Role of the e-Marketing Strategy in the Promotion and Marketing of Terroir Products: Case of Moroccan Agricultural Cooperatives

The development of local products is an opportunity that has already led to economic and social development. However, given the impact of the economic recession related to the global pandemic Covid-19, Moroccan cooperatives have been hit hard and have found it difficult to promote and sell their local products. Our research project consists of: a) understanding consumer perception of local products, b) recognizing consumer motivation and purchasing barriers, and c) showing that the implementation of an e-marketing strategy based on product quality allows to gain consumer confidence and increase the cooperatives' turnover. The objective is also to explain why the cooperatives as a socio-economic vector do not manage to promote and market their local products nationally and internationally. It is in this context that we examined this observation and answered the main question: What is the role of an e-marketing strategy in promoting and marketing local products for Moroccan agricultural cooperatives? To investigate such questions, we adapted a research methodology based on an empirical study using first a quantitative confirmatory survey reinforced by structural equations. Our results established that the implementation of an e-marketing strategy positively influences the performance of agricultural cooperatives. Considerably, an e-marketing approach, despite its performance, can only be successful for a certified cooperative or one with labelled products. Indeed, only listed cooperatives can benefit from innovative solutions to market their products through regular support, the consolidation of their management capacities, and governance. To this end, the concepts of quality (labelled products), digital tools and resources, and trust (certified cooperative) as variables are major players in the relationship between the consumer, the reputation of the cooperatives as well as that of local products. This last interaction increases exports of local Moroccan products and their placement on the markets via solutions and platforms offered by stakeholders. “New generation” cooperatives with products bearing the “terroir du Maroc” brand and economic interest groups with a “collective brand” offer the opportunity for greater integration into the national and international markets. The ultimate objective of this work is to build a conceptual model of the possible links between these key concepts, and consequently to develop testable hypotheses. Our research is developed from our perspective and under the conditions possible, but it has some limitations and constraints that are worth noting. Distance and time hampered our approach to the surveys, which limited the number of international interviewees. In addition, the CPA/SPSS analysis requires us to revise some variables and focus more on the components. These findings have important implications for researchers, professionals, and state offices interested in enhancing the efficacy of Moroccan agricultural cooperatives to promote local products.