British Food Journal

The use of the Internet as a critical success factor for the marketing of Welsh agrifood
SMEs in the twentyfirst century
Adrian SparkesBrychan Thomas

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Adrian SparkesBrychan Thomas, (2001),"The use of the Internet as a critical success factor for the
marketing of Welsh agri#food SMEs in the twenty#first century", British Food Journal, Vol. 103 Iss 5 pp. 331
- 347
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Audrey Gilmore, Damian Gallagher, Scott Henry, (2007),"E#marketing and SMEs: operational lessons for
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Brychan Thomas, Gary Packham, Christopher Miller, David Brooksbank, (2004),"The use of Web sites
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The use of the Internet as a

critical success factor for the
marketing of Welsh agri-food
SMEs in the twenty-first century

The use of the

Internet

331

Adrian Sparkes and Brychan Thomas

Welsh Enterprise Institute, University of Glamorgan Business School,

Pontypridd, South Wales, UK

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Keywords Internet, Food, Small-to-medium-sized enterprises, Agriculture, Wales

Abstract A major challenge facing Celtic Fringe agri-food SMEs (in countries and regions of
``Celtic'' origin such as Wales, Ireland and Brittany) is how to sustain growth in a global market: a
market that is being expanded via e-commerce through the Internet to an international audience. This
paper reports on a two-stage survey undertaken by the Welsh Enterprise Institute initially involving a
short questionnaire that measures current Welsh agri-food SME usage of e-commerce and promotion
via the Internet. A selected follow up of respondents was undertaken utilising a more in-depth
questionnaire study of the management implications and critical success factors of those enterprises
using the Internet. The paper concludes by arguing the need for appropriate support to be provided
for Celtic Fringe, and specifically Welsh, agri-food SMEs to make them aware of the importance of
the adoption of e-commerce as a critical success factor for their marketing in the twenty-first century.

Introduction
A significant challenge facing Welsh agri-food small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) is how to sustain growth in a regional and sometimes global
market (Thomas and Sparkes, 2000b). The strategic and regional initiatives in
the agri-food industry in Wales have been described previously (Morley et al.,
2000) and are significant for global marketing. The sustainable development of
agri-food SMEs has important implications for the Welsh farming environment
(Sparkes et al., 2000a; Sparkes and Thomas, 2001). There is a range of options
available and an increasingly important one is the Internet. In fact a contiguous
option available to SMEs is e-commerce. At a time when there is much talk about
globalisation, there is interestingly increasing interest in local food products. In
the first six months of 2000, the most frequent customer comment received by
Tesco related to the availability (or lack thereof) of local foods. There is a danger
that if there is too much emphasis on globalisation, the importance of local
markets will be overlooked. Further, the world is not a market it is a complex
The authors would like to thank Professor David Brooksbank, Section Head of Enterprise and
Economic Development, University of Glamorgan Business School, for his support. The authors
are also indebted to Mr Courtney Probert and Miss Rachel Ellis, Directors of MAWR Ltd, Mr
Wynfford James, Food Director for Wales, Welsh Development Agency, Mr Tony Griffiths,
Agri-Food Co-ordinator for South East Wales, Mr Adrian Morley, Department of City Planning
and Regional Development, University of Wales Cardiff, Mr Terry Jackson, Medrus Cyf and Mr
David Grabham, WebAware, for their involvement in the research work reported.

British Food Journal,

Vol. 103 No. 5, 2001, pp. 331-347.
# MCB University Press, 0007-070X

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series of myriads of sub-markets each with their own particular requirements.

