Abstract

The study was conducted to examine the influence of digital marketing on the sales of chicken directly from poultry farms in Lower Bolifamba, Buea. The main purpose of using E- marketing, Web-marketing and online marketing on the sales of poultry farm products for poultry farmers in Buea. However, most Farmers ignore the saving potential that arise from proper management of sale of their finished products.

As such, some farms do not or ignore to control their marketing strategies, this usually leads to poor sales and causing the farms to stop or slow its production. This study sought to examine the influence of digital marketing on the sales of chicken directly from poultries in Lower Bolifamba, Buea.

This study employed a descriptive research design. The farmers and workers of this farms were considering as the respondents of the study. With the complexity in managing a large population, a sample of 60 workers were randomly selected to constitute the respondents of the study. Data was collected from these respondents with the use of questionnaires, interview and observation. The collected data was analyzed in tables and bar charts. With the use of Excel, the collected data were summed and analyzed with the use of the regression method.

The analysis shows that there is a significant relationship between E-marketing, web-marketing, online marketing and the sales of poultry farm products for poultry farmers in Buea. This implies digital marketing has the ability to influence the sales of poultry farm products for poultry farmers in Buea either negatively or positively. It is found that the E-marketing, web-marketing and online- marketing positively influences the ales of poultry Farm products of poultry farmers in Buea.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Digital Marketing is also known as Internet Marketing, Web Marketing, or Online Marketing. Digital Marketing is the process of marketing products or services using the Internet. Marketing not only includes marketing on the Internet, but also includes marketing done via email and wireless media. It uses a range of technologies to help connect businesses to their customers. Like many other media channels, e-marketing is also a part of integrated marketing communications (IMC), which helps a brand grow across different channels.

Digital Marketing has become a pivotal tactic in the marketing strategy adopted by small and medium scale business Enterprises, also companies using several digital media channels. Marketers can gain new customers, new brand, new markets, new market leaders, new market channels and marketing tools David et al (2014)

Furthermore, online activities ease the change of products, services. Online marketing as a factor that plays an important role in raising the efficiency of economic performance to small and medium scale business enterprises and companies in highly competitive the necessary information for various administrative levels Pappas N, (2016).

This form of marketing is equally applicable in most of the business models, such as e- marketing publishing services and affiliation marketing White C, (2017). The benefits that can be achieved from e- marketing are very huge sales growth and cost reduction are of the most important opportunities provided by internet that part of the technology which has become a widespread tool among institution Makhtar, (2015).

Agricultural products are crucial for any country so betterment of agricultural is the most priority now as role of digital marketing. There are several ways in which companies can use the internet for marketing. Some ways of e marketing are: Article marketing, Affiliate marketing, video marketing, email marketing, blogging and content marketing all these and other methods help a small and medium scale business enterprises, also companies or brand in marketing and researching customers through the internet.

Cameroon produces a variety of agricultural commodities both for export and domestic consumption. Cocoa and coffee are grown in the Centre and South regions, bananas in the South West region and cotton in several parts of the North region. Animal husbandry is practiced throughout the country with poultry-farming, pig keeping and cattle rearing predominant in the Northern part of the country.

Chicken is highly consumed throughout the world and accounts for about 30% of total meat production worldwide and remain a high source of protein. The poultry subsector of Fako-Division has witnessed tremendous growth over the past decades. The rapid growth of poultry production in this division has largely been propelled by the participation of the private sector which has been facilitated through infrastructural development in the division.

The poultry meat market in Cameroon has grown steadily in value and volume within the last decades. There was marked increase in supply since 1960s and beyond the 1970s followed by declines from early 1980s to mid-1990s explained by a prolonged period of economic downturn culminating in economic and political emergency. The evolution of real per capita incomes and inflation for Cameroon affected the poultry meat sector especially in the mid-1990s. However, there has been a steady supply of poultry meat as food item since the late 1990s and this even peaked in 2007.

The increasing trends in production and productivity can be accounted for by agricultural and livestock policy reforms in the early 2000s. The macroeconomic and agricultural policy measures in late 1990s and early 2000s not only reduced inflation but stabilized market prices, implemented exchange rates that better reflect market realities, there was significant diminution of export taxes and a greatly enhanced role for the market in determining agricultural prices. This is seen by the steep increase in poultry meat output from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. The liberalization of the market increased supply. However, the ban on imported frozen chicken in 2006 incentivized domestic producers to increase their market share, though the supply response was weaker.

