DTN Launches Ag Retailer Focused Data Management Program
April 5, 2016 As farm data multiplies exponentially, ag retailers need help leveraging the power of big data to better serve their customers and grow their business.
DTN’s newest ag retail solution, DTN Sense, uses proven analytics and management methods to deliver actionable business insights. It interprets order data, uncovers business trends, empowers sales teams, and monitors performance. DTN Sense achieves this by factoring in various data points, including inputs, sales history, precision ag measurements, weather, weed and disease issues, billing, and customer contacts.
“Traditional retailer business tools only produce individual account reports — without a more aggregated view of the business,” said Chris Carl, DTN director, agribusiness. “DTN Sense makes ‘sense’ out of a retailer’s order and customer data, showing important business insights and sales opportunities.”
Using DTN Sense, retailers can see their aggregated customer data in real-time using intuitive dashboards, visualizations, and filterable reports. This new platform can easily integrate historical back office data from legacy systems for an even broader understanding. Unlike manual, time-consuming processes and outdated systems, DTN Sense enables retailers to save time and focus it on customers.
“Our innovative, data analytics-driven approach gives a detailed snapshot of the entire operation, not just a spreadsheet,” said Carl. “DTN Sense allows retailers to drill down deep into their data to truly understand the trends affecting their business and make in-season adjustments to business and sales strategies.”
With DTN Sense, users can create aggregated, filterable reports on customers and categories. They can also generate reports by manufacturer and brand usage. “This helps retailers negotiate better product discounts with manufacturers,” Carl explained.
Another key benefit is the ability to compare growing seasons based on different planting dates. Because these dates can vary from year to year, settings let retailers line up comparison periods for more realistic analysis. From there, they can analyze trends, outline sales objectives, or export their analysis into a spreadsheet for further evaluation.
DTN Sense can boost productivity and performance, too, claims the company. The visual nature of its analysis can encourage sales managers and field reps to better understand and act upon key findings for their territories. Insights can be shared easily with retail management and sales teams using the solution’s publishing tools.
Sales teams can then unlock new opportunities for their farmer-customers. As a result, DTN Sense helps sales managers guide their teams to better performance and monitor on-going progress toward sales objectives.
For example, when a customer buys seed corn but doesn’t buy fertilizer, DTN Sense shows the rep this opportunity so he or she can act on it. This allows the ag retailer to try to increase their share of wallet with the grower, while meeting a critical need.
“DTN Sense performs the analysis and lets sales teams do what they do best … sell,” explained Carl. “It allows them to spend their time engaging customers, armed with valuable trend data and analysis to best position the right solutions to customers.”
“And with ag retail industry being so highly competitive in these tough market conditions, the insights DTN Sense delivers could mean the difference between keeping a customer or losing them to a competitor,” said Carl.
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