These sub-markets can be enhanced through e-commerce and the marketing of
agri-food products via the Internet to an international audience. From recent
research carried out by the Welsh Enterprise Institute (WEI) it was found that
there may only be 4 percent of agri-food SMEs in Wales using the Internet to
market their products (Sparkes et al., 2001).
The challenge, therefore, is how to:
.
Enable Welsh agri-food SMEs to market effectively their products.
.
Put these small firms in contact not only with local markets but also
with international markets.
.
Ensure that a range of ``authentic'' food products is available to Welsh
communities in other countries and those people with affinity to Wales
and ``all things Welsh''.
.
Establish channels that facilitate repeat purchases by visitors to Wales.
This challenge can be responded to by enabling agri-food SMEs to:
.
Gain access to the Internet.
.
Develop ``user friendly'' Web sites.
.
Link to overseas markets through the Internet.
.
Establish a long-term customer base.
The paper is structured according to a review of the appropriate literature, and
a description of a two-stage survey involving a short questionnaire return to
measure agri-food SME usage of e-mail and the Internet, followed by a longer
questionnaire survey for a more in-depth study of those enterprises using the
Internet. This is followed by a review of the significant aspects of the findings
of the research. The buying habits of Welsh culture affinity organisations on
the Internet in the USA, Canada and other countries have also been surveyed
and network links will be established between Welsh agri-food SMEs and
Welsh Affinity Groups (WAGs) (Welsh societies, organisations, and
communities) overseas through the Internet.
The pace of technological evolutionary development is ever increasing and
this is exhibited by the Internet which has reached 50 million people in just four
years (Sparkes and Thomas, 2000). The nature of innovation, including the use
of the Internet, amongst agri-food SMEs although slower than other sectors
(Thomas and Sparkes, 2000a) is still important for the growth and development
of the agri-food industry in Wales. Internet users in the home rose by 76 percent
to six million in the UK during 1998, with the use at the office up 54 percent to
5.3 million in the same period (Baker, 1999). There is, therefore, a huge audience
that can be reached for marketing programmes.
It is estimated that the annual value of Agri-tourism is worth some 4
million to the Welsh economy with a further 500,000 value added by de facto
demand for Welsh food and related products following holiday visits. This

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arises through tourists from countries like the USA and Canada with some 30
Welsh affinity organisations and groups (and many more in countries such as
Australia and Argentina) with Web sites on the Internet.
The WEI has joined forces with Medrus Cyf, a tourism consultancy, and
WebAware, a Web design company, to link indigenous Welsh agri-food SMEs
to those Welsh affinity organisations and groups across the world with an
anticipated multi-million pound net gain to Wales and small Welsh agri-food
firms. It is anticipated that this will be a major project of long-term significance
not only to food producers in Wales but also to potential consumers of their
products across the World.
The objectives of the research project, which this paper describes, are
twofold:
.
First, to analyse the degree of Internet usage amongst a (``self-selecting''
random) sample of Welsh Agrifood SMEs, and
.
Second, to identify the Critical Success Factors relevant to further,
increased, take-up of the Internet as a means of getting to market.
The paper concludes by arguing the need for appropriate support to be provided
for Welsh agri-food SMEs to make them aware of the importance of the adoption
of e-commerce (including the Internet and Web sites) as a critical success factor
for their marketing in the twenty-first century (Sparkes et al., 2000b).
Literature survey
Critical success factors (CSFs) have been defined by Guimaraes et al. (1999) as
``the critical areas that management must constantly monitor to ensure
successful performance by the organisation''. They refer to Magal et al. (1988)
who identified five composite CSFs for management:
(1) commitment;
(2) quality of support services;
(3) facilitation;
(4) role clarity; and
(5) co-ordination.
One CSF that is becoming increasingly important is marketing on the Internet.
With regard to this Ditto and Pille (1998) report that the degree of consumer
impact provided by a Web site can be divided into three categories:
(1) Informational level
(2) Transactional level
(3) Relational level.
Bringing these three factors together and creating a shared vision for the Web
site, according to Ditto and Pille (1998), is the CSF for creating an interactive
Web presence.

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In the 1960s when Internet technology was emerging primary users were
based in academia. With the adoption of personal computers by business and
consumers the Internet became a resource for information, communication and
entertainment in the 1990s. The new Millennium is seeing yet another
transition for the Internet. Enterprises and the public worldwide are finding
that the Internet is more than a means for communication it is also a medium
for commerce and marketing.
For many SMEs, developing customer relationships is the basis for their
marketing philosophy. Small firms use many advertising and marketing tools
to build relations with their customers. In recent years many SMEs have
realised the importance of the Internet for customer relations by developing its
interactive nature. For early Internet marketing content was important but
more recently marketing professionals have realised that interactivity is critical
to forge relationships with customers. A Web site that engages the customer
with content and services differentiates the Internet from other forms of
marketing and can give a competitive advantage. As described previously
Ditto and Pille (1998) have divided the consumer impact of a Web site into three
categories of informational, transactional and relational levels. As development
progresses through each level customer interaction increases.
.
Informational level. This is the most basic level and the Web site is
fundamentally a means to provide the same information available
through traditional marketing. This usually includes the nature of the
enterprise. Information provided enables the customer to learn about the
enterprise but the static nature of the material means that it is not
interactive. It is therefore a one way process similar to conventional
marketing.
.
Transactional level. A transactional Web site provides more than static
information by enabling communication with the customer. Individuals
are attracted with particular needs and customers can have a ``virtual
tour''. Provision can be made through the Web site for customers to
contact the enterprise by e-mail, telephone or by other means.
.
Relational level. The Internet comes to the fore over marketing at this
level where an enterprise can develop interactivity with a customer.
This enables the development of a continuous relationship from the
original transaction. It is possible to create a community on-line
involving customer groups with similar needs and a ``virtual''
community can be established involving customers with the enterprise.
The Internet can act as a conduit to develop a relationship between
enterprises and customers.
According to Ditto and Pille (1998) the development of an interactive Web site
involving real customer relationships requires an equivalent contribution from
the content, marketing and technology of an enterprise. These three need to be
brought together to create a shared vision for a Web presence which is the CSF

