Empowering a livestock leader with online growth in Germany
TechMix, a leader in livestock health solutions, aimed to accelerate online growth in collaboration with their German distributor and conducted research to understand the e-commerce potential for German dairy farmers.
To strengthen the collaboration with their German distribution partner, TechMix decided to explore opportunities among German dairy farmers, particularly through e-commerce. Research from Hammer provided insights into farmer behavior and a roadmap for developing a successful online channel that supports their existing sales model.
Many dairy farmers – especially in Germany – are fairly tech savvy. Many have adopted digital farm management systems and buy farm products online.
TechMix recognized this and saw an opportunity to boost the sales efforts of their German distributor with a complementary e-commerce channel. The livestock company wanted to have a clear overview of what it would take to succeed in launching a dairy-focused e-commerce channel.
This is where Hammer came in. The market intelligence firm worked with TechMix to gain as much market insight as possible before launch.
“Having observed different levels of success with our online stores throughout Europe, we saw the need to understand how e-commerce could better support the traditional sales approaches of our distributors,” said David Muysson, director at TechMix. “The goal was to explore farmers’ interest in purchasing directly from digital platforms, ensuring this complements their existing sales through veterinarians.”
The analysis
Hammer used a combination of research methods to arrive at the required insights as input for the development process.
First, desk research was conducted in order to get an understanding of the target audience: German dairy farmers. Hammer looked at statistics such as demographics, farmer traits, level of tech savviness (and more), and created a comprehensive overview of different buyer personas. This step also helped in the development process, revealing various e-commerce example cases within the dairy farming sector.
“The research validated our assumption that e-commerce can play a critical role in providing health solutions directly to dairy farmers in Germany, while not overshadowing the pivotal role of the veterinarian,” said Muysson.
The next step involved interviewing various experts. Key industry professionals provided very specific knowledge on how to reach the German dairy farmers through marketing, but also regarding key decision points.
Ultimately, Hammer’s research findings resulted in a deliverable with two key components:
- Customer Understanding – An overview of German dairy farmer buyer personas, their attitudes toward e-commerce, and the marketing implications.
- Channel Strategy – Actionable insights and potential pitfalls for launching and developing an e-commerce channel.
According to data from analyst firm EMR, the German dairy sector is worth around $26.4 billion. The market is relatively fragmented and is projected to reach $28.6 billion by 2032.
