Mart goes digital for armchair bidders

Mayo Sligo Mart, Ballina, recently became the first mart in the country to provide an online bidding service to its customers.

Sales are broadcast online from the ring with live audio and video feed, allowing customers view auctions of livestock as they happen, and to bid for lots from anywhere in the world.

Meanwhile, a visual display in the sale ring allows bidders attending the mart to see if they are bidding against the floor or the internet.

For those online, viewing and bidding can be done on your laptop, smartphone or tablet.

The service is expected to be warmly welcomed, especiallyby part-time farmers.

Mart manager Billy Loftus outlined scenarios where the service will be useful to customers.

“This system opens the business to audiences that have never used the mart before, young part time farmers who have iPads and smartphones but don’t have time to spend a day at the mart”, Billy said.

The system also allows farmers view the trade and quality of stock going through the ring, in order to evaluate their own stock.

“The system allows you purchase stock from your home or at work, this suits people who cannot make it to a sale, or who cannot wait all day at the ringside” said Billy.

The laptop or iPad or phone will display all the same information on the lot as the board in the ring.

Farmers who cannot attend the mart can also view their own stock going through the ring, if a family member or friend is selling them on their behalf.

“If you are a potential new customer, either buyer or seller, you can view the quality of stock, prices, service, speed of the sale, prior to making your mind up about coming to Ballina Mart,” Billy said.

How do you use the service?

Those that are interested have to register via the mart’s mayosligomart.ie website.

They will be asked to supply details and create a password. The mart will then issue them with a username for use with the password they created.