Abstract
This study examines conditions and issues related to the marketing activities of vegetable and fruit producing centers, primarily those that target mass retailers from the perspective of “in-store push” and “in-store pull” marketing strategies.
Federations such as the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) Zen-Noh Prefectural Headquarters, which is the headquarters of the six prefectures examined in this study, have implemented both “in-store push” and “in-store pull” strategies. Many such activities use indirect approaches via the wholesale market, which can create challenges in building relationships with consumers, who are the ultimate end customers. Efforts to link “in-store push” and “in-store pull” directly were observed in some cases, in which the producers not only developed relationships with their target mass retailers, but strengthened their ties with the end customers (i.e., consumers) as well.
Continued integration activities will be needed, such as applying information collected during marketing activities to farming guidance for respective JA units.