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for an operational Web site. An ultimate goal will be to develop an SME's

perception of the Internet not just as a technological marketing tool but as an
important element for the management of the enterprise.
Although SMEs do not have the purchasing power of large enterprises it is
possible to bring together small firms over the Web to form a significant
trading group with customers and through this enterprises can look to ecommerce to increase their profits (Management Accounting, 2000). In fact UK
Government figures have shown that the number of enterprises on-line has
risen from 35 percent in 1997 to 67 per cent in 1999 (Management Accounting,
2000). This growth rate translates into a figure of 600,000 firms.
Kleindl (2000) has observed that although SMEs lack the resources of large
firms and the brand name recognition of Internet ``first movers'', they still need
to compete in the ``virtual'' market place. The fast growth of the use of the Web
as a communication and marketing platform offers SMEs considerable
opportunities. These include access to world markets, entry to new markets
and business efficiency (Kleindl, 2000). According to White (1998) SMEs have
been able to attain advantages over large enterprises through customer
personal relationships, customised offerings and by targeting niche markets.
Small firms need to be made aware that the use of Internet technology will
not only maintain market position and retain customers but will also help them
to find alternatives to developing new markets if the cost is too high
(Williamson, 1985). The Internet can help small businesses enter niche markets
at no additional cost (Kleindl, 2000). Web sites have the advantage of enabling
small firms to access markets quickly. This provides disintermediation
(Benjamin and Wigand, 1995) where distribution channels can be shortened
and present channel members can be bypassed. But if enterprises try to bypass
too many intermediaries the danger of channel conflict is far more considerable.
As a consequence some businesses do not have Web-based e-commerce sites,
using the Internet for contact and promotional information instead (Kleindl,
2000). Businesses can limit conflicts by engaging in e-commerce and offering
different products to online customers (Kleindl, 2000).
An advantage of the use of the Internet by SMEs is that online content
involves a lower cost in the exchange of information. ``Electronic content allows
for a publish once, read-many-times environment'' (Kleindl, 2000). This enables
a wider audience to be reached by SMEs who can have a low start-up cost for
content provision. Web sites can bring mass customisation to a wide range of
products and a ``market-of-one'' process enables marketing professionals to
develop close customer relationships (Peppers and Rogers, 1996). A problem for
SMEs is that they lack resources to achieve a high level of customisation. Small
firms who are able to do this aim to gain a competitive advantage. In order to
acquire an understanding of the individual customer's needs a business will
use databases and this will enable a firm to develop customer relationships.
Following the use of the Internet for communication and the establishment of
the relationship development process the consumer will be unlikely to leave if

