food first before I eat it.”
That gave me pause for a minute. After all, I stumble across A LOT of online specialty food entrepreneurs who say they’re too broke to have a marketing budget.
Maybe selling food online is harder than I thought.
I compared notes with a couple of foodie friends.
We all agreed: we might find a food item or 2 online—so exquisite or hard to find—we buy it. But the Internet has certainly not become the number one place for our specialty food shopping.
For example, 3 things I’d consider buying online are caviar, Persian saffron & artisan cheese direct from the manufacturer. Simply because I’m not sure where to find these 3 items locally.
One friend admitted that her favorite tea—which she buys for herself and as gifts—is from an online tea vendor.
While this survey among friends is hardly scientific—it backs up what I see on online foodie forums…many people will buy what they consider MUST HAVE specialty food items online—and that’s it.
Here’s my point…your best customers—your repeat customers—are those who believe they can’t get what you sell anywhere else.
They’ll return to you again and again. They’re easier to sell to than first time visitors. They know you and trust you.
So what does that mean for you?
That depends on you.
Are you making offers that are in sync with what they want?
Or are you just making 30% discount offers?
Next time consider something like this:
If a segment of your customer list repeatedly buys your 00 flour—offer that segment an exclusive gift of imported Sicilian pizza seasoning and a Kitchen Aid pizza wheel when they buy 15 lbs instead of 5 lbs.
Yes, that offer may appeal to your list at large. It may even appeal to first time customers.
But the folks it’s REALLY going to appeal to are those who already buy that particular food item.
Try it and report back to me…you’ve got nothing to lose.
Suzanne Ryan
The Gourmet Copywriter
When I told her what I do for a living (marketing for online food sellers)—she said she didn’t think most people bought food online.
“I buy lots of stuff online,” she said. “But food? I guess I need to examine the food first before I eat it.”
That gave me pause for a minute. After all, I stumble across A LOT of online specialty food entrepreneurs who say they’re too broke to have a marketing budget.
Maybe selling food online is harder than I thought.
I compared notes with a couple of foodie friends.
We all agreed: we might find a food item or 2 online—so exquisite or hard to find—we buy it. But the Internet has certainly not become the number one place for our specialty food shopping.
For example, 3 things I’d consider buying online are caviar, Persian saffron & artisan cheese direct from the manufacturer. Simply because I’m not sure where to find these 3 items locally.
One friend admitted that her favorite tea—which she buys for herself and as gifts—is from an online tea vendor.
While this survey among friends is hardly scientific—it backs up what I see on online foodie forums…many people will buy what they consider MUST HAVE specialty food items online—and that’s it.
Here’s my point…your best customers—your repeat customers—are those who believe they can’t get what you sell anywhere else.
They’ll return to you again and again. They’re easier to sell to than first time visitors. They know you and trust you.
So what does that mean for you?
That depends on you.
Are you making offers that are in sync with what they want?
Or are you just making 30% discount offers?
Next time consider something like this:
If a segment of your customer list repeatedly buys your 00 flour—offer that segment an exclusive gift of imported Sicilian pizza seasoning and a Kitchen Aid pizza wheel when they buy 15 lbs instead of 5 lbs.
Yes, that offer may appeal to your list at large. It may even appeal to first time customers.
But the folks it’s REALLY going to appeal to are those who already buy that particular food item.
Try it and report back to me…you’ve got nothing to lose.
Suzanne Ryan
The Gourmet Copywriter
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