Traders listen intently to the presentation by speaker Andreas Wehnert at the Erfa Conference 2021 (© Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer).
The event room in Obersursel at the Erfa 2021 meeting of Ihr LandMarkt was very well attended (© Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer).

The agricultural trade is facing major challenges. Climate change and new eating habits are changing agriculture and animal husbandry - social media and smartphones are changing the way customers inform themselves and shop. But is digitalisation the spectre that some people think it is? Doesn't it also offer opportunities to generate turnover, open up new business areas and thus revitalise one's own business? These questions were the focus of the Experience and Exchange Conference (Erfa) 2021 of Ihr LandMarkt®in Oberursel, Hesse.

Stationary agricultural trade has a long history in Germany. With the success of digital technologies, an industry rich in tradition is facing change. Change, that always means discomfort - sales expert Torsten Wehnert knows that. His lecture "Selling in the digital age" therefore serves an important purpose: to encourage. Encouraging people to recognise the opportunities of digitalisation and to set the right entrepreneurial sails in the windy times of the digital age.

Online trade as an opportunity

"Online trade offers opportunities for decision-makers and doers," says Wehnert. "Only those who actively face the current challenges can take advantage of the opportunities that are available today." For Wehnert, the means of choice is customer orientation. With a multitude of vivid examples, the sales consultant illustrates the connection between the orientation of services and products to the wishes of the customer and entrepreneurial success. "Amazon, the iPhone or Uber are just a few examples that base their success on this," says Wehnert.

Listening to customers, recognising their challenges and scoring points with suitable and customised products as well as the right advice - that is Wehnert's recipe for success. This requires courage as well as creativity and an ear for the customer's concerns and wishes. This, combined with efficient, digital business management, according to Wehnert's conclusion, prepares the basis for tomorrow's business success. This struck a nerve with the retailers present, who appreciated the lecture with thunderous applause.

DEUPA: Partner portal strengthens digitalisation of agricultural trade

Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer supports traders in the digitalisation of their land trade. Volker Kaup, pet sales manager at Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer, concept consultant of Your LandMarkt® and host of the event, offered an insight into the new online portal of Germany's largest private compound feed producer, following on from Wehner's remarks. DEUꞏPA, the Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer ꞏ partner portal, not only makes it easier for agricultural traders to order feed quickly and easily via mobile phone, tablet and desktop PC. With the help of special functions, traders can optimise their warehousing and coordinate the timing of their lorries' deliveries.

News from deuka

On the feed side, current feeding trends were the focus of the subsequent presentation by Theresa Oesterwind. "Among horse owners, customised feeding with the help of highly specialised feeds is becoming increasingly important," said the product manager for pets / horses at Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer. "This is exactly where our new feeds deukavallo Top Gastro and deukavallo Top InForm come in: they cover the special needs of horses with metabolic diseases such as Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) or Cushing's disease, or meet the special energy requirements of older and athletically active horses," said the feeding expert.

The evening at the Erfa meeting ends, as usual, with a convivial get-together in familiar company (© Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer).
The evening at the Erfa meeting ends, as usual, with a convivial get-together in familiar company (© Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer).

Supporting programme leaves nothing to be desired

A review of the past business year of Ihr LandMarkt® Groupby Volker Kaup rounded off the information offered during the evening. The marketing expert addressed current developments in the commodity markets, causes for problems within the global supply chains, gave recommendations on appropriate advice for customer enquiries and finally explained the consequences of the Paris Climate Agreement for trade as well as the still noticeable consequences of the Corona pandemic. "We are at the beginning of an extremely exciting decade," Kaup said. "The reduction ofCO2, the poor availability of goods, the lack of personnel and digitalisation will massively influence and change retail and land trade. Here it is important to be armed and to accept the challenges."

The evening ended with a cosy get-together and traditional Hessian food and drinks in familiar surroundings.

Image sources: © Nozar Ideenwerk (top slider).

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