Agri-Commerce & Markets
Farm Shops & Direct-to-Consumer
Keep the retail margin, and the story that justifies it.
Direct selling converts commodity output into retail value, and the multiple between the two is often larger than any efficiency gain available inside the farm gate. This module provides storefront, subscription boxes, click and collect, farm shop point of sale and the provenance narrative that the platform record can substantiate rather than merely assert.
- 12 capabilities
- 3 linked schemes
- Offline capable
- 12
- Capabilities in this module
- 5
- Interactive tools
- 3
- Linked support schemes
- 5
- Data integrations
- 5
- Measures reported
The ground reality
What is actually happening in direct to consumer in the UK
Value-added routes multiply the return on the same tonne: barley sold as beer, wheat sold as flour or bread, and produce sold direct all capture a multiple of commodity price. Direct-to-consumer models also carry real failure risk where they depend on owned logistics, which is why asset-light fulfilment and collection-based models are the safer entry point.
Figures are as published at the time of writing. Farm policy and payment rates change frequently — verify against the primary source before relying on any number here.
In the field
Direct to consumer, as it actually looks
Photography from working UK holdings alongside the interface that records it. Every frame below is a commissioned slot: the brief is stated until the photograph is taken.
Direct to Consumer — a walkthrough
A working pass through direct to consumer: entering the record once, and watching it appear in the evidence pack, the calendar and the scheme application without being typed again.
- 0:00 What the module is for
- 0:48 Entering the record
- 2:05 Where it appears next
- 3:20 The evidence pack
Photography slots state their own brief until the shot is commissioned, so the layout never shifts when real images arrive.
Capabilities
What Direct to Consumer does
Every capability below is built on the same underlying record, so entering something once is enough for it to appear wherever it is needed.
Record and plan
- Storefront with product catalogue, variants, stock and pricing
- Subscription box management with pause, skip and flexible cadence
- Click and collect with farm shop, locker and partner pickup points
Operate and monitor
- Farm shop point of sale integrated with the same stock and customer record
- Provenance pages generated from the actual production record
- Age verification and duty handling for alcohol products
Comply and evidence
- Food safety, labelling and allergen information management
- Delivery zone, slot and courier integration with cold chain handling
- Customer accounts, order history and reorder prompts
Analyse and improve
- Loyalty, referral and gifting flows
- Local supplier onboarding for a multivendor farm shop offer
- Margin analysis by product comparing direct against wholesale returns
Interactive
Tools you actually use, not screens you read
These are working interfaces inside the module — maps, calculators, planners and dashboards that respond to your own holding data.
Storefront builder with product, variant and stock management
Storefront builder with product, variant and stock management
BuilderSubscription cadence manager for the customer
Subscription cadence manager for the customer
ToolProvenance viewer showing the field, the date and the practice behind the product
Provenance viewer showing the field, the date and the practice behind the product
ToolDirect versus wholesale margin comparator per product
Direct versus wholesale margin comparator per product
ToolDelivery zone and slot planner
Delivery zone and slot planner
BuilderEnd to end
How Direct to Consumer runs, start to finish
The module is modelled as a state machine, so at any point the business knows exactly which stage every record is at and what has to happen next.
-
1
Build the catalogue and set pricing
This is where the record starts, and getting it right here removes work at every later stage.
-
2
Generate provenance from the production record
The platform prompts only for what this stage genuinely needs, and carries everything forward.
-
3
Configure delivery, collection and subscriptions
Conflicts with scheme rules, regulatory windows and existing commitments are flagged here rather than discovered later.
-
4
Onboard local suppliers as vendors
Capture works offline, so this stage is completed in the field rather than remembered afterwards.
-
5
Take orders across web and counter
Everything recorded at this point becomes evidence automatically, in every format that will later ask for it.
-
6
Pick, pack and fulfil
This is the stage most businesses currently do twice, once for the operation and once for the paperwork.
-
7
Settle vendor accounts
Results feed the whole-farm view, so the effect of this stage is visible against the rest of the business.
-
8
Analyse margin against wholesale alternative
The cycle closes here, and what is learned is carried into next season's plan rather than lost.
Who uses it
Built around four real jobs, not one generic user
Each of these people needs something different from the same record. The module is designed so none of them has to work around the others.
Farm shop operator
On-farm retail plus online
Needs one stock and customer record across counter and web.
Box scheme producer
Weekly vegetable boxes
Needs subscription management and predictable picking lists.
Livestock producer
Selling meat boxes
Needs traceability and food safety documentation attached.
Local supplier
Selling through the farm shop
Needs simple onboarding and transparent settlement.
Schemes and funding
Support schemes this module works with
Agrivencia holds these schemes as data, so eligibility, payment rates, caps and windows update the day they change rather than at the next software release.
Adding Value Grant
Support investment in processing, packing and marketing that adds value to primary agricultural products.
Defra / Rural Payments Agency EnglandRural England Prosperity Fund
Support rural business diversification and community infrastructure.
