“New Zealand is incredibly good at what it does but not enough people know about it,” Ward, a United Kingdom grocery data and analytics expert has been told people at Agri-food Week in Palmerston North.
Lamb is a prime example of how the NZ message can be improved.
“Consumers have to be given a sensory experience and I talk about achieving the Love Triangle – where brands sit at the centre of heart, purpose, and place.”
That applies to existing exports as much as it does for new, innovative products.
He does not think consumers are getting that in how they regard NZ lamb in comparison to Welsh lamb, which benefits from very good marketing.
“The bottom line is that there’s no discernible appreciation of value.
“Whatever is being said for NZ lamb, it is not working.”
Ward is the founder and director of data and analytics group Grocery Accelerator, which provides insights into how British consumers view NZ products.
They have a big appetite for more food and drink adding to the lamb, wine and wool it is best known for, he said.
“NZ is sitting on a goldmine of provenance.
“The country needs to get those stories across to the rest of the world.”
Having high-quality data and interpretation would allow brands to test a sample market reaction and if that fails it can fail affordably and pivot to a new tack.
If it works, it gets pushed forward.
Premium NZ wine has achieved the Love Triangle status, Ward said.
“British people see it as premium, they see it priced at the top end and they don’t see it discounted.
“Importantly, they don’t see it discounted against French wines.”
In comparison, Ward has measured NZ lamb in the market and it is often being sold on promotion, meaning it can be undersold at volume, with lower prices to attract people who buy on price.
“This can position it as cheaper when you should be pricing it more expensive than Welsh lamb.”
Don’t sell it as a commodity product.
British consumers shop on the basis of what they know and trust, safety and habit.
“Animal welfare is a big deal so you need to dial up on that.
“You’ve got a great green, outdoor, Pure NZ story to tell so tell them of the amazing welfare of your animals, how they lead a great and happy life in their outdoor location.”
Surveys show there is a high regard for NZ products.
In one, which asked people who buy NZ products if they would buy more, two-thirds of people aged 45 and over said they would.
That was a phenomenally good result, Ward said.
Britain is also seen as a very good bellwether for the European retail market.
“The UK is seen as a very successful market, hard and competitive, and if brands can be successful there they can do well in Europe as well.”
The Grocery Accelerator has small incubators for innovative products, operating at Sainsburys and the Ocado online grocery supermarket chain in the UK.
Very few NZ products are in them.
Find out what people are eating and what they want to eat instead of focusing on selling stuff because you’ve got it, Ward advised.
