Dutch produce marketer The Greenery is planning to adorn part of its fleet of refrigerated trucks with kiwifruit brand Zespri, as it continues to develop its partnership with the New Zealand-based marketer.
Speaking at a special conference in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, to celebrate Zespri's twentieth anniversary, The Greenery's chief executive Steven Martina said the decision had been made in part as a way of thanking the NZ exporter for its support during the Dutch company's recent restructuring.
Martina also underlined the importance of continuous evolution when it came to ensuring that sophisticated communication strategies remained in place at all times. That meant being aware of changes in the way consumers interacted with brands, for example via social media networks.
'Views, likes, shares and retweets have become more important than millimetres and seconds. Communication is becoming faster, more mobile and more visual, but local preferences are still dominant. [Even] calls and text messages have become outdated; we prefer apps and snaps. Any company that fails to recognise the importance of digitisation and local market expertise will, in time, lose connection with the consumer.
This greater immediacy in terms of consumer feedback had raised the bar in terms of quality expectations, Martina added: 'It is no longer possible to sell inferior products. The customer knows exactly what they want and what they get. If it's not up to scratch, you will hear about it immediately. We must excel in terms of cost price, product quality and customer knowledge.'
The March 2017 issue of Eurofruit contains an exclusive interview with Steven Martina. To secure your copy and subscribe, contact Michelle Walsh at subscriptions@fruitnet.com or on +44 20 7501 0311.
