Farmers' markets have grown in popularity significantly in recent decades. Social media analysis reveals that consumers discuss farmers' markets more positively than grocery stores, with a focus on seasonality, freshness, and support for local farms. Grocery stores can learn from this by emphasizing seasonal and locally-sourced products, creating a festive shopping experience, and building strong community connections. Price and availability are less important factors for consumers than experiences focused on fresh, local food and supporting small farms.

1. What Can Big
Grocery Learn
from Farmers’
Markets Using
Social Data?
September 2014

2. Summary Findings
 With farmers’ markets growing in popularity every year, they offer some marketing
ideas and branding lessons for “Big Grocery”
 Social media reveals the primary purchase drivers for consumers who shop at
farmers’ markets vs. those who shop at grocery stores
 Grocery brands can use social insights to replicate the farmers’ market experience
and experiment with new marketing strategies

3. Why grocery brands
should care about
farmers’ markets

4. Growing Popularity
 Farmers’ markets have increased in number by 365 percent over the past two
decades
 The organic food market has grown from $11 billion in 2004 to $28 billion in 2013
1,755
2,410
National Count of Farmers’ Market Directory Listings
2,746 2,863 3,137
3,706
4,385
4,685
5,274
6,132
7,175
7,864 8,144
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
-
1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Source: USDA-AMS-Marketing Services Division. Farmers' Market information is voluntary and self reported to USDA-AMS-Marketing Services
Division

5. Consumer Sentiment
 Farmers’ markets raise the bar for certain measures of grocery stores’ brand health
 Consumer sentiment around farmers’ markets is 30 times as positive as grocery
stores
Consumer Sentiment
30% 30%
1%
4%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Net sentiment overall Net sentiment post-purchase
Farmers' markets
Grocery stores
Net sentiment measures positive mentions minus negative mentions on social
media

6. How do consumers
talk about farmers’
markets?

7. Social conversation themes
 Networked Insights analyzed social conversations about farmers’ markets using its
thematic discovery technology
 Ten themes emerged as top conversation topics
Interest Name Definitions
Activity and Event A way to spend free time
Availability and Convenience Product availability and convenience
Community Aspect Association with the community
Freshness of Food Freshness of goods
Health and Nutrition Healthiness and nutrition of goods
Local Farms and Small Business Support for Local Businesses, Farms, and Economy
Organic Food How organic is some of the food?
Price Expensive or inexpensive cost
Seasonality Seasonal Selection of Goods
Variety and Options Diversity of goods offered

8. Farmers’ market conversations
 Seasonality, freshness of food and local food set farmers’ markets apart the most
from “Big Grocery”
 Consumers also view farmers’ markets as an activity and community event
11.1% 10.5%
Farmers’ Market and “Big Grocery” Conversations, by Topic
6.6%
5.6%
4.2%
3.3%
1.4% 1.3% 1.2%
0.5%
18.0%
16.0%
14.0%
12.0%
10.0%
8.0%
6.0%
4.0%
2.0%
0.0%
Seasonality Freshness of
Food
Local Farms
and Small
Business
Activity and
Event
Organic
Food
Community
Aspect
Variety and
Options
Availability
and
Convenience
Health and
Nutrition
Price
Topic in Farmers' Market Convo
Topic in "Big Grocery" Convo
Difference

9. Conversation topic summary
Factors that Influence Purchasing Decisions at Farmers’ Markets and Grocery Stores
Conversation Topic Farmers’ Market
Share of Topic
Grocery Store
Share of Topic
Farmer’s Market vs. “Big
Grocery” Sentiment
Seasonality 16.3% 5.2% +19.0%
Freshness of Food 14.2% 3.6% +14.0%
Local Farms and Small
Business
8.2% 1.6% +13.0%
Activity and Event 10.5% 4.9% +17.0%
Organic Food 6.0% 1.8% +11.0%
Community Aspect 6.3% 3.0% +22.0%
Variety and Options 2.8% 1.3% +12.0%
Availability and
Convenience
5.2% 3.9% +11.0%
Health and Nutrition 5.9% 4.7% +5.0%
Source: Price Networked Insights; May 1, 2014 – August 8.3% 1, 2014
7.8% +12.0%
Note: Difference = [Farmers’ Market SOV – Grocery Store SOV] Farmers’ Market N = 179,676 Grocery Store N = 756,470
Consumer sentiment
in Farmers’ Market
conversation is better
than sentiment in “Big
Grocery” conversation
across the board…

10. What can Big Grocery
learn from farmers’
markets?

11. Emphasize seasonality
 Farmers’ market shoppers are more interested in exploring the seasons
• Create an experience that varies with the seasons
• Offer and promote peak-season produce
• Organize events so shoppers can enjoy the weather
What I love about spring and
summer is all the fresh fruits
and vegetables that will be
sold at the farmer's market.
Source:
“
“
http://runninonhealthy.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/spring-means-farmers-market-time/

12. Think local
 Farmers’ market shoppers want fresh food that comes from the local farm
ecosystem and supports local businesses
• Expand selection of locally produced goods
• Label which farmers supply different products
• Build a strong connection between the store brand and the local ecosystem
I love meeting the farmers, knowing what they do,
where they live, what their favorite variety of apple is.
It humanizes the food.
Source:
http://foodriot.tumblr.com/post/55899678763/more-than-anything-i-love-the-communal-aspect-of
“
“

13. Make shopping an event
 Farmers’ market shoppers appreciate the festivity of the event, including live
music, food samples and the outdoors
• Experiment with parking lot mini-markets
• Give customers chance to meet local farmers
• Consider entertainment and family activities
Today started off with a 6 mile run. A sunny one that
resulted in some defined tan lines. Post run we
refreshed with some frozen lemonades from the
Farmer's Market – watermelon for her and habanero
lime for him. I love Saturdays in Little Italy because
they have the best Farmer's Market.
Source:
http://dailycupofasheejojo.com/2013/05/18/new-shoes-again/
“
“

14. Know what doesn’t matter
 Some purchase drivers don’t differentiate farmers’ markets and grocery stores in
the eyes of consumers
• Price and availability of goods are roughly equal in terms of share of voice and
sentiment
• Consumers weigh health and nutrition equally between the two

15. Methodology
 Networked Insights analyzed over 1 million conversations on the social web
between May 1 and August 1, 2014. Through its patented topic discovery
technology, Networked Insights identified the top 10 purchasing drivers for
consumers who shop at farmers’ markets
 Networked Insights compared how often consumers talk about those topics in
relation to farmers’ markets and grocery stores (share of voice), and how they
factor into purchasing decisions (net sentiment)
 Share of voice measures the percentage of total posts about a particular topic
 Net sentiment measures the percentage of positive posts minus the percentage of
negative posts about a particular topic

16. About Networked Insights
Networked Insights is classifying
the social web so marketing
professionals can better
understand how consumers are
talking about products,
competitors and the topics that
influence purchase behavior.
Contact us:
http://www.networkedinsights.co
m/contact