Coronavirus drives 10x increase in online Food sales
The Coronavirus pandemic has spurred a massive surge in online food sales in the US. Public concern has prompted consumers to look for alternatives to crowded spaces and in-person payment. In short, this means skipping the grocery store or farmers market and opting for online ordering and direct home delivery. Instacart, Amazon’s delivery partner for Whole Foods, has reported a 10x increase in sales in Washington, Oregon and California, and a 20x increase in New York.
If you attend Farmers’ markets, you should expect a drop in foot traffic as Americans heed warnings to avoid crowds and many businesses move to a “work from home” policy. So, can buyers order from your Farm conveniently online, for pickup or direct home delivery?
The Boy Scouts’ motto “always be prepared” resonates in this scenario. Be ready to serve your buyers in person and online, with the ability to purchase via web, mobile, social and email. All of your buyers should be able to purchase for pick-up on your Farm, at a drop point, or for door-to-door delivery (your buyers will gladly pay for it).
People order online for any number of reasons, whether they require direct home delivery for medical conditions, or are simply too busy to make it to the grocery store or farmers market. The commonality is that 90% of people want to eat local food, especially if they’re concerned about their health. No matter how this outbreak unfolds, buyers are spending more time online than ever before, averaging more than 6 hours per day. As a result, expect online orders for your Farm products to grow exponentially over the coming years (in the same way that banking and shopping for consumer product goods has moved online).
For more consumer expectations your Farm can win with, read our eBook, the 2020 Buyer Trends Every Farm Needs to Know.
The reality is that a global pandemic is not new news. Remember, the “swine flu”, the “avian bird flu”, and the H1N1 virus among others? In today’s age of travel and social connectedness, your Farm should expect that all future pandemics (whether real or perceived) should likely result in a surge in online sales.
As the largest provider of Farm ecommerce in the country, we know that 65% of purchases come from mobile and social channels, with the remainder evenly split between web, email and newsletters. The key for your Farm is to be on every digital channel to capture more sales of your products.
Local Farms are well-positioned to leverage convenience and sell direct to their local communities, for more margin and healthier people. Plus, the tools exist to make it easy! We’d be happy to share how Farms across the country have increased sales, saved time and accessed more customers online.