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their needs are met ``businesses are using their resources to target individuals
on an individualised basis'' (Kleindl, 2000).
Although SMEs are developing Web sites and using e-mail at nearly the
same rate as larger businesses they have been slower to adopt e-commerce
applications (Wilder, 1999). The reason for this is probably the high cost of setup and maintenance of e-commerce. An alternative for SMEs is to outsource to
third party companies (De Soto, 1998). Small firms who use effectively the
Internet may accrue benefits such as being more innovative, having a faster
response to environmental demands, and being able to adapt or change to
attain a competitive advantage (Kleindl, 2000).
Web site development costs for an SME will depend on the Internet goals of
the enterprise. Many small businesses will find these costs a barrier and those
looking to the Internet for business may not know how to start. Web site
developers can satisfy this need if the funding to do so is available and once
established can link SMEs to hosting sites such as Internet Service Providers
(ISPs). Some ISPs will offer a hosting service including content management,
order management and security on a fee basis (Kerstetter, 1998). Also Web site
developers can help an SME set up an e-commerce site to include shopping
carts to pick products, transaction costs, and credit card capture information
for the consumer when placing an order (Hoffman, 1998).
A number of disadvantages will confront SMEs if they are slow in the
adoption of technological skills. Also SMEs that acquire skills may face large
enterprises who are late movers but have large resource bases (Byrnes and
Judge, 1999). In both situations the small firms concerned will be at a
competitive disadvantage. Due to the impact of the Internet on SMEs they will
have to adapt or change many of their business practices. They will have to
embrace Internet-based technologies to stay competitive. Awareness to the
acquisition of new technology will impinge on their capability regarding the
employment and retention of skilled staff (Trager et al., 1999). This in turn will
influence their ability to retain existing and generate new customers. Whereas
the internal development of an Internet capability may not be possible for
resource limited small firms, the use of a Web site developer and the requisite
support to do so can enable SMEs to compete.
If SMEs successfully set up a Web site the Internet, which is perhaps the
most easily accessible communication system for small businesses, can help
them attain a global market (Lituchy and Rail, 2000). Even if an SME does not
have an international strategy, being linked to the World Wide Web through
the Internet positions a firm on the World stage, and the receipt of international
orders will trigger it to investigate international markets. The predicted growth
in e-commerce and the use of the Internet will considerably increase the level of
internationalisation for even the smallest twenty-first century firm.
The growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web is taking place at a fast
rate. The Web doubles in size every two to three months (Hoffman et al., 1995).
In 1996 there were 9.47 million host computers on the Net, with a doubling of
the number every year since 1981 (Network Wizards, 2000). A year later a user

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survey of the World Wide Web amongst 10,000 Web users showed the Internet
to be increasingly important, with 84 percent reporting that e-mail and the Web
had become ``indispensable technologies'' (GVU, 2000). Eighty-five percent
reported that they used the Web on a daily basis. Berthon et al. (1996) have
described the marketing possibilities of the Web which helps businesses with
regard to product information, new markets, corporate image, consumer
involvement in product development, and interactivity with consumers.
Small firms as well as their consumers can benefit from marketing on the
Internet. Benefits to customers include informed buying decisions from
information, the consumer-driven nature, the form of information received, and
the continual accessibility (Hoffman and Novak, 1996). The benefits to small
firms include competing with other firms on non-price dimensions, new
markets, low-cost marketing, and increased consumer satisfaction (Hoffman
and Novak, 1996). Barriers to consumers include access, ease of use, privacy
and security (GVU, 2000). For small firms deterrents include Web site
construction and test performance of marketing (Hoffman and Novak, 1996). A
good Web site will contain information needed to enable a buying decision and
it will have entertainment value. Marketing awareness will lead to a larger
number of visits. If the entry barriers are low SMEs will be able to establish an
Internet presence, which will help them compete with larger firms. Small firms
will be able to reach a larger market through the Internet and this will cause
SMEs to become international. Like many other sectors this will apply to Welsh
agri-food SMEs.
It is important for Welsh agri-food SMEs to design an e-commerce strategy
responsive to customer needs since the Internet will help them find foreign
clients, information and sell products (McCue, 1999). The Internet enables the
smallest firm to access collaborators, customers and suppliers globally
(Etemad and Wright, 1999). In a study of 15 small Scottish arts and crafts
companies where all the firms were less than a year old, they had already
internationalised, becoming ``instant internationals'' (Oviatt and McDougall,
1994). It is this type of approach that is needed for Welsh agri-food SMEs,
which are in a position where they would benefit from becoming ``instant
internationals''.
Agri-food SMEs and the Internet
Research methodology
In order to determine the use of the Internet as a critical success factor for the
marketing of Welsh agri-food SMEs a two stage survey was undertaken in the
Spring of 2000 at the Welsh Enterprise Institute (WEI). Important aspects of
the survey were the research design, sampling method, questionnaire design
and content, and the research question and hypothesis. The research was
designed as a two-stage questionnaire survey a primary and a secondary
questionnaire accompanied with an incentive that offered some form of
subsidised and tailored assistance either to assess and improve an existing
Web site or to help set one up. The authors had been given the contact details of

