Limburg farm sales survey: consumers value freshness and reliability

At the end of last year, we asked you to participate in the research on farm sales in Limburg conducted by Stan Breukers, third-year student of International Business at Fontys Hogeschool Venlo. Part of this research, commissioned by the Limburg Land- and Tuinbouw Bond (LLTB), was an extensive consumer survey, which was completed by almost 400 people. It shows among other things that the freshness and taste of the products, reliability and transparency about the origin and production thereof, and supporting the local farmer or horticulturist are the main reasons for consumers to do their shopping at a farm store or vending machine in their area.

Familiarity

This past six months Breukers has been mapping farm sales in Limburg. One of the aims of the research was to find out ways in which farmers and horticulturalists can further professionalize their farm sales outlets. For example, he asked survey participants to what extent they were familiar with these locations in Limburg. Of the total of 391 respondents, 97 percent said they were familiar with at least one farm store or vending machine. A majority (69 percent) know these agricultural outlets because they pass by them regularly. Respectively 43 and 32 percent became familiar through family and friends or because of a personal connection with the agricultural entrepreneur. Only 21 percent said they knew the outlets through social media.

"This can be explained by the fact that these people already knew the farm stores and vending machines before, for example because they drive by them regularly," explains Susanne Görtz, portfolio holder at the LLTB. According to the LLTB board member, this may also be because not all agricultural entrepreneurs are (very) active on social media yet. "From the 23 qualitative interviews with farmers and horticulturists it emerged, among other things, that not all entrepreneurs know yet how they can best use social media to promote their farm store or vending machine. They would like to learn more about this, but do not always have the time to delve deeper into it. Having an agricultural business and some form of farm sale makes for a busy schedule."

Appreciation

Respondents were asked why they choose to visit a farm store or vending machine. In particular, the freshness of the products is valued by these consumers. 88 percent of existing customers indicated that this is an important reason for buying directly from a farmer or gardener. "This is also evident from the product groups that are most frequently purchased through an agricultural sales point," Görtz adds. "Especially vegetables, fruits and eggs are popular products, meat and dairy products are less often passed over the counter. This does concern the frequency with which the products are bought, not the quantity."

84 percent would additionally like to support the local farmer or gardener by buying his or her products. 38 percent of consumers say they always go to the same farmer or gardener. A small majority (58 percent) switches between some agricultural outlets, for example because one outlet does not sell all the products they need. "The vast majority of customers can therefore be called loyal to one or a few farm stores and vending machines," states the LLTB director.

Further, the taste of the products (66 percent), transparency (47 percent) and reliability (45 percent) were mentioned as the most important motivations for visiting a farm outlet. The conscious consumer finds it important to know where products come from and how they are produced.

Ease

Bespite the conscious consumer, there is the customer who is mainly interested in convenience and makes his choice of outlet dependent on the time available and accessibility. Both existing (22 percent) and potential (35 percent) customers consider the distance to the store to be an obstacle. 92 percent of customers do not travel further than 10 kilometers to visit a farmer or gardener. 72 percent stay within 5 kilometers and 28 percent do not even go further than 2 kilometers. "This can be partly explained by the fact that one or more (agricultural) outlets can already be found within that radius, so the consumer does not have to travel any further," explains Görtz.

Figures from CBS show that there are 586 agricultural companies in Limburg that sell directly to consumers. Time is also an important factor. 31 percent of the respondents who visit an agricultural sales point once or less a month say they do not have time to visit multiple sales points. The assortment plays a role in this respect as a reason for whether or not to choose a farm store over, for example, a supermarket. For 19 percent of the potential customers, the relatively limited assortment at farm sales is a reason to choose another point of sale. "It is striking that price is not mentioned as a motive in the choice for a farm store or vending machine, a supermarket or another point of sale," Görtz concludes. Whether this is because the price differences are negligible or because price is secondary to issues such as freshness, reliability and convenience was not investigated.