Gone are the days when we had to go to the market or to the beach to drink coconut water in Mauritius!
Being a tropical island, coconut trees are found across the country and coconut/coconut water is a popular product, which is very much appreciated by Mauritians and tourists. Traditionally when we buy a coconut, the coconut seller cut the top of the nut and put a straw in it for consumption. Most of these coconut sellers are found on the beach or in certain markets. However, since 2010, there is a new product on the Mauritian Market which is a bottled coconut water named “Coco Up”.
I first saw this product last year at the University of Mauritius Cafeteria, where an artificial coconut (a very attractive one – painted green) was put on the counter for marketing purposes. Then I saw the bottled coconut water in the refrigerator next to the counter, but this did not convince me to buy it (since I prefer drinking fresh coconut water on the beach). Gradually I started to see Coco up water in supermarkets, and I still did not buy it…
iPhone Application
This week I was on Facebook when I saw an iPhone application for some product in Mauritius. When I clicked on the link, I realised that it was actually for the bottled coconut water Coco-up. This application geo-locates the different selling points in Mauritius, which allows customers to stay tuned on deliveries as well as promotions. Moreover, it enables the user to benefit from latest news and activities and to keep in touch with deliveries.
Below are some screen-shots from the application website which gives a better idea of how it works:
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| Description of Application |
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| Location of different selling points, time of delivery and availability |
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| Description of selling point when clicked on the location |
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| Delivery, spacial orders or queries |
This iPhone application is free and can be downloaded HERE (Concept and Design by Air Valid Development Ltd – Mauritius)
Use of other ICTs
Apart from the iPhone application, the marketing of Coco up is also done on Facebook and Twitter.
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| Coco up page on Facebook |
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| Coco up page on Twitter |
The use of ICTs in marketing is not a new concept in Mauritius, but this particular one has caught my attention because it is the first agriculture-related iPhone application that I have seen so far in Mauritius. Personally I find it really useful for people who like this product as they can easily find where to buy freshly delivered Coco up water and they will also be notified when there are special offers. While searching for details on this iPhone application and on the product itself, I ended up buying a Coco up water this week at Rs25 (25 cL) and it actually had a very good taste! 🙂
Just like coco-up, I believe this concept can be applied for other agricultural commodities (vegetables, flowers, eggs, flavoured milk and other value-added/innovative products) for marketing since it’s one of the best ways to get close to the customer and provide them with what they are looking for.
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C’est vraiment gentil de voter part, nous vows en remercions. Arnaud Dalais for Coco Up – 940 2086