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those firms surveyed from the database of the Welsh Development Agency
(WDA) Food Directorate. Whilst these in many cases were the owners and
managing directors of the business it must be recognised that, in common with
so much research of this type, those responding were not necessarily the most
familiar with the issues being researched and, in any case, were often clearly
time limited and hence somewhat scant on occasion in their reply.
The core research question was whether the use of the Internet was
considered to be a critical success factor for the marketing of Welsh agri-food
SMEs and the hypothesis was that the Internet would be critical. The content of
the questionnaire included questions regarding traditional marketing,
marketing initiatives, critical success factors, Web sites, promotional
marketing, media aspects, Web site business, origin of customers on Web sites,
use of search engines, and ``business to business'' usage.
The primary questionnaire gauged the overall activity and interest in the
use of the Internet and Web sites and the larger follow-up questionnaire
obtained more detailed information on these activities. The sampling method
involved a short questionnaire to 500 agri-food SMEs in Wales to obtain details
of their activities, followed by a second longer questionnaire to the 60
respondent agri-food SMEs who had replied from the original 500 and who
were presumed to want to take up the incentive offered.
The design and content of the second questionnaire involved three sections
for all businesses, for businesses with existing (or imminent) Web sites and a
continuation section for businesses with existing Web sites. The questions
were primarily Likert ones, on a scale of 1-5, to assess the degree of interest or
concern with that particular issue. In the section for all businesses the first
question sought an overview of ``traditional'' forms of promotion and
communication such as TV and radio adverts, direct mail, sales promotion
etc. which the firms were currently using to reach their market. Another
sought to identify affiliations to existing Welsh marketing initiatives such as
Taste of Wales (Welsh Tourist Board) initiative encouraging producers and
restaurateurs to use local food) and the Agri-Food Partnership (WDA
sponsored initiative encouraging collaboration between public sector, agri-food
industry and third sector organisations in Wales). Last were the questions
seeking to identify the respondents' perceived critical success factors necessary
to prosper and grow in the marketplace. These used a range of pre-specified
criteria derived from Sparkes et al. (2000b) which amongst other things queried
the importance of reaching a ``minimum sufficiency'' of turnover (i.e. that
businesses that were turning over too little would struggle to survive); the level
of complexity of the product both to make and ``sell''; the necessity for
management leadership effectiveness; the importance of exporting and the
extent of Internet usage by both the buyers and sellers within that market.
The second section for businesses with existing or imminent Web sites
examined how long the Web site had been running or when they expected to get
their site ``up''. The final section of the questionnaire sought to assess comments
from businesses, already ``netted up'', concerning the usefulness of their Web site.

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Initial questions returned to the traditional marketing communications and

queried in more detail which of them supplemented (or were supplemented by)
the Web site. Subsequent questions asked the degree of Web site activity both for
their own Web site and for the specific market as a whole. Further questions
sought the country of origin of their Web site traffic given that the Internet so
easily facilitates international communications and trade. Final questions sought
to assess the degree of commonality amongst these Welsh agri-food SMEs with
answers to more specific technical questions such as which search engines were
they registered with and what ``meta-tags'' (used by search engines to classify
Web pages) they used. A last question queried what other Welsh agri-food
businesses they traded with via their Web site.

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339

Results and analysis

All the agri-food SMEs were asked what forms of traditional marketing
communications they undertook at present. It was felt that this would help give
an overall picture of how actively the business currently interacted with their
market place; both above and below them in their particular supply channel.
The results are shown in Table I.
The results in Table I show that 81 percent of the agri-food SMEs that
responded to the questionnaire considered promotional literature including
leaflets and posters to be an important traditional marketing tool, 20 percent
considered radio advertisements, 66 percent considered press advertisements,
76 percent brochures, only 33 percent considered television advertisements or
holiday programmes and 70 percent considered direct mail to previous/
potential customers to be vital.
With regard to the length of time that they have been in business 8 percent
had been in business as a food supplier one to three years, 17 percent four to
seven years, 25 percent 8-15 years and 50 percent over 16 years. Concerning the
major marketing initiatives they were involved with 71 percent of respondees

Promotional literature
leaflets/posters, etc.
Radio advertisements
Press advertisements
trade/consumer, etc.
Brochure
TV advertisements or
holiday programmes
Direct mail to
previous/potential
customers

No
importance
(%)

Little
importance
(%)

Some
importance
(%)

Fairly
important
(%)

Very
important
(%)