Local authorities EnglandFarming Transformation Fund
Fund larger capital projects that transform farm productivity, water management or value addition.
Defra / Rural Payments AgencyRates, caps and windows change frequently and sometimes without notice. Always confirm against the current published scheme rules before applying.
Measurement
How you will know it is working
The module reports against these measures from the day it is switched on, so the value is demonstrable rather than assumed.
- 01Direct sales value
- 02Margin per product against wholesale
- 03Subscription retention
- 04Average order value
- 05Repeat purchase rate
Shopfront
Sell through direct to consumer
A storefront that already knows what you produce, because it reads your holding record. Assurance status, batch and provenance travel with every listing, so a buyer sees the evidence rather than a claim.
-
Meat and dairy No listings yet Cold chain and use-by handling required
-
Grain and flour No listings yet Sold by weight, priced per tonne
-
Fruit and vegetables No listings yet Seasonal availability, grade declared
-
Eggs and poultry No listings yet Registered packing centre code shown
-
Drink No listings yet Duty status and ABV declared
-
Wool and fibre No listings yet British Wool grade where applicable
-
Inputs and seed No listings yet Authorisation number shown for treated seed
-
Machinery No listings yet Hours, service history and V5C status
What the shopfront handles for you
- Collection, local delivery or carrier Rural postcodes are priced honestly rather than hidden at checkout.
- Weight-priced and graded goods A tonne of wheat and a box of eggs need different maths. Both are handled.
- Assurance carried through Red Tractor, organic certification and farm assurance status shown from the record, not typed in.
- Batch and provenance attached Every order can produce the traceability record behind it.
Market board
What things are worth this week
A board of the prices a UK farm business actually trades against, with the publishing body named beside each line. Prices are shown per the unit the trade uses, not converted into something tidier.
| Commodity | Price | Change | Trend | Source | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feed wheat | — £/t | -1.0% | AHDB | awaiting feed | |
| Milling wheat | — £/t | +0.3% | AHDB | awaiting feed | |
| Feed barley | — £/t | +4.9% | AHDB | awaiting feed | |
| Oilseed rape | — £/t | +4.7% | AHDB | awaiting feed | |
| Deadweight cattle | — p/kg dw | -2.6% | AHDB | awaiting feed | |
| Deadweight lambs | — p/kg dw | -3.4% | AHDB | awaiting feed | |
| Farmgate milk | — p/litre | -3.5% | Defra | awaiting feed | |
| Standard pigs | — p/kg dw | +4.7% | AHDB | awaiting feed | |
| Ammonium nitrate | — £/t | -1.4% | Trade | awaiting feed | |
| Red diesel | — p/litre | -3.3% | Trade | awaiting feed |
Questions answered
What people ask about Direct to Consumer
Does this replace the software I already use?
Not necessarily. Agrivencia integrates with authoritative sources and mainstream packages rather than insisting on replacing them. Where an incumbent does one job well, the platform connects to it; where the job spans several systems and nobody does it, the platform does it.
Will it work where I have no signal?
Yes. Field capture in Direct to Consumer is offline first, storing locally and synchronising when a connection returns. Only around a fifth of UK farms report reliable signal across the whole holding, so this is a design assumption rather than a feature.
What happens when the scheme rules change?
Scheme rules are held as data rather than code, so a rate change, a cap change or a window closure is a content update that takes effect the same day. The platform also alerts you to what the change does to your own position.
Who owns the data I put in?
You do. The Farm Data Charter gives you a complete export in open formats at any time, and every instance of data sharing requires an explicit, revocable consent that is visible in your account.
Does it work if I farm across a border?
Yes, and that is one of the main reasons the platform exists. A business with land in more than one nation sees one reconciled view rather than two portals, with obligations and deadlines from both administrations in a single calendar.
Can my agronomist or land agent use it too?
Yes. You grant scoped, time-limited access per holding and per module, and you can revoke it in one click. Advisers never get a shared password or a blanket view.
What is the biggest limitation of this module?
Owned logistics cost. Mitigated by collection and partner-led fulfilment. We would rather state that plainly than let you discover it after signing.
Documents
Take it away with you
Everything here is printable and works on a kitchen table with no signal. Where a document asks for an email address, it says so on the button rather than after you press it.
Capturing Retail Margin: Direct Selling Without the Logistics Trap
The practical handbook for direct to consumer: what the rules require, what the evidence has to show, and the mistakes that cost people money.
direct to consumer — evidence checklist
Every document an audit or a claim asks for, in the order it is asked for, with the validity period of each.
direct to consumer — record template
The record structure the module uses, as a spreadsheet, so a business not yet on the platform can start keeping it correctly today.
Data model reference
Entities, fields and integration points for direct to consumer, for advisers and software partners.
See Direct to Consumer running on your own holding
Thirty minutes, using your parcels, your schemes and your enterprises rather than a sample farm. No obligation and no sales script — if it does not fit your business we will say so.
- Free tier available
- No card required
- Your data stays yours