From the Farm, Inc Marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

From the Farm, Inc Marketing Plan EssayThe purpose of this paper is to determine how to drive more(prenominal) gross revenue to From the Farms website as well as sum up overall brand consciousness through the use of targeted marting and announce programs and also to gain a deeper cleverness of prospective customers which peck assist in forming target market segments and creating targeted marketing and advertising programs that cater to those segments. Furthermore, we need to determine how to run cost-sound with these proposed improvements to the marketing programs. Being a small e-commerce startup with limited funds and personnel, FTF has struggled for over quartet course of instructions to create effective marketing programs and crap seen very little positive impact of their aside marketing efforts. The lack of an effective marketing strategy which includes targeted advertising has led to increased and somewhat supererogatory marketing costs because several of the m arketing campaigns are built on the premise of testing it come forth and seeing what kind of response it gets.The implementation of targeted marketing and advertising programs can not only increase From the Farms sales revenue, but also be more cost-effective since the campaigns are targeted and pertinent to their audience. In addition, an improved digital marketing strategy can help FromTheFarm. com improve their overall market positioning due to the situation that they will gain a better understanding of their customers through the info that is collected and thus enable them to build a more effect online marketing strategy.Furthermore, this enhanced insight of their customers can also enable them to improve their product development and product offerings on their website. All of these things combine can definitely contribute to growing their sales revenue and more importantly, by having targeted marketing and advertising programs, they can ensure that every dollar spent is no t a dollar wasted. gild scene From The Farm, Inc. (FTF) is a privately-owned e-commerce company headquartered in Stockton, California which specializes in the sales and home delivery of gourmet and natural victualss and produce.FTF was instaled in 2008 with the purpose and intent of becoming Americas Online Farmers Market. agree to a report done by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), farmers only earned an fairish of $0. 16 for every dollar spent on the food they produced (Canning, 2011). FTFs mission is to provide an online securities industry which connects customers with American Family farms by offering farm- sweet-smelling products and other specialty food items delivered straight to their door.By allowing customer to secure directly from the farmer though the website, they cut out the middle man, and therefore give customers the opportunity to tasting and experience what truly fresh food and produce tastes like while also supporting the success and l ivelihood of hard-working farmers all over the county. FromTheFarm. com is currently funded by its parent company, Onions, Etc. , one of the largest onion distributors in the United States.Currently, FTF only has two full-time employees the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)/General Manager and a Marketing Specialist in addition to the Founder/CEO, one marketing intern, and one contract-based Marketing/PR Consultant. Any other tasks with regards to finance and accounting are handled by Onions, Etc. personnel and all IT cerebrate tasks are outsourced to an outside IT firm and web design firm. FTF has undergone major(ip) organizational changes in the past 12 months, in an effort to restructure the marketing team with the intention of implementing an improved marketing strategy in orderliness to grow sales and increase brand awareness.Due to limited funds and personnel, FTF has struggled to create an effective targeted marketing and advertising strategy and as a result support not see n much emergence since being founded in 2008. 1. 0 Market Summary and Target Audience Being that From the Farm is a small, family-owned company they do not have the financial strength that other larger food retailers have however they still have a tremendous opportunity to capture the market being that the food e-commerce market has yet to be penetrated. According to a recent report by eMarketer, as of 2012, U. S. -commerce sales have grown to $224. 2 billion and are expected to grow to $361. 9 billion by 2016. Currently, online food and beverage sales is the smallest U. S. e-commerce category, however, this segment make uped sales of $5. 09 billion and experienced a 17% festering in 2012 (eMarketer, 2012). Another report by Nielsen indicates that the sales rate for consumer packaged goods online is expected to reach $25 billion by 2014. This trending growth can be attributed to the fact that more and more consumers are offset printing to do their mart shopping online (Nielsen, 2011).FTF can definitely capitalize on this emerging trend since the online mart shopping experience is primarily fueled by a needs-driven experience since there are a greater variety of options available online. In addition, e-commerce allows for smaller companies such as FTF to compete against Big smear companies since the big brand physical advantages become nonexistent and opens up the opportunity to create a inlet brand for customers who prefer to buy their food and groceries online.With a creative and effectively targeted market program, FTF can reach a significant amount of customers online and leverage unique and exclusive products such as tropical fruits, figs, Piedmontese beef, and fresh cherries to capture these customers. there is a huge opportunity to capitalize on the available internet marketing technologies being that there is so much data available through these marketing channels and the fact that many consumers are forming to e-commerce to purchase goods. Ac cording to a recent Digital Marketing comprehend by eMarketer, 88. % of US internet users ages 14 and up will browse or research products online in 2012, an 83. 9% of that group will make at least one purchase via the web during that year (Peart, Utreras, Wang, 2011). Target Market Since From the Farm is a food e-commerce company, it is easy to assume that this website and its products can appeal to the masses. There is a large assortment of foods from fresh fruit and produce including exotic tropical fruits to certified natural meats to an array of desserts which means that FTF has something to offer every kind of customer.FTFs customers will consist of individuals who are 25 years old and up and have a wide range of preferences when it comes to food, whether it may be parents spirit for healthy foods for their kids or health conscious individuals who prefer organic and gluten-free products or chefs and restaurant owners that need to order in bulk, From the Farm can accommodate a very diverse set of needs. Nonetheless, From the Farms products arent just for those who want to purchase these items for personal consumption because From the Farm also offers products that can be sent as gifts.As stated previously, From the Farms customer base is diverse since it consists of individuals with varying needs and preferences when it comes to food selections. The primary market that FTF will target is the online grocery shopper market. The profile of typical online shoppers is as follows single or dual-income mobholds with no tikeren and are technically savvy, affluent, and time poor. This group consists of early adopters of new engine room and is heavy internet users who regularly purchase goods online.Convenience is a main factor for this group and they have little to no concern about product price or delivery charges. The other major category within this market is families with young children. Similar to the previously discussed category, this category include s single parents, dual-income households, middle-income and above average-earning households. The get word differentiator is that this category has one or more children, typically with at least one child under the age of five years old.This group consists of adults in their late 20s to 40s. The individuals in this category turn to online grocery shopping because it saves them time, is less hectic, and overall more convenient in nature. Other categories include college students and legions families who are not located close to a standard-size store or who wish to purchase products found only in their home regions. In addition, the elderly, incapacitate and those individuals who find it difficult to get out of the house make up a significant share of online grocery shoppers.As such, the share of senior citizens and disabled individuals has grown over the past five years and is expected to continue growing in the future. Furthermore, online grocery shoppers are more than twice as li kely as the average internet user to go online to read and post product reviews, download coupons and search for recipes, according to a study by the Nielsen Company from September 2009 (Panteva, 2012).