Fruit purveyor Cushman’s sells its delicious products through a combination of catalogs, space ads and other channels

By Alicia Orr and Editor In Chief

E-mail is another marketing tool the company uses to build relationships. Of e-commerce, Cushman says, “This is found money.”

Still, Cushman says nothing beats sitting down face-to-face with a customer for a true sense of how the business is working. He recalls a trip to Columbia, SC, last year when he stopped by for a visit with a customer. Says Cushman: “The woman told me one of the reasons she keeps shopping from us is we make it so easy. At holiday time, she uses the renewal gift list in her catalog, attaches a check, and in her words, ‘I don’t have to think about it again.’ And that’s what it’s all about. Giving the customer what she wants.”