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Tractor Zoom
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Data-as-a-Service
- Functional Applications - Inventory Management Systems
Applicable Industries
- Agriculture
Applicable Functions
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
- Sales & Marketing
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
Services
- Data Science Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
From 1,600+ auctioneers and dealers, Tractor Zoom receives data about each piece of equipment for sale. The data comes in many forms—from written descriptions to spreadsheets—and includes everything from make and model to engine hours. Different OEMs use different terms to refer to equipment parts, and these terms often contrast with the terms Tractor Zoom uses internally. Regardless of where the data comes from—or which terms are used— it all needs to be captured and cataloged in datasets for buyers and processed and standardized in a specific way. The Tractor Zoom team initially tried to do the work internally, putting in many hours behind computer screens to manually catalog data and pull in images and descriptions. As the company started to grow, its team quickly realized there was no way to keep up, says Matt Carstens, customer success manager. “We would’ve been hiring for six months to add at least 10 staff—or hiring people through a staffing agency that we still would’ve had to manage.”
About The Customer
Established in 2017 to create an easy online shopping experience for farmers, agtech company Tractor Zoom helps people find, evaluate, and value farm machinery faster than they ever have before—whether the machinery is for sale through a farm equipment auction or dealer. By connecting buyers — farmers looking for equipment — with sellers — auction companies and equipment dealers — around the world, Tractor Zoom has overhauled the advertising process and simplified decision-making while increasing available inventory options. Powering the platform is proprietary software that not only stores real-time data and valuation information about the equipment being sold, but also helps lenders, government agencies, and dealers understand how current market conditions impact value.
The Solution
CloudFactory’s data enrichment services now handle uploaded inventory for Tractor Zoom—dirty data and images from farm equipment auctions and specific lots. Our analysts confirm that the provided equipment listing is correct, add key attributes and supplementary information about the machinery, and categorize the listing in Tractor Zoom’s proprietary software. Tractor Zoom performs a quick quality check of the data, and then the listing goes live on the website. Working with CloudFactory has allowed Tractor Zoom to increase the number of data points captured per piece of equipment, which McMahon says they wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. Today, the company manages the attributes of approximately 30,000 equipment makes and models.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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