“We Will Always Think What Purpose Is Behind Our Marketing”
Farmdrop has seen exponential growth during the first months of the coronavirus outbreak. Their CRM manager told us how it affected the company's communication strategy
If there’s one thing that gets our team fired up, it’s interviewing top-notch CRM experts from leading companies.
This time around, Oliver Stewart, Senior Account Executive at Optimove, had an engaging chat with Flora McKenzie, CRM Manager at Farmdrop, who started working at the company in January this year, right before the coronavirus outbreak changes practically everything.
Those of you who may not be familiar with Farmdrop, not the coronavirus – this is an online grocer with a focus on food sourced from local farmers, fishers, and other producers. While many businesses have been adversely affected by the pandemic, this brand has experienced exponential growth.
But how?
Well, part of it is that they started using Optimove’s solutions (#humblebrag?).
But there was more to it, of course, and this is precisely what Ollie wanted to know.
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We Knew We Needed a CDP
OS: What mainly affected your move to Optimove while going through COVID-19?
FM: It’s been a fascinating process.Our entire customer base changed as we got an influx of new customers [when users shifted heavily to online shopping during lockdowns]. This only emphasized that we needed a new CRM system that would allow us to better segment and target different types of customers.
As orders almost quadrupled, we had already surpassed our targets for January 2021 in numbers. We needed a better system to tell us who the new customers are and how to serve them better and in a way that is suitable for this kind of situation.
We hope that Optimove will support that growth in the way that our previous ESP just couldn’t.
OS: How much of your decision-making process and marketing strategies have changed?
FM: We knew that we needed a CDP and that we couldn’t deal with the influx of new customers without it if we wanted to make sure all our customers would have the best possible experience.
So, to get the ball rolling as soon as possible and best serve our customers, we were glad to see the ESP and IP processes at Optimove have been super quick and efficient.
Rethinking Personalization
OS: How will you sustain and make the most of this growth going forward?
FM: First, all promos have been shut down in terms of retention and acquisition as we didn’t have the capacity on-site to drive more customers. Now that we have gotten rid of the queue, we have re-started slowly putting out CRM promos.
Over the next quarter, our marketing strategy will focus on nurturing all our new and existing customers by talking about our producers, farmers, sustainability, and why we’re different ethically as a company. Overall, talk about why people should continue to shop at Farmdrop and do a lot more for local producers.
Additionally, we want to rethink how to do our promos by targeting clients with more personal offers: free giveaways and bundles that customers actually want. We are really proud of our food and supply chain and want to show off to all the customers who joined us during COVID-19.
OS: Do you think that the circumstances played into Farmdrop’s hands to acquire and retain new customers?
FM: It’s not that what we are doing has been made better by the pandemic, but more that we were in a position that we could help people.
Mindfulness and recipes during lockdown – resonated with our customers, for instance.
Perhaps the more prominent companies couldn’t help as many producers as we could. Even months in, we are still thinking about how we can help local producers reach their customer base. We plan on continuing that.
Supporting Our Community
OS: In this so-called ‘new normal,’ as people become more conscious about where they spend their money, do you think your new marketing strategy will last?
FM: I think people will go back to supermarkets and restaurants when things are entirely reopened, and COVID-19 is behind us.
At Farmdrop, we will always think about what purpose is behind our marketing, which is not just driving customers and sales. But more of what our customers are feeling and what they’re going through.
We strive to get into that mindset before planning any campaign.
Our promos are about supporting producers – that’s what’s been happening in the past few months – and how it will be going forward.
But normal will not be totally normal until we all stop working from our bedrooms and couches and get a proper office.
Question is when will this happen? Next month, next year? Nobody really knows. Either way, I am very excited to see where we can take Farmdrop’s comms.
Dafna is a creative marketing content writer and editor who produces strategic content for various online industries. With over ten years of professional writing experience, she helps brands grow and increase profitability, efficiency, and online presence. Dafna holds a B.A. in Persuasive Communications from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).
