Today, storytelling is at the center of retail. Consumers are eager to know as much as possible about the places, people and processes behind the goods they buy. Tell a compelling tale, and you’re more likely to be rewarded with the sale—but it can’t be fiction. Consumer trust evaporates much more quickly than it’s built. The modern shopper can’t be fooled. These days, they want everything to be authentic and even verifiable.
Too often, that’s where the story falls apart, according to Wayne Buchen, vice president of strategic sales for molecular-based supply chain authentication company Applied DNA. Buchen said the traditional way of doing business wasn’t designed to provide that level of transparency.
“The reality is, most supply chains don’t know what they don’t know. They understand the Tier 1 part of it, they don’t know the Tier 2, Tier 3 part of it. The fact is if you don’t know where your raw material comes from you can’t make a claim that you know what your product has in the end,” he said.
Watch the video to hear why he says if you want to build a business around product story, “ticking a box isn’t good enough anymore.”