Catherina Cunnane, That’s Farming editor, sits down with LSL Auctions to review 2022 and discuss its expansion plans for 2023.
The Irish-based live broadcasting auction platform founded by CEO Brendan Hannigan has had “yet another interesting year”.
The company continues to expand across Europe and, this year, opened offices in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada to enhance its presence in Ireland, London and across Europe.
The company, responsible for Ireland’s first virtual livestock auction held at Carnaross Mart, County Meath, in April 2020, has now expanded to 195 auctioneer sites covering livestock, machinery, equine, land & property, and antiques.
A spokesperson for LSL confirmed the audience has grown to almost 2 million over the past 24 months and is increasing as the company expands overseas.
Property
2022 saw a “dramatic” increase in online land and property sales on the LSL platform.
There are many options for auctioneers to choose from on LSL, such as:
- Timed auction;
- Live broadcasting auctions;
- Hybrid (floor and online) auctions.
Many auctioneers also choose LSL to advertise their upcoming auctions, even if they are selling via private treaty.
The company’s social media profile is reported to have a 5,246.718-page reach with 1.5 million minutes of videos watched online, the spokesperson told That’s Farming.
Many Irish property auctioneers and estate agents have opted to sell property via the LSL’s live broadcasting online-only version, with land selling for almost €26,000/acre with Quinn Property in recent weeks.
The company reports in 2022, over 250,000 app installs and over 6.1 million bids were placed online across all sectors.
These are “phenomenal” statistics considering the first virtual livestock auction in Ireland took place on LSL in April 2020.
New app
2022 also saw LSL launch its all-new improved ‘LSL App’, and you can find it by searching ‘LSL Auctions’ in iOS Apple and Google Play stores (the app has an orange hammer logo and black background).
The spokesperson commented:
“The new app has all the functionality of the old green LSL app but much, much more.”
“Included in the new app are better graphics, new filtering functionality for the livestock catalogue, notifications, LSL TV, and On-Demand along with the Free LSL Herd App.”
“The new app is also designed to be better for land and property auctioneers and their clients.”
The Free to use ‘LSL Herd App’ was the very first module of the LSL App, launched in 2018, which synchronises with DAFM herd information, online register for calves, and is connected to ICBF.
Remedy medication, weights, AI data, feed and many more functions are available.
The spokesperson commented that LSL Herd App remains a free-to-use product to this day with “no intention to charge farmers or herd owners in the future”.
Cloud-based in-house software
In 2022, as reported by That’s Farming, LSL launched its entirely cloud-based in-house software solution for auction houses.
Many marts and auction houses across Ireland use LSL internal auction software.
However, Cootehill Livestock Mart is reportedly the first livestock mart in Ireland to be operating LSL in-house auction software completely cloud-based.
It is connected to DAFM AIM, reporting animal movements directly from the cloud.
No servers are now required at the mart, and the internal staff use laptops connect to satellite internet to talk to the cloud software.
Hennessy’s Machinery Auctions, one of Ireland’s biggest monthly online auctions, based in Portlaoise, are also using LSL’s completely cloud-based auction software.
The spokesperson said: “It is revolutionary that auction houses can operate internal auction software completely cloud-based and offer clients access to their account purchases, sales, and ledger balances via the LSL app.”
2023 plans
Looking into 2023, the company confirmed additional development is close to completion on the live broadcasting module and will be launched in January.
New contracts have reportedly been agreed in Europe, South Africa and other countries, which will commence in spring of 2023.
LSL is definitely one of the Irish tech success stories which has changed the way livestock, property, land and machinery are purchased in Ireland and further afield.
Auctioneers this year, have confirmed Irish property being purchased online via LSL with bidders as far away as Europe, the USA, Dubai, and even, Saudi Arabia.
