Direct marketing in the upswing: Lower Austria farmers relate to digital future!

Direct marketing in the upswing: Lower Austria farmers relate to digital future!

More and more agricultural businesses are relying on direct marketing. According to a report by orf.at , 14 percent of agricultural direct marketers in Austria already use their own web shop, while ten percent rely on digital sales platforms. A recently carried out study underpins the trend towards digitization in agriculture. The State Chamber of Agriculture and various organizations have launched initiatives to support companies using digital sales channels such as web shops, machines and Click & Collect. These digitized sales strategies not only offer efficiency, but also help to achieve new target groups.

In South Tyrol, on the other hand, according to the Bozen Chamber of Commerce, an encouraging image of direct marketing is shown. Of the 16,013 active agricultural companies, only 455 have specialized in the sale of their products, which corresponds to a modest proportion of 2.8 percent, according to the report by sbb.it . The WiFo study on the status of direct marketing was carried out by 203 agricultural entrepreneurs and the results clarify that direct marketing in South Tyrol has great economic opportunities. More than 70 percent of the respondents stated that the higher added value of their companies was a decisive reason for the entry into direct marketing.

growth and challenges

The study shows that a significant part of the direct marketers in South Tyrol, about 83.7 percent, prefers direct sale over the farm and market. These sales channels have contributed to the creation of an annual turnover of 44.7 million euros. However, many direct marketers face challenges such as high workload and the need for extensive specialist knowledge in order to be able to exist in the competitive market. Nevertheless, most respondents express a positive future perspective and plan to expand their businesses.