Despite remarkable progress in the poultry industry in the division in recent years, the industry still faces persistent problems in the light of excessive price fluctuations which cause considerable hardship to producers and actors along the supply chain. Due to prolonged low prices in most parts of this Division in the last few years, the government intervenes by introducing price control schemes with aimat controlling excessive price fluctuations to ensure acceptable price for poultry products across the division and the country at large.

Poultry production in general has become a lucrative sector in most parts of the country especially in the West, Centre, North West and South West regions due to the high demand by its inhabitants because of its high protein content. The poultry sector in Fako Division shows marked volatility in prices as the prices of other commodities in this region of the country. However, these prices shocks are transmitted between different supply chain stages (i.e. producers, wholesalers and retailers) and the spread of price from farm to the retailers remain largely unknown.

The fact that poultry production has generally become a lucrative sector in most parts of the country, and this study being an educational practice is necessary to investigate the effect of digital marketing on the sales of poultry farming. This research is of interest to producers of poultry products to help them be aware on how digital marketing affect supply chain and having this knowledge, they will be able to know how to reach their consumers and their needs at every point in time.

Poultry farms in Lower Bolifamba have embraced digital marketing as a means to distribute it product for some years now. For this purpose, it has a website which is currently in process. The farm has a Facebook page and whatssap account to which most of it customers have subscribed and regularly get feedback and updated about the farm from it marketing team lead by the executive director of the farm.

Since the embrace of digital marketing in 2018, Poultry farms experienced a lot of changes ranging from an increase customers list to regular home delivery to customers in and out of Buea. This increase has also reflected on the pay check of underground Poultry and help it increase the quantity and variety of birds produced.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Over the years, there has been a huge increase and innovation in the production and marketing of agricultural product. The sales of products have gradually shift from our traditional markets to the online platform as a result of the daily improvement in technology.  Digital Marketing seems to be a platform were companies can access large numbers of users for East Africa has 50 million mobile phone subscribers and at least 15 million web users. The mobile phone platform in Cameroon has millions of people ICT statistics.

Yet most small and medium scale enterprises in Cameroon which eateries is one of them, do not see e- marketing as a viable option or a profitable venture to pursue. Could it be that a lot of Cameroonians in Molyko afraid to use digital marketing is cheaper than other traditional media especially when examining the ratio of cost to reach of target audience. Hence this study aimed at establishing digital marketing on sales of agricultural products.

Most of the farmers and small and medium scale enterprises men have not used or practice on digital marketing because of the following problems: inadequate knowledge of electronic media; some of the farmers do not have computers knowledge and unable to operate android mobiles, so may difficult them to go with digital marketing of agricultural products, Low speed of internet connections are another barriers, From the buyers perspective the inability of shoppers to touch, smell, taste or try on tangible goods before making an online purchase can be limiting, cybercrime; many consumers are hesitant to purchase items over the internet because they do not trust that their personal information will remain private, Low digital marketing education/ lack of knowledge or skill about the users and high cost of production, because virtually all production of technique are imported from the developed world.

This change has pushed most farmers to join the digital market to be able to sell their end product and attend customer satisfaction in other to remain in the business. Poultry farmers are diving more into this new marketing strategy to follow the new trend of the industry.

From observation, some farmers still find it difficult to work with this new trend due to the complexity involved. The above analysis has bordered the researcher to an extent that the researcher wishes to investigate on the effect of digital marketing on the sales of agricultural products in Buea, case study of lower Bolifamba, Buea.

1.3 Research Questions

1.3.1 Main Research Question

Does digital marketing influence the sales of chicken directly from poultry farms?

1.3.2 Specific Research Questions:

1. Does E-marketing has influence on the sales of chicken directly from poultry farm in Lower Bolifamba?
2. Does web-marketing have influence on the sales of chicken directly from poultry farm in Lower Bolifamba?
3. Does Online marketing has influence on the sales of chicken directly from poultry farm in Lower Bolifamba?

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