Technological advances over the last 20 years have moved incredibly fast. We have gone from communicating by telegram to touch screens which enable us to interact constantly. These latter have become an essential tool for society, companies and individuals. This is referred to as digital transformation: the fact of applying digital technologies to different aspects of everyday life. E-commerce for fruit and vegetables is closely linked to these changes.
Following the appearance of Covid-19, the pace of digital transformation increased dramatically. Lockdown meant that we spent more time in our homes and had to carry out all our previous day-to-day activities from just one place. The only way to do that was by going online. According to the UN specialist trade and development department, UNCTAD, e-commerce grew exponentially in 2020, moving from 16% to 19% of total sales worldwide.
In 2021, Freshfel Europe (The European Fresh Produce Association) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the first study related to e-commerce and fresh produce. The study revealed that 51% of wholesale and retail fruit and vegetable sales in Europe are made on the Internet, equal to a little more than half of the total sales.
Although so far it is not clear how sales will be structured in the future, it is highly likely that e-commerce will be one of the most important sales channels, continuing to increase its share of total sales worldwide significantly.
The short answer is yes. In both the short and long term, being able to sell your products online is ideal. It enables you and your customers to carry out faster and more accurate transactions, regardless of location. It also has the additional benefit of keeping all the associated information safely stored in one place.
Having an e-commerce site for fruit and vegetables can help increase your sales, giving your business the opportunity for exposure to greater demand and thus facilitating growth. Here we list 3 advantages to your business of having an online presence:
1. You're easy to locate: Nowadays, most searches are carried out on the Internet. A well-developed e-commerce site can be a great way for more customers to find you. A happy side-effect is that this will also help your social networks to grow, building up a virtual universe around your brand.
2. Distance is no longer a problem: an e-commerce site enables you to receive orders no matter where you are. You can centralize all relevant information in one place and allow your customers to view the status of their orders.
3. You can better manage your customers: a personalized service equals happy customers. And happy customers become repeat customers. The technology allows you to better understand your customers' purchasing behavior, enabling you to offer them the products they want in a more targeted way or allow them to place repeat purchases in just a couple of clicks.
The digitalization of your fruit and vegetable business can be easily carried out with tools that adapt to your requirements. With Consentio, you can create an online catalog to share with whoever you want, both within and beyond the app. This enables your customers to see which products you offer faster and more efficiently, enabling them to prepare their orders in the best possible way. There is also the option of concealing the prices or deciding who can see them and who can't. You can also make prices specific to different clients and circumstances.
No matter if your business is on- or off-line, always remember to follow best practices for selling your fruit and vegetables. It's a great time to digitally transform your business.