14

18

27

36

60
17

20
17

20
17

0
22

0
27

18
59

6
8

29
8

29
8

18
17

12

18

18

29

23

Table I.
Forms of traditional
marketing undertaken
by agri-food SMEs

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were registered with a major marketing initiative 59 percent with ``A Taste of
Wales'' and 41 percent with the Welsh Agri-Food Partnership.
Table II shows the results from the survey for the critical success factors
(CSFs) appropriate to agri-food SMEs which were again measured on a fivepoint Likert scale where 1 = of no importance and 5 = very important. The
critical success factors in Table II were developed using a filter process derived
from the model to measure critical success factors reported in a previous paper
(Sparkes et al., 2000b). By doing this it was possible to review the wide-ranging
critical success factors outlined in the literature and identify and apply those
applicable to agri-food SMEs.
The results in Table II show that 95 percent of agri-food SMEs considered
turnover to be important, 96 percent considered product characteristics, all
considered marketing, 44 percent exports, 88 percent competition, only 43
percent technological complexity, all considered management to be important
and 83 percent considered the Internet to be important. Statistical analysis of
the average scores in Table II shows that if the percentages of ``fairly
important'' and ``very important'' are added (the Internet has 39 percent with the
average for all the critical success factors being 54 percent), the Internet has
only modest ``very important'' (4 percent) (and ``some importance'' suggests that
it is an afterthought) and turnover, product, marketing and management are
the greater facets. This is contrary to the hypothesis that the Internet is a
critical success factor for the marketing of Welsh agri-food SMEs. Although
this may be the current situation, if the Internet is adopted to a greater degree
by agri-food SMEs in the future it will consequently become a significant
critical success factor. Of the agri-food SMEs that responded to the
questionnaire 38 percent already had a Web site and 58 percent were actively
planning one. One SME did not have a computer and therefore had no Web site
but, given the incentives they had been offered to respond quite optimistically
reported that they would like to have both!
From the second section it was apparent that for businesses with existing
Web sites 34 percent had been running their own Web site for one to three

Factor

Table II.
Critical success factors
(CSFs) reported by
agri-food SMEs in
Wales

Turnover
Product characteristics
Marketing
Exports
Competition
Technological complexity
Management (leadership)
Internet

No
Little
Some
importance importance importance
(%)
(%)
(%)
5
0
0
39
4
22
0
4

0
4
0
17
8
35
0
13

25
21
17
31
38
30
8
44

Fairly
important
(%)

Very
important
(%)

25
33
65
9
17
9
46
35

45
42
18
4
33
4
46
4

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months, 22 percent for four to eight months, 22 percent for nine to 16 months
and 22 percent for over 17 months. Of those actively planning a Web site: 43
percent anticipated launching a site in one to three months time, 28 percent in
four to eight months, 29 percent in nine to 16 months and none in over 17
months time. For businesses with existing Web sites the forms of traditional
promotional marketing undertaken over and above their Web sites are shown
in Table III.
It will be recalled that the justification for returning to these areas of the
survey were to assess whether the Internet was leading or just supplementing
the businesses' traditional ways of communicating with their market place.
A number of trade or consumer press publications were reported as being
used for promotional traditional marketing and these included: The Grocer, the
Fish and Chip Magazine, Frozen and Chilled Foods, Meat Trade, Ice Cream
Alliance and the Western Mail (the daily newspaper of Wales). More generally
other publications used included the meat and retail press, food magazines,
catering press (locally), local paper (South Wales), Wales regional press, trade
magazines, and newspapers generally. Other media used included radio (local
stations Red Dragon and Radio Ceredigion, for example), and television
(adverts on Harlech Television (HTV) Wales and Sianel Pedwar Cymru (S4C)).
With regard to Web site business increasing, staying static or decreasing, 50
percent of those enterprises that responded to this question reported that it was
increasing and 50 percent reported that it was static. None reported that it was
decreasing. The origin of main customers via Web sites included: Wales,
England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire, and overseas: Australia, North
America, Denmark and Japan. Further research could usefully elicit critical
success factors relevant to most effectively accessing these markets.
Out of the agri-food SMEs who responded to the question regarding what
search engines they were registered with 100 percent reported they used
Yahoo, 57 percent Alta Vista, 43 percent Infoseek and 29 percent AOL, Google

Promotional literature
leaflets/posters, etc.
Radio advertisements
Press advertisements
trade/consumer, etc.
Brochure
TV advertisements or
holiday programmes
Direct mail to
previous/potential
customers

No
importance
(%)

Little
importance
(%)

Some
importance
(%)

Fairly
important
(%)

Very
important
(%)

11

33

56

60
12

20
0

0
13

20
25

0
50

0
75

14
0

14
0

29
0

43
25

43

14

43

The use of the

Internet

341

Table III.
Forms of traditional
promotional marketing
undertaken over and
above Web sites

