Best-in-Class Technology is Table Stakes

By Global Ag Tech Initiative

Right now, we are in the early innings of a transformative moment in ag retail. This period will lay the groundwork for how business, and more importantly, the grower experience, will be fundamentally changed due to technology. The initial foray into ag eCommerce by industry newcomers assumed that growers wanted an “eCommerce-only” experience. It is clear now that this strategy appealed only to a minority segment of customers and traditional ag retailers are evolving their approach to embrace digital as a way to engage their core customers. These methods are being integrated into retailers’ go-to-market strategies in order to create an omnichannel experience for their customers.

As an ag retailer, you essentially have three options:

Build a digital solution internally (read more about that here)
Partner with a third-party technology provider to develop your online strategy
Ignore the evolution in the industry and the changing needs of your customers

We have seen many new players in the ag technology space offering different variations of platforms. There are SaaS companies, like AgVend or Bushel, who are built from the ground up to deliver specialized technology to their customers, which are primarily ag retailers and grain elevators. Other companies like Winfield, whose core competency lies outside of developing technology, are now offering digital tools to their retailers. Then there are companies like Proagrica who are attempting to retrofit a professional service model to a modern SaaS strategy to provide a hybrid solution for their customers. Each approach has different pros and cons, below we outline the key considerations to help you navigate the process of choosing which partner is best for your organization.

Read the full article: https://www.blog.agvend.com/post/best-in-class-technology-is-table-stakes