Finding the Perfect Balance of Professional and Personal in Ag Retail
The Perfect Balance of Professional and Personal
Like most sectors of agriculture, ag retail is changing. The way farmers want to be sold to, and how they make their buying decisions have been largely influenced by the adoption of technology. Online retail giants have changed the way consumers shop, and agriculture isn’t immune to those changes in buying behavior, evidenced by the rise in online shopping platforms being adopted by ag retailers of all sizes. But is this actually how farmers want to buy inputs?
GROWERS, a North Carolina ag technology company, doesn’t think so. “We’ve talked to farmers, and we’ve heard straight from their mouths that shopping online for inputs isn’t what they want to do,” said Steven Valencsin, CEO at GROWERS. “They still prefer face-to-face meetings, they still rely on ag retailers to make product recommendations, discuss farming practices and make business recommendations. The ag retailer is so much more than an order taker.”
At the same time, GROWERS recognizes that the pen-and-paper selling process isn’t going to cut it anymore. “Farmers are looking for the professional experience that they’re used to getting in every other transaction in their life: formal quotes, email and text message notifications, accurate pricing, and so on, combined with the personal relationships they build with a trusted advisor,” said Valencsin. “These are things that can’t be delivered by an online retailer. But they can be delivered by a retailer who is enabled by technology that provides these professional touch points to bolster the in-person selling experience.”
GROWERS strives to marry the professional experience with the personal relationship that farmers desire through its online platform, GROWERS Rally™. GROWERS Rally was created to help ag retail stay relevant in today’s competitive sales environment. The platform provides retailers with a single view of the customer, including past and present orders, instant product price updates, and sales pipeline management. Retailers can create and send product quotes, build full-farm plans and create a memorable buying experience for their customers. GROWERS Rally really does provide the perfect balance of professional and personal for farmers.
To learn more about GROWERS Rally, visit www.growers.ag/rally.