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342

and Hot Bot. Keywords used included ``food'', ``food ingredients'', ``fresh'',
``natural'', ``organic'', ``Wales'', and ``Welsh''. Only two agri-food SMEs reported
that they had a hit counter which had been active for one and four months,
respectively. For the enterprise whose hit counter had been running for four
months, for the period 16 March to 20 July 2000, 8,210 hits had been recorded.
Of some importance is the finding that no companies reported that they dealt
with other Welsh food companies' Web sites therefore showing no or little
``business to business'' activity through Web sites for agri-food SMEs. Table IV
provides examples of Welsh agri-food SME Web sites.
Discussion and review
Although the paper reports the study of the use of the Internet as a critical
success factor for the marketing of Welsh agri-food SMEs in the twenty-first
century, against the more rigorous framework of previous research, it does not
propose that the use of the Internet is a panacea for all the problems that face
the sector. In fact the Internet is seen as one of several important factors that
impact on the survival and development of SMEs. The challenge of how to
sustain growth in a global market, and the justification for this strategy, is seen
to be aided by being technology enabled in terms of Internet access and Web
site development. In these terms it is necessary to take account of the context of
marketing in this sector. It is important to note that there is more Internet
selling rather than marketing. This needs to be set in the wider context of
marketing within these firms. As well as supply side emphasis the customer is
important. There are various types of customers and customer segments
involved such as end users (people buying food produce in supermarkets) and
customers in the chain (such as restaurateurs).
Also important are integrated marketing, customer satisfaction, relationship
marketing and the high component of customer care and service. There is a
need for agri-food SMEs to have appropriate resources to respond to this
opportunity. There are particular issues paid by agri-food SMEs to the
marketing of their produce. For example, firms marketing cheese via the
Internet, such as those in the Cegin Cymru network, face specific problems of
keeping the produce fresh in transit which is quite different to other products
sold on the Internet such as books through Amazon.com.
Welsh affinity groups
Following the survey of Welsh agri-food SMEs it is proposed to survey the
buying habits of Welsh culture affinity organisations on the Internet in the
USA, Canada and other countries. With the development of a Welsh agri-food
Web portal it is hoped to establish network links between Welsh food SMEs
and the Welsh Affinity Groups (WAGs) and communities overseas through the
Internet. Table V lists the WAGS that have been identified in the USA, Canada,
and elsewhere. There are six in Canada, 24 in the USA and one each in
Australia, England, New Zealand, Norway, and Tasmania.

Product
Cheese
Sea salt
Dietary solutions
Processed Foods
Honey
Cordial
Beer
Wine
Beer
Wine
Food Supplements
Beer
Organic Meat
Cheese
Bacon
Organic Vegetables
Yogurts
Creamery products
Pate
Beer
Spring Water

Name of company

Abergavenny Fine Foods

Anglesey Sea Salt Company
Barbara's Kitchen
Beacon Foods Ltd
BHC Honey Supplies Limited
Black Mountain Liqueur
Brains Brewery
Brecon Court Vineyard
Crown Buckley Brewery
Cwm Deri Vineyard
Eladon Food Supplements
Felinfoel Brewery
Graig Farm Organic Meats
Llangloffan Farmhouse Cheese
Llyn Peninsula Bacon
Organic Farm Foods
Rachel's Dairy
South Caernarfon Creameries Ltd
The Patchwork Traditional Food Company
Tomos Watkin Ltd
Ty Nant Ltd

Abergavenny
Anglesey
Pontyclun
Brecon
Brecon
Usk
Cardiff
Llansoy
Pontyclun
Pembrokeshire
Bangor
Llanelli
Llandrindod Wells
Nr Fishguard
Pwllheli
Lampeter
Aberystwyth
Pwllheli
Ruthin
Swansea
Llanon

Location
http://www.foodhall.co.uk/aff
http://www.seasalt.co.uk
http://www.barbaraskitchen.co.uk
http://www.beaconfoods.co.uk
http://www.bhchoneysuppliers.com
http://:www.celticspirit.co.uk
http://www.sabrain.co.uk
http://sol.brunel.ac.uk/~richards/vineyards/brecon.htm
http://www.beerline.co.uk/brew0088.htm
http://www.cwm-deri.co.uk
http://www.btinternet.com/~elanltd
http://.felinfoel-brewery.co.uk
http://www.graigfarm.co.uk
http://www.welshcheese.co.uk
http://www.cegincymru.co.uk/meat/meat.htm
http://www.organicfarmfoods.co.uk
http://www.rachelsdairy.co.uk
http://www.sccwales.co.uk
http://www.patchwork-pate.co.uk
http://www.tomoswatkin.com
http://www.tynant.co.uk

Web site address

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Internet

343

Table IV.
Examples of Welsh
agri-food SME Web
site

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Table V.
Welsh affinity groups
in Canada, USA and
outside North America

