by A permanent farmers market is the perfect place to connect with customers, make farm-fresh products more accessible to your community, and turn your harvests into a profit.
But offering the freshest, most delicious meats and produce doesn’t guarantee farmers market success.
That’s why you need a farmers market software solution to help you make sales, manage inventory, build customer relationships, and thrive. In this blog, we’ll explore the top nine features you need from your farmers market software — plus three reliable providers.
Farm Inventory Management
Every spoiled steak or wilted vegetable takes a toll on your farmers market’s profitability — which is why you need inventory management software designed to handle farm-fresh, perishable products.
Let’s look at three specific farmers market software features that can help you manage inventory effectively and efficiently.
1. Real-Time Inventory Tracking
Real-time inventory tracking is critical for any retail operation. This powerful feature lets you see an overview of exactly what you have in stock from anywhere, at any time.
With this data right at your fingertips, you can make informed decisions about how to store and promote products to prevent spoilage and make the most of your inventory. For example, if your inventory records reveal a freezer full of ground sausage, you can offer a discount or send a marketing email to increase sausage sales and make space for fresher meats.
2. Weight-Based Sales and Inventory
Selling by weight is a win-win for you and your farmers market customers. They get to purchase the precise amount of meat that fits in their refrigerators and budgets, and you get to turn every last ounce of product into a profit.
Your farmers market software should make these weight-based sales a breeze. Look for one that lets customers place custom orders, integrates seamlessly with a deli scale, and prints barcode labels to simplify the checkout process.
3. In-Depth Sales Reporting
As a farmer, you know that careful planning is essential for success — and farmers market software is a must-have planning tool.
Your software should track and analyze your market’s sales data to reveal your bestselling farm products, customer shopping habits, and shifting sales trends. This data can help you make better decisions about which crops and livestock are worth your investment.
For example, if your software reveals a steady increase in organic sales, you should consider adopting organic standards across your entire farm. This data-driven decision will help you meet organic demand and cater to your health and sustainability-conscious customers.
Farm Marketing Features
Farmers market software can help you do more than manage your shop’s day-to-day operations; it can also help you grow your customer base, make more sales, and achieve your long-term growth goals.
Let’s explore three farm marketing features you need in a software solution.
4. A Customer Loyalty Program
A loyalty program can help you cultivate a dedicated customer base and enjoy steady revenue, but launching and managing one is a massive undertaking. That’s why you need farmers market software with a built-in customer loyalty program.
Software with built-in loyalty features makes it easy to customize your rewards structure, enroll new members, and give shoppers a reason to choose your farm store for all their meat and produce needs.
Plus, it gives you convenient access to your most valuable customers’ contact information and shopping history, letting you shape your strategies to meet their needs and preferences.
5. Email and SMS Integration
Want to build a stronger relationship with your neighborhood’s farm to fork enthusiasts? Then look for farmers market software with integrated email and SMS marketing features.
These tools let you stay connected with customers and update them about your recent harvests, share behind-the-scenes looks at your farming practices, and encourage them to stop by and take advantage of current discounts.
6. Flexible Promotion Options
Regular discounts are crucial for increasing your inventory turnout and encouraging on-the-fence customers to finally make a purchase, but relying on your farmhands to manually apply discounts at the checkout counter can lead to frustrated customers and costly pricing errors.
Instead, you should choose farmers market software that lets you schedule and monitor promotions. You can set up percentage discounts, mix and match promotions, and bundle deals to help your shoppers save and motivate them to spend.
Farm to Fork E-Commerce Opportunities
The farm to fork movement has transformed the farming industry, and a growing number of consumers now prefer to purchase directly from farmers rather than trusting the local big-box grocery store.
Embracing e-commerce is a non-negotiable for capturing these thoughtful customers, so let’s dive into three farmers market software features that can help you launch and grow your online farm store.
7. Website Builder
One of the most intimidating parts of starting an online farm store is creating a website, so we recommend farmers market software that includes a website builder.
This drag-and-drop tool lets you customize your site to match your farm’s branding, add product photos and descriptions, and share key information about your regenerative practices and family farm story.
Since this tool saves you time and simplifies the design process, you can launch your website sooner and immediately start making sales.
8. Online Order Management
Starting an online farm store without an order management plan is a recipe for chaos, packaging and shipping mistakes, and disappointed customers.
Fortunately, your farmers market software with built-in order management can prevent these disasters. This feature helps you monitor orders from when they’re placed to when they arrive at your customers’ doors, ensuring that the order placement, packaging, and delivery processes are accurate and fast.
Customers love flexible options, so make sure your software allows for order pickup, local delivery, and nationwide shipping.
9. Subscription Options
Farm and butcher box subscriptions have exploded in popularity recently — and it’s easy to see why. Customers can enjoy delicious meats without trekking to a brick and mortar store, and retailers can enjoy a steady flow of revenue.
Want to put this winning strategy to work for your farm? Then you need farmers market software with subscription management.
This feature makes it easy for customers to sign up for recurring deliveries of their favorite farm-fresh products. It also helps you provide consistent, timely deliveries for your subscription customers.
3 Farmers Market Software Options To Check Out
Now you know what farmers market software can do. What’s next?
To help you get started on your journey to higher sales and happier customers, we’ve made a shortlist of the top three farmers market software providers.
- Markt POS: Designed for butcher shops, seafood markets, and specialty grocery stores, Markt POS includes everything you need to make weight-based sales, manage perishable inventory, and keep your farm shop running smoothly.
- FarmBrite: FarmBrite promises to help you manage every aspect of your family farm, from assigning tasks to farmhands, planning out the planting and harvesting process, and selling your goods online and at your farmstand.
- GrazeCart: Our farmers market software can help you turn your farm-fresh goods into profit through features like weight-based inventory tracking, online order management, powerful marketing tools, and more.
Every farm is unique, so we recommend making your own list of must-have features and finding a trustworthy software provider that meets your needs.
Make Your Farmers Market Dreams a Reality With GrazeCart
For farmers market success, you need software that includes specialized inventory management tools, sales-boosting marketing features, and innovative e-commerce features. Sounds like a tall order, right?
Not with GrazeCart. Our powerful farm to fork software includes all the features you need to keep your profits high and your customers happy, including weight-based sales and inventory, insightful sales reporting, a built-in customer loyalty program, integrated email and SMS marketing features, full e-commerce capabilities, and more.
Ready to start your GrazeCart journey? Sign up for your free, two-week trial today.