Pick your Own (PYO): What you need to know to get 5* rated (part 2)

Much like Black Friday and Cyber Monday there are many trends which cross the Atlantic and become engrained in the British calendar. Halloween being one, which has now eclipsed Valentine’s Day to become the third-biggest event after Christmas and Easter, and with it comes the ‘Pumpkin Patch’ trend which is starting to make waves. But what do Growers’ who run PYO farms need to know? This is the second in our series of industry insights. In this edition we look at how an effective online marketing strategy can work wonders, the importance of maintaining your crops and maximising your presence with online reviews.

What did we learn in the last edition?

In part one of this factsheet, we looked at the changing market of pick your own enterprise, and explored the reasons driving customer demand. From the rise of social media, consumer awareness of sustainability, demand for supply chain transparency and the moving trend towards more spending on ‘experiences’ rather than products.

Here are the key learning points from part one:

• If you are considering, or in the process of setting up a PYO attraction, make sure you do your research and listen to advice. And if you already have a PYO attraction, keep learning and keep improving your offer.
• Keep the customer experience at the forefront of your mind. Think about the journey you want to take your customer on, what you want them to do, and what do you want them to purchase? Make use of signage, pathways and displays to guide the customer flow.
• Think about the added extra’s…what else can you offer? Perhaps a café with local food and drink available? Is it additional purchases such as jam making kits? Take time to think about what your customers might want and make it easy for them to buy.

Get 5* rated...Top Technical and Marketing Tips

Marketing and engaging with customers play a vital role in the success of a pick your own enterprise. The first half of this factsheet focuses on ‘making online marketing and social media work for your PYO’.

But, getting people through the door is only half the challenge. With the rise of online review sites such as Google and TripAdvisor its now easier than ever for dissatisfied customers to air their concerns with fellow customers.

90% say that they check online reviews before deciding to visit a business, and 88% of consumer say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Therefore, you could have an all singing and all dancing marketing campaign, but if in reality the customer experience doesn’t live up to expectations, your customers won’t be afraid to say so, and publicly, undermining your hard work. The second half of this factsheet provides some top technical tips to ensure that you get 5* rated.

Download the Insights: Pick your Own (PYO): What you need to know to get 5* rated (part 2)