Customer demands in the food & beverage industry are constantly changing, and as a distributor you must remain adaptable to meet these ever-changing expectations.
In this blog EasyVend will examine the importance of adapting to changing customer trends and provides insights on how food distributors can navigate this dynamic situation.
Let’s dive into it!
1. Identify & Understanding Shifting Customer Preferences
Understanding the trends influencing the food & beverage sector is the first step in adjusting to shifting customer preferences. The rise in popularity of personalised food plans is one such trend. Due to concerns about health, morals, and the environment, consumers are looking more and more for alternatives to traditional foods and diets. To achieve ongoing success, it is essential to gauge the demand of different dietary products and try to find ways to source those products to sell to customers.
Growing preferences for natural and organic food products is another trend that is picking up steam. More consumers are paying attention to what they eat, looking for items without additives, chemicals, or pesticides. To address this need, your business should build connections with suppliers who can provide consistent high quality organic solutions.
Last but not least, the COVID-19 pandemic fueled the exponential expansion of Online Ordering. Online Ordering presents a convenient and time-saving option for customers with many shunning the traditional ordering methods like SMS and Email for direct online. To build and retain customers it is important that your business invests in e-commerce platforms for stress-free ordering.
2. Adapting Supply Chains and Procurement
In order to meet changing customer preferences, distributors must modify their supply networks and procurement strategies to satisfy changing consumer needs. Creating alliances with different suppliers who sell different products is an important element of this. Your business needs to choose partners who are reliable and will guarantee a consistent supply of fresh and sustainable products for you to sell to a variety of different customer demographics.
Just as important, your business should also set up effective procedures for adding new items into your inventory. This may mean revising your storage practises to account for the particular needs of different products that you may have never sold before.
Lastly, it is crucial to invest in technology-driven procurement processes that cater for and handles the online ordering demand. Fulfilment and Delivery logistics can be made more effective by implementing tools like route optimisation, inventory monitoring systems, and order management software like EasyVend.
3. Engaging with Customers
To respond to shifting customer needs, engaging with your customers is absolutely critical. To engage with your customer base, use a variety of different tools, like your website, social media profiles, and email contacts, to promote new products and seek feedback on product quality and service.
Engaging with customers involves listening to their feedback and preferences. Conduct surveys, organise focus groups, and monitor social media conversations to gain insights into customer desires. When a customer provides feedback be sure to listen. If customers are demanding something new to be introduced, be proactive and adapt, this way you will stay on top of your competition and maximise retention rates.
4. Embrace Innovation and Collaboration
One the key factors in staying ahead of the curve in the Food & Beverage distribution industry is to embrace innovation and collaboration. Your business should always explore new solutions that align with and reflect customer preferences.
To embrace innovation, be sure to subscribe to industry related resources, talk to other distributors, and seek your customers opinions. Embracing innovation and collaboration will help your business find and offer a solution that aligns with current customer needs.
Final Word,
Customer needs are changing dramatically, its essential for all Food & Beverage Distributors to be proactive and agile to stay ahead. The 4 tips presented are a few examples of how your business can adapt to changing customer demands in 2023.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. To read more articles like this, please visit the EasyVend latest news page here.
About EasyVend,
For Supply Chain Businesses, EasyVend supports and automates every part of your business, freeing you up to grow your sales simply, unlike other ERP systems.
EasyVend includes key everyday features like Inventory Management, Online Ordering, Invoicing, Receipting, Automatic Credit Card Payments, Xero & MYOB Accounting Integration, Route Management, Business reporting and more.
Using the latest technologies, EasyVend removes common frustrations making business more streamlined today!
To learn more about EasyVend or to get a no-obligation free demo of the software, call us today on 1300 473 744 or submit the form below.