Name

Country

Arizona Welsh Society

Colorado Welsh Society
Cymdeithas Cymru Birkenhead
Gulf Coast St David's Society
Iowa Welsh Society
National Welsh-American Foundation
New York Welsh
Oslo Welsh Society
Prince Edward Island Welsh Society
Puget Sound Welsh Association (PSWA)
Saint David's Society of Montreal
Saint David's Society of Connecticut
Saint David's Society of St Petersburg and the Suncoast
Saint David's Society of Wyoming Valley
Saint David's Society of Toronto
Saint David's Society of Winnipeg
Saint David's Welsh Society of Georgia
Saint David's Welsh Society of Greater Kansas City
Saint David's Welsh Society of Nebraska
Saint David's Welsh Society of the Capital District
Saint David's Welsh Society of the Slate Belt, Bangor, Pennsylvania
Saint David's Welsh-American Society of Baltimore
The Welsh in Australia
Victoria Welsh Society
Welsh Society of Vancouver
Welsh American Society of Northern California
Welsh Cambrian Society of Canterbury
Welsh Organisations in the Washington, D.C. Area
Welsh Society of Central Ohio
Welsh Society of Fredricksburg
Welsh Society of Greater Cincinnati
Welsh Society of Northwest Ohio
Welsh Society of Philadelphia
Welsh Society of Southern Tasmania
Welsh Society of the Carolinas

USA
USA
England
USA
USA
USA
USA
Norway
Canada
USA
Canada
USA
USA
USA
Canada
Canada
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
Australia
Canada
Canada
USA
New Zealand
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
Tasmania
USA

The principal WAG in the USA is the National Welsh-American Foundation

(NWAF, 1999) which was incorporated under the provisions of the District of
Columbia Non profit Corporation Act on February 27, 1980. It is recognised as a
charitable and educational organisation. The Foundation is dedicated to
promoting and sharing the history of Welsh-Americans, providing financial
assistance to individuals, Welsh festivals, travelling museums and exhibits, coordinating activities of Welsh-Americans, assuring a unified and effective voice
for Welsh-Americans, ensuring cultural exchange between Wales and the USA,
and supporting Welsh-American groups.
A number of WAGs already have ``shop fronts'' where members or ``visitors''
to their sites can purchase Welsh products. An example of a WAG with links to
Welsh food products is the Saint David's Welsh Society of Georgia. The

Downloaded by USP At 18:52 07 October 2014 (PT)

establishment of a Welsh agri-food Web portal will enable members of Welsh

communities to buy speciality Welsh food products (peculiar only to Wales,
such as Welsh cheese, honey and cake) directly from Welsh agri-food SMEs.
This will have advantages for both the customers and the agri-food SMEs of
direct buying.

The use of the

Internet

Conclusions
This paper has attempted to illustrate the way Celtic Fringe agri-food SMEs
can respond to the major challenge of how to sustain growth in a global market
through the use of the Internet as a Critical Success Factor (CSF). This can be
achieved by ensuring that a range of ``authentic'' food products is available to
Welsh and Celtic periphery communities in other countries and those people
worldwide with affinity to the Celtic fringe. The use of the Internet by SMEs is
important and the ``business to business'' uses of the Internet are equally
recognised. Using the technology to forge better commercial relations with
trade customers, as well as suppliers is as significant as the sexier ``develop a
Web site'' approach to communicating with end consumers. The conclusions of
the research findings are that the challenge can be responded to by enabling
small agri-food firms to gain access to the Internet, develop ``user friendly'' Web
sites, link to overseas markets through the Internet, and establish a long-term
customer base sustained via e-commerce and e-communications. There is the
need for appropriate support to be provided for Celtic Fringe and specifically
Welsh agri-food SMEs to make them aware of the importance of the adoption of
e-commerce (including the Internet and Web sites) as a critical success factor
for their marketing in the twenty-first century.
Subsequent areas of research, not specifically constrained to Agri-Food
SME's, could usefully re-evaluate the effectiveness of ``first generation'' Web
sites and also drill down into the various forms of marketing communications
to analyse the extent to which they are all integrated (i.e. does the advert in the
trade press or the promotion used at exhibitions carry incentives to buy, at say
a discount, from the Web site?). Research relevant to Celtic Fringe agri-food
SMEs could include an examination of the critical success factors pertinent to
effect access to overseas markets and to encourage agri-food SMEs to trade
with each other to devise and promote a range of incentives to be offered
through local and national government agencies such as the Welsh Agri-Food
Partnership; perhaps more of a policy recommendation!

345

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