by As a farmer, there are times when you wish you had more hours in the day.
Between caring for your livestock and crops, keeping your farm store staffed and stocked, and educating your community about the importance of choosing locally sourced meats and produce, your to-do list can sometimes feel impossible.
That’s why you need farm point of sale (POS) software to save you time, streamline your operations, and put you on the path to higher profits.
In this blog, we’ll explore six features you need in a farm software solution, plus our favorite POS software providers for farms like yours.
What Is Farm POS Software?
Farm POS software is a tool that allows you to operate your farm more efficiently and profitably. It facilitates sales transactions, keeps track of your inventory, and reveals your customers' wants and needs.
With the right features, farm POS software can also support you as you scale up your farm store, empowering you to expand your customer base and sell more of your farm’s high-quality meats, dairy products, and produce.
Let’s take a look at exactly how this tool can transform your farm’s operations.
1. Integrated Payment Processing
One of the main functions of farm POS software is that it allows you to accept all payment types from your customers.
Rather than operating your farm store on a small scale, only accepting cash, and tracking your sales on paper, your farm POS software can process sales transactions made with cash, cards, and even contactless payment methods.
After a transaction is finalized, your POS software automatically logs it in a sales report, allowing you to look back at a detailed record of how many customers you had, what they purchased, and what payment method they used.
This fundamental feature creates a more convenient customer experience and enables you to make a higher volume of secure transactions.
2. Sales by Weight
Another key POS software feature for farms is the ability to sell products by weight.
Selling products like ground beef, chicken breast, or sausage by unit isn’t the best option. Your customers will be frustrated with the inconsistencies in your packaging, and you’ll be frustrated by how tough it is to keep track of your stock levels.
Instead, you should use your farm POS software to sell your products by their exact weight. This feature allows you to make the most of every ounce of inventory in your farm’s refrigerators and freezers, and it gives your customers the flexibility to choose how much of a certain product they want to purchase.
3. Inventory Tracking
Inventory management is an essential ingredient for farm store success.
Almost everything you sell is perishable — which means you need to keep a close eye on every item in your inventory and ensure a customer takes it home before it wilts or spoils.
Your farm POS software makes this task effortless, giving you access to a real-time overview of your stock. Equipped with this information, you can make strategic decisions to increase turnover by launching a promotion or to rearrange your farm store’s layout to highlight certain products.
4. Customer Relationship Management
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a must-have farm POS software feature if you’re hoping to grow your operations.
This tool gives you the power to attract and retain new customers, nurturing their relationship with your farm. Let’s take a look at just a few ways you can use your farm POS software’s CRM system:
- Launch a subscription service to guarantee repeat sales and keep your customers stocked up on their favorite products from your farm.
- Implement a customer loyalty program to reward customers for shopping at your farm store.
- Get insights into your most loyal customers’ shopping habits via in-depth reports, and adjust your strategies to meet their wants and needs.
These strategies can make a world of difference for your farm’s bottom line — and the right farm POS software can make implementing them nearly effortless.
5. Sales Reporting
How well do you really know your customers? If you’re not analyzing your farm store’s sales reports, you probably don’t know them well enough.
Your farm POS software should constantly collect information about your farm’s operations, including which products your shoppers gravitate toward, how much of each item they tend to purchase, and how often they stop by your farm store.
Your software then breaks this information down into digestible sales reports, allowing you to learn about your customers and ensure you’re harvesting exactly what they want.
6. Online Sales
Looking to give your sales a huge boost? Then it’s time to start selling your farm’s goods online.
Choosing a farm POS software solution with e-commerce capabilities expands your potential customer base beyond your local area, allowing you to sell and ship your products across the country.
To sell your farm’s goods online, look for farm POS software with an easy-to-use website builder, an order management system, and flexible fulfillment options that include pickup, local delivery, and nationwide shipping.
3 Farm POS Software Providers To Consider
Finding a farm POS software you can trust with all of these features can seem daunting, so we’ve done the hard work for you and outlined three of your best options.
Square
If you’re taking your first steps into the world of POS software, Square might be a solid option for your farm. With built-in payment processing, a user-friendly interface, and a few basic inventory features, Square can help you make sales more easily and keep your farm store running more smoothly.
The downside of Square is that it is not a farm-specific POS solution, so you’ll miss out on features like farm to table e-commerce and sales by weight.
Head to Square’s website to learn about their pricing structure and get started with their POS software and hardware.
Barn2Door
Unlike Square, Barn2Door is a POS software solution specifically designed for the farming industry.
Barn2Door’s software allows you to sell your products directly to consumers, whether you’re running a physical farm stand or launching an e-commerce website. They also offer add-on design services to help you develop your farm’s brand.
Learn more about Barn2Door’s offerings and check out their pricing options on their website.
GrazeCart
If you’re looking for reliable, user-friendly farm POS software with all the features you need to take your operations to the next level, then GrazeCart is your best choice.
This POS software includes a full suite of features that allow you to sell products by weight, serve in-person and online shoppers, grow your customer base, and maintain impeccable inventory records.
Another major benefit of GrazeCart is that you’ll receive top-notch onboarding and support at no additional cost, ensuring you have access to not only the best software, but the best advice, too.
Learn how much it costs to get started with GrazeCart by visiting our website.
Invest in the Best Farm POS Software: GrazeCart
If you’re in the market for the best farm POS software solution, there’s one clear choice: GrazeCart.
Designed by and for farmers just like you, GrazeCart has everything you need to streamline your operations, attract more customers, and boost your farm’s bottom line.
Start your free, two-week trial of GrazeCart today.