Creating enthusiasm about farmers’ markets in a post pandemic world : a South African-German comparison

Abstract

Before the pandemic farmers’ markets were fashionable places for shopping, entertainment, and socializing, and in many cases are no longer sources of cheaper or more convenient shopping. With the growth of the craft and the organic food movements, such products are often marketed through farmers’ markets. Entertainment (e.g., music) is also often provided. In South Africa and Germany, they were either closed or could take place only very limited during the pandemic. Why farmers’ markets were so popular may be due to a variety of reasons such as shopping, entertainment, and socializing. This research identifies what attracted customers to farmers’ markets before the pandemic and what creates satisfaction for the customer. The results help to re-vitalize farmers markets after the pandemic. A quantitative, descriptive, cross sectional study is used, based on a sample of 1141 respondents from an online-accessed panel of consumers. It is also a comparative study between a developed nation (Germany) and a developing nation (South Africa). The research culminated in a Kano model for farmers’ markets in each of the countries. There was considerable similarity in the ‘delight’ and ‘performance’ factors in the two countries, but only South Africa has ‘basic’ factors (two), while Germany had none. The study thus contributes to knowledge about consumer behavior and attitudes towards farmers’ markets and adds to the literature on the use of the Kano model, especially in South Africa