SOURCE | Fall 2021 11
The survey showed farmers cite price and convenience as primary drivers for ordering online . Other responses also included : it saves time , they know what they ’ re buying , the company buying from recommended it , they ’ re curious , they don ’ t need a salesperson , or they received a trusted recommendation .
Farmers also said barriers remain to e-commerce transactions . Farmers identified concerns with returning products and product guarantees , there is no salesperson to talk with , concerns about quality , there ’ s no price differential , cyber security concerns , delivery concerns , inconvenience , and more difficulty arranging service .
“ There is a recognized value to relationships between local FS cooperative employees and farmers ,” Brewer said . “ The survey showed 44 percent of GROWMARK farmers responding to the
survey said they connect with their local retailer when they need advice compared to 21 percent of the national average .”
The changing farmer-retailer relationship The relationship between farmers and their retailers has changed since the first cooperatives that now make up the GROWMARK System were organized .
Farmers today are seeking different delivery mechanisms of the trusted value proposition , and retailers have had to diversify how they deliver value to the farmer . “ There ’ s growing emphasis on the return for the farmer . Farmers have had to be better businesspeople as their operations get more complex ,” Brewer said .
One delivery channel is a digital platform where farmers can access their data with their local retailer whenever , however , and wherever they wish . And this trend is likely to continue as technology evolves and data for decision-making becomes more important to farmers , Brewer said .
Still , Brewer said he doesn ’ t expect in the next 10 years that every farmer would have Alexa or Google Home and order their fertilizer to be delivered the next day . He does expect farmers to continue to push their retailers to continually improve how they deliver value and to be available for advice and recommendations .
Farmers look for credibility , trust , and integrity in their salesperson to help them make better decisions through managing and analyzing the data they ’ re collecting . “ The key is how to help farmers manage the data they have , and will gather in the future ,” he said .
The local FS cooperative trusted advisors are trained to do just that .