Buyer-supplier relations

Digitalisation as a relationship factor

In agri-food, digitalising procurement is not only about saving time and money. It has become a determining factor in how durable the relationship between buyers and sellers turns out to be.

Successive crises accelerated rather than delayed these projects: purchasing software is now considered essential by the large majority of decision-makers surveyed by the trade press.

What practitioners observe

• Companies with existing e-procurement tools proved more resilient during the crisis
• Shared visibility reduces disputes over quantities, prices and delays
• Suppliers gain a predictable channel rather than scattered requests

Beyond the transaction

When the exchange of orders, confirmations and adjustments happens in one place, both sides spend their time on the commercial relationship instead of reconstructing what was agreed.

Digital procurement is judged on the relationships it sustains, not the clicks it saves.