Aimee Palmer, digital delivery manager at Farmlands and Elias Billeh, general manager, digital, Datacom, were invited to speak with Sarah Theiss, partner manager, Adobe at Adobe Experience Makers Australia New Zealand 2020.​

Watch a recording of Adobe Experience Makers Australia New Zealand 2020 and learn more about Farmlands' click and collect system.

Who is Farmlands?

Farmlands Co-operative is New Zealand's 17th biggest company by turnover, with a reputation built on experience operating the land.

Its agribusiness has a broad focus, including red meat and fibre, horticulture, dairy, and arable.

People rely on Farmlands for more than products. Advice is key, with personal interactions a cornerstone of the business. These interactions occur across more than 82 stores nationwide.

I know we've got this foundation in the Adobe platform. And with our partner, Datacom, we can truly deliver seamless, personalised, connected experiences across all of our touchpoints, and, of course, our shareholders.

Aimee Palmer, Digital Delivery Manager, Farmlands Co-operative

The lockdown occurs

When New Zealand went into its first lockdown, Farmlands was affected as severely as other businesses. Perhaps more so since it provides an essential service to the community.

The challenge for Farmlands was immense. Cattle have to eat. Crops need to be tended. So, how could shareholders get vital goods when none of them could enter a store?

What happened next was quick thinking, followed by quick action.

Digital brings everyone together

Farmlands' solution was to build a new digital storefront. A 'click and collect' system that would allow shareholders to select, review, and order products, then collect them from outside the store.

For that, it turned to its IT partner, Datacom, says Aimee Palmer.

"We engaged Datacom, who we were already on a strategic journey with, to sort of boot up and jump on board to help us out."

The platform chosen was Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) cloud. Datacom had already identified Adobe as best in class for customer experience management. In addition, Datacom has unrivalled experience with Adobe.

A race against time

Teams from Farmlands and Datacom worked around the clock to build the system. More than 40 people collaborated to create a platform that would be accessible, effective, and highly secure.

The focus was not just on deploying the technology. People were also a priority since both shareholders and staff working remotely had to adjust to a new way of doing business.

Processes were just as important. New methods, functions, and technology created a multiplicity of moving parts that all had to mesh together seamlessly.

Despite the complexity and isolated teams, Farmlands were impressed with Datacom's 'can-do' attitude. And remarkably, AEM was up and running in a little over three weeks.

Success beyond all expectations

The new digital platform was a resounding success. Shareholders were impressed and sales via the platform skyrocketed. More than 1,000 orders were placed in the first five days, while sales in one week surpassed the entire annual order from the old web store.

At the same time, Farmlands has greater visibility of shareholder fulfilment, stock availability, and buying trends.

Crucially, the 'click and collect' initiative enabled Farmlands and its shareholders to not only support livelihoods during the pandemic but to thrive in a challenging environment.

Looking to the future

Digital is transforming every industry — including agribusiness — which is why Farmlands had already embarked on its journey to digital and cloud with Datacom. Its response when the pandemic hit was a rapid evolution rather than a revolution.

This evolution continues. More features have been deployed, enabling Farmlands to deliver the same engaging and personalised experiences online as it's known for in-store.

Furthermore, many in the farming community are embracing new technologies. Farmlands' initiatives help these farmers and meet their expectations.

"We need to stay ahead of this technology and these trends in order to provide the value and thought leadership to our shareholders," says Aimee.

With Datacom, Farmlands are doing just that — positioning itself for a future that is increasingly and unavoidably digital.

To find out more, watch the video at Adobe Experience Makers.

 

 

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