2019
«Without online opportunities, the children of today's farmers will certainly not be able to live and work. Already now, progressive farmers want to order seeds, crop protection products and fertilizers online more quickly, along with consultations and the latest news. That is why LNZ Group is bringing its innovative LNZ Web platform to the market», — LNZ Web director Viktor Kravchenko and project manager Mykola Mandra told AgroPortal.ua about the new line of business of the well-known agricultural company.
The future is only online!
LNZ realizes that the agricultural industry as a whole is somewhat conservative and that the transition to online will take some time. At the same time, the company looks to global markets, which have been powerfully entered by brands such as Amazon and Alibaba (Aliexpress), while our own ALLO and Rozetka also feel quite comfortable.
«It is impossible to switch to online trade in 2-3 seconds, but we see that the industry is getting younger, and the number of online customers will grow every day. It is only natural when you order products and services easily and see the result instantly.
We started building our platform a year ago and continue to build up its muscles», says LNZ Web director Viktor Kravchenko.
Support for small and medium-sized farms
One of the project's goals is to enable medium and small farmers to obtain products of internationally recognized brands without intermediaries at the same price as large agricultural enterprises.
With the new tool, the company seeks to support small and medium-sized farmers in particular (even those with up to 10 ha). Of course, all customers are welcome, regardless of the size of their farm.
The company used its participation in agricultural exhibitions and Field Days to study the reaction of its future users to the new LNZ Web platform and to ask how they feel about online shopping in general. Most customers said that they or their acquaintances would find it interesting and convenient to place orders online. The average rating of the website among the 50 respondents was 8.8 points out of 10.
Farmers shared their wishes and recommendations that, in their opinion, should be taken into account before the platform's launch, and all of them were taken into account.
Maximum user convenience
The developers of the LNZ Web platform say that maximum user convenience was their main goal when creating the website.
Immediately upon entering the website, you can choose the section you need:
- Catalogs presenting the entire distribution portfolio of LNZ Market — corn, sunflower, sugar beet and rapeseed seeds, crop protection products and fertilizers.
- Agro tools, including a detailed 7-day hourly weather forecast and prices at LNZ elevators.
- Crop protection schemes from DEFENDA.
- You can immediately find Contacts and Delivery Terms.
- Read news from the LNZ Agro Universe department.
«This is only the first stage», assures Viktor Kravchenko. «We have just launched the platform and plan to add new features. For example, an Agro Calculator that will help farmers calculate profit, and News from various agricultural portals. We are also developing a free mobile app for convenient management of fields and farms, which will be available to any user, and many other useful things».
How does it work?
To start using the new Web platform, a farmer just needs to go to the website and choose the required section. An order can be placed independently, or a callback request from an operator can be sent in 1 click.
When placing an order or at any time, if desired, you can register a personal account, where it is convenient to view your order history and favorite products. You can also register your own enterprise for convenient ordering in the future.
In essence, LNZ Web is a kind of distribution company, a separate distribution channel for people who want to buy online and see the point in it.
Logistics of your choice
The company has prepared very flexible delivery terms for customers using the new platform. Logistics is handled by LNZ-MARKET and «Nova Poshta». Customers can choose delivery to a branch, door-to-door delivery or pickup from LNZ warehouses. A customer can even arrange delivery by courier services that are more convenient for them, such as Meest or In Time. Detailed information can easily be found on the website in the «Payment and Delivery» section.
A specialized company helped LNZ create the new service on an outsourcing basis. Viktor Kravchenko says that the group will promote and further develop the new platform both with outsourcing and with the in-house IT department of LNZ Group. The process is coordinated by a dedicated project manager, and there is also a special Call Center.
Taking the weather into account
LNZ Web project manager Mykola Mandra explains how to use the specialized weather forecast option on LNZ Web:
«When you go to the weather forecast page, a detailed 7-day hourly forecast for your region will be displayed automatically, based on your IP address, along with recommendations on the best hours for sowing and spraying.
If desired, you can view the weather for any locality. The forecast includes information on wind speed and direction, air humidity, dew point and dew presence, soil temperature and moisture, evapotranspiration, probability of precipitation, UV index and pressure».
The weather forecast is calculated via satellites by the world-renowned leader in weather data supply, the Swiss company Meteoblue.
Agronomic advice
Agronomic recommendations to users of the new Web platform are provided by LNZ's innovative agricultural technologies department. It is headed by Vasyl Kiforuk, PhD in Agricultural Sciences. Five agronomists already work under his leadership, with not only practical but also scientific experience, including at large international companies and consulting firms. They conduct many experiments and trials on specific fields of LNZ customers, taking into account their conditions and technological capabilities. They calculate, analyze the results and give recommendations so that farms can make a well-grounded, most profitable decision themselves.
On which devices is it available?
AgroPortal.ua asked for clarification: on which devices and with which software can the LNZ Web resource work? Mykola Mandra says that at launch the web resource will work on computers, but soon also on mobile devices and tablets. The resource is being made as flexible and accessible as possible for Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Android and iOS operating systems, and in the Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome browsers.
Absolutely free for everyone
At the same time, LNZ emphasizes that using LNZ Web is completely free of charge. Even if a user is not an LNZ customer, they can enjoy all the benefits of LNZ Web resources. The platform will offer the best seed material from world-famous brands: UNIVERSEED, Syngenta, DEKALB, LG Seeds, Pioneer, SESVanderHave. All seed material has been tested on LNZ's own fields, so customers can be confident in its quality.
Crop protection products: herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, seed treatments, desiccants, adjuvants and growth regulators — this section contains products with various spectra of action and purposes from market leaders: DEFENDA, BASF, BAYER, CORTEVA Agriscience, Syngenta. There is also a section of Fertilizers and Micronutrient Fertilizers.
The platform's key feature
The company's managers say that LNZ Web is the first official distributor in Ukraine that is fully available online. Here, genuine original products can be purchased at fair prices.
In addition, you can receive agronomic advice and highly professional support from specialists ready to go directly to the field.
LNZ Trade capabilities will also be available — purchasing of finished produce through elevators. And all this with maximum convenience, since everything is available on one device, and the website's functionality and design are as simple and intuitive as possible, accessible to anyone.
An order is quickly placed in a few clicks on the website, and delivery is provided within 1-2 days.
Source: AgroPortal.ua
