I’m in London this month and just received a boxful of fresh produce from Abel&Cole.

Two things become very clear upon opening the veggie box;
They know who their customers are,
…and that each customer has a different set of motivations to use the service.

A great example of this is in the friendly Spring magazine inside the box.

From a quick flick through, I’ve split out the content and some potential motivations Abel&Cole might be targeting in their customers.

• Spring issue.  To know I’m eating what’s in season
• Recipes.  To feel inspired
• Large close up photos.  To feel close to the goodness
• Place of origin.  To know where the food comes from
• Names of growers.  To feel a connection to the source
• Foodie person profile.  To feel I’m in good company
• Tone of voice.  To know I’m dealing with down to earth people
• Food facts.  To feel informed about what I eat
• Animal welfare article.  To know that Abel and Cole cares
• Green credentials.  To know I’m having lower impact on the planet
• Eco focussed articles.  To feel part of a movement for good
• Fitness related article.  To know I’m eating what’s right
• Recipes on a budget.  To feel like I’m getting value
• Photos of the staff.  To know who I’m dealing with

Only some of these are relevant to me, but I do see a pattern of :

‘To know’ and ‘To feel’

At first glance… about half of these appeal to the customer knowing they’ve made a good choice, the rest speak to their emotional motivations.

Abel&Cole have clearly done their research and spent a lot of time to deeply understand their customers. It shows in the way they’ve appealed to their motivations, peppering  emotional hooks and affirmations throughout the magazine.

I wonder though…

Does anyone actually read the magazine?
Does the usefulness of the content matter or is the message and motivational triggers behind it more important?
After thirty years in the vege business does this level of customer understanding come by default?
Perhaps Abel&Cole is a business which is by its ethical nature brimming with empathy for it’s customers?

How much of their intelligence and feedback comes through their social media channels?
To what extent do they use their delivery drivers to capture customer feedback?
Have I read too much into this?

As for the contents of the box …The veggies are all great, but as I discovered in a recent project,

It’s a lot more than just the fruit and veggies which can add goodness to the customer experience.

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