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)
Related Pages
Webinar: Soft Fruit – Post Season
Chris Creed (Senior Horticulture Consultant, ADAS) delivered an interactive workshop looking at how the 2021 Season has gone. He talked about how to focus on crop supply and management with a targeted approach, where overwintered crops fit in and any…
1/24/2022 1:19:32 PM
Webinar: IPDM Network – Edible’s; Weevils in soft fruit crops
This month’s Edible session led by Chris Creed and Pete Seymour focused on Weevils in soft fruit crops, with particular focus on Vine weevil and Strawberry blossom weevil.
6/18/2021 4:40:44 PM
Online Booking Systems for Pick Your Own
As well as making sure you can maintain social distancing a booking system will offer a number of additional benefits to make sure your customers are satisfied and that you get the best returns on your produce.
5/26/2021 4:52:42 PM
Webinar: Social Media Best Practise & Email Marketing - PYO Networks
In this one hour workshop, attendees will learn the ropes of Social Media best practise and how to use Facebook and Instagram to best reach customers and drive sales. The session will also include live reviews of attendees Social Media platforms and…
3/16/2021 4:37:40 PM
Webinar: Integrating Farm Tourism into your Horticulture Business
Have you considered a farm shop, a pop up café, a seasonal events calendar? How about an ‘Insta field’? The demand for photo worthy fields is on the rise, and with careful planning, establishing a pick your own will have the public flocking to your f…
2/24/2021 1:44:27 PMWebinar: Integrating Farm Tourism into your Horticulture Business
Have you considered a farm shop, a pop up café, a seasonal events calendar? How about an ‘Insta field’? The demand for photo worthy fields is on the rise, and with careful planning, establishing a pick your own will have the public flocking to your f…
2/24/2021 1:44:27 PM
Webinar: Introduction to Agricultural Standards for Commercial Horticulture Production
This introductory webinar will be an overview of what an agricultural standard is, the main standards in the UK (Red Tractor, M&S Select Farm, LEAF, Soil Association etc) and will cover GlobalG.A.P for those that may want to export. It will give grow…
1/25/2021 3:27:33 PM
Technical Advice Sheet Pumpkin Power Hour – November
The start of the 2020 season was difficult. Late frosts until the first week in May and dry soils delayed planting, but heavy rains then delayed planting further.
12/14/2020 11:31:10 AM
Technical Advice Sheet: Growing Sunflowers
Sunflowers can make a very attractive addition to wide range of businesses. They can be sold alongside a range of other products, and due to the long flowering season this can even stretch into the autumn to coincide with pumpkins in the run up to Ha…
11/16/2020 11:39:21 AM
Technical Advice Sheet Pumpkin PYO Marketing with Covid
While many of the covid-19 restrictions are being relaxed, it’s likely to continue to pose a challenge for growers for the foreseeable future – especially for those selling directly to customers for whom a high footfall on site is needed to achieve g…
9/30/2020 1:07:45 PM
Technical Advice Sheet: Pumpkin Power Hour - July
Tyfu Cymru have launched regular Power Hour sessions for members of the Pumpkin Network. This article includes the full technical notes from the latest Power Hour in July.
9/3/2020 1:32:56 PMTechnical Advice Sheet: Pumpkin Power Hour - July
Tyfu Cymru have launched regular Power Hour sessions for members of the Pumpkin Network. This article includes the full technical notes from the latest Power Hour in July.
9/3/2020 1:32:56 PM
Video Guide: Inspection of new strawberry plants
New strawberry plants should be inspected on receipt from the propagator to identify any problems with crop health that should be addressed before planting or inform pest/disease management during production. Commentary by Janet Allen and Chris Creed…
4/7/2020 5:11:57 PM
Video Guide: Planting of New Strawberry Plants
We demonstrate how to plant new strawberry plants in coir bags for table top production. Commentary by Janet Allen and Chris Creed from ADAS at the Tyfu Cymru Fruit Network workshop at Copas Farm on the 20th February 2019.
4/7/2020 5:09:34 PM
Video Guide: Potting Up New Raspberry Canes
We demonstrate how to plant up long cane raspberry plants into new coir pots, and how to check the health of the root ball to promote good yields in the coming season. Commentary by Janet Allen and Chris Creed from ADAS at the Tyfu Cymru Fruit Networ…
4/7/2020 5:08:18 PM
Video Guide: Setting Up New Potted Raspberry Canes
We demonstrate how to set up new potted raspberry canes, along with a discussion of the indicators of healthy roots you should look for in new material. Commentary by Janet Allen and Chris Creed from ADAS at the Tyfu Cymru Fruit Network workshop at C…
4/7/2020 5:05:17 PM
Getting to grips with the basics of plant health…
To sell high quality plants, you need to produce healthy plants. Plant pests and diseases lead to production and sales losses.
3/19/2020 11:52:12 AM
Weed Control in Pumpkin
Effective weed control in pumpkin is essential in growing a crop that maximizes its potential.
3/19/2020 10:53:24 AM
Soilless Cultivation For Table Top Strawberry
Until 1997, strawberry production in the UK was relatively constant, although berries where of variable quality and picked mostly during June and July; of which some 25% was marketed through supermarkets.
12/16/2019 1:42:11 PM
Pick your Own (PYO): What you need to know to get 5* rated…
In our series of industry insights, we provide some background to the market, as well as some top tips on ensuring that your customer experience hits that important 5-star customer rating.
12/16/2019 1:38:55 PMPick your Own (PYO): What you need to know to get 5* rated…
In our series of industry insights, we provide some background to the market, as well as some top tips on ensuring that your customer experience hits that important 5-star customer rating.
12/16/2019 1:38:55 PMPick your Own (PYO): What you need to know to get 5* rated…
In our series of industry insights, we provide some background to the market, as well as some top tips on ensuring that your customer experience hits that important 5-star customer rating.
12/16/2019 1:38:55 PM