Set in July 2020, this case talks about ZENXIN Organic (Zenxin) – an organic farming company of fresh produce in Malaysia, and traces its evolution using the brick and mortar retail supply model in a nascent market where customers liked to “see and feel” fresh produce before purchasing them.
Zenxin used a ‘Farm to Fork’ approach to expand its brick and mortar retail business to become the largest supplier of organic produce in Southeast Asia. The company acquired more farmland to increase supply, widened its produce variety to include a selection of 200 products with affordable price points, established supply partnerships with more than 100 supermarkets, opened 12 brick and mortar retail stores, and an agro-tourism recreation park under its brand name.
Zenxin ventured into delivering organic produce online in late 2018, about a year before the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced millions of consumers to switch to online mode of purchase for their daily needs. While Zenxin was presented with the opportunity of tapping on this demand through its recently launched ecommerce platform, its digital marketing strategy to sell its products was still evolving. The company had implemented an improved ecommerce website, an updated Google My Business profile and social media accounts to build brand awareness and drive online sales, and seen some positive results. However, it was still struggling to build a strong, regular, online customer base. The firm’s CEO, Sengyee Tai, wondered how he could further improve on Zenxin’s digital marketing and e-commerce marketing strategies to attract more customers.
This case will help students understand (1) the challenges faced by organic fresh food producers in building an online presence and creating brand awareness (2) e-commerce marketing strategies to improve customer acquisition and retention for fresh produce products using a marketing funnel approach (3) digital marketing strategies and approaches to drive online sales.
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