Fresh produce companies increasingly look to social media to reach potential customers. One such company is Westland Peppers in Holland, with offices in 's Gravenzande and De Lier. Westland grows a wide range of chillies and peppers. The company is very active in the field of internet and social media. Co-owner Pieter Boekestijn indicates that Westland Peppers communicates with customers through various channels: the website, blogs, Facebook and Twitter.
Riding the waves of the digital revolution, the company soon discovered QR codes. Shortly thereafter packaging donned the square-shaped barcode, allowing consumers to access a blog with news and titbits like homemade recipes and cooking videos. These QR codes are only used for promotional activities. On the basis of the sold articles it can then be monitored how many people actually take advantage of the QR codes. "A bit of a disappointment," Boekestijn concludes.
The grower suspects the QR code is a guy thing, when in fact it’s the women who are buying these products. "The QR code has too many limitations," he says. “Also, the time is still not quite ripe."
“Initially, most people didn’t even know what a QR code was,” says Boekestijn. “They didn’t realise you had to download a special app on the smart phone. But even then, response is low. People over at The Greenery told us in advance not to expect too much. The numbers are still low, but in combination with the increase of mobile Internet, we expect further growth in the future. We do believe, however, that the code will eventually be replaced by another, perhaps more accessible application.”
