Tunde Daczo web

Customer behaviour has changed. Whatever you are buying today, the way in which you make important decisions has changed. You will research options, examine ratings, seek vouchers or act on recommendations from others in your network. And then you will make what you hope is an informed decision.

If your behaviour as a customer has changed, then it is highly likely that your customers have also changed their behaviour. Therefore the way in which you market, sell and deliver products and services to your customers may need a radical overhaul.

What’s changed? The pace of change in customer behaviour is driven by several factors: broadband and mobile infrastructure ensures we are now ‘always on’ and will increasingly be able to access a vast range of services, from anywhere, at any time; new generations have developed new ways to network and communicate through social media – and older generations are joining in; and the internet hosts a global knowledge base where we can find answers to almost anything.

The scale of opportunity for this digitally connected world is frankly astounding. But there is clear evidence to show that businesses can be big winners or losers in the Customer 4.0 world. Those failing to adapt are at risk of disruption from new businesses that have reinvented the customer proposition. The position is not different for produce.

The way we can influence consumer choice has fundamentally changed, and we as an industry have to find new ways to engage consumers to our products. We have to understand the change in behaviours and the influencers and forces at play in our customer-led universe.