Marketing direto: um diferencial competitivo para empresas de revenda de implementos agrícolas do noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

With direct marketing, organizations are able to approach and retain customers, directing messages in an individualized way to offer the right product to the right person, according to their preferences and needs. Based on this context, this research aimed to analyze the direct marketing used as a competitive differential in agricultural implement resale companies, in the Northwest Region of Rio Grande do Sul. In methodological terms, the study was considered as descriptive and qualitative, and for data collection, a semistructured research script was applied, applied to six resellers of agricultural implements in the Northwest of Rio Grande do Sul, in March 2021. The resellers in the Northwest Region are of various sizes, have an average of 23 years of experience in the market. They are family organizations, which started their activities in the agricultural sector, most of which are part of reseller networks, with branches in other regions of Rio Grande do Sul. The main products marketed by the companies are machines and implements, parts and services to support activities agricultural products. The most used tools are digital marketing, catalog and personal selling. It was found that resellers do not use direct marketing to define a loyal customer, or even to retain customers; using tools such as good service and supply of gifts, for loyalty. The studied resellers have little knowledge on the subject, and it can be seen that large resellers with more time in the market have more knowledge about direct marketing than smaller resellers and less time in the market. It was identified that resellers understand that direct marketing helps in competitiveness, improves economic results and communication with customers. Thus, it is concluded that direct marketing is not characterized as customer loyalty for interviewed resellers, and that despite the understanding of the aid in competitiveness, resellers showed little use of direct marketing, as a differential compared to competitors, in practice.