What Is a Catch Weight Item? A Quick Guide

Imagine visiting a new restaurant and receiving a heaping plate full of your favorite dish.

Pleased with the generous portion size, you decide to go back again the next week — only to receive a sparse plate with much less food. You’ll feel disappointed, right?

This is exactly what can happen if you and your customers don’t share an understanding of catch weight inventory. 

When a customer orders a steak from your farm, they expect to receive a consistent portion — which is impossible to give them if you don’t manage and sell your inventory by weight. 

To help you and your customers get on the same page, we’ve created this quick guide to answer all your questions about catch weight items. Keep reading to learn what catch weight items are, see real-world examples, and get our top four tips for managing catch weight inventory like a pro. 

What Is a Catch Weight Item? 

As a farmer, you know that no two cows or chickens are the exact same size or shape — which means no two steaks or chicken wings will be the same weight either.

That’s why products like farm-fresh meats are called catch weight items. Instead of tracking and selling these products by individual unit, it’s best to sell them by weight to account for their natural variations in size.

For example, rather than letting customers add two individual steaks to their carts, you should structure your online farm store to let them order two pounds of steak. This approach ensures your customers always receive a consistent product from your farm. 

Examples of Catch Weight Items

We’ve established that catch weight items are products with natural variations in size that should be sold by weight. Now, let’s take a look at some examples of catch weight items:

• Meat: Humanely and sustainably raised livestock can vary wildly in size, which means they’ll yield different amounts of meat. 
• Produce: Regeneratively or organically farmed fruits and vegetables are bound to have natural variations in size. 
• Other farm-fresh products: Items like artisanal cheeses, jerky, and smoked sausages will also vary in weight since you make them by hand. 

Selling products like these by weight gives your customers the flexibility to order exactly how much they want, ensures they always get a consistent experience when they buy from your farm, and helps you make the most of your inventory. 

How To Manage Catch Weight Inventory in 4 Simple Steps

Now that you know what catch weight items are, let’s explore how to manage them. Here are four steps to manage and sell farm-fresh products by weight. 

1. Invest in the Right Software

When it comes to catch weight items, not all inventory management software is equal. You need a software solution specifically designed to help farmers like you manage and sell variable weight products. 

Here are two must-have inventory management features to look for in your farm software: 

• Weight-based inventory tracking: Your farm software should make it simple to view your stock levels by weight. 
• Weight-based order management: Your farm software should make it easy for customers to place custom orders for the exact amount of product they want. 

These two features will help you stay organized and let you sell your inventory down to the last ounce, minimizing waste and maximizing your profits. 

2. Use a Reliable Scale

To manage catch weight items, you also need the right scale. 

A reliable scale with precise measurements boosts your customers’ trust in your farm and prevents inventory errors. For the easiest order fulfillment process, we recommend looking for a scale with a built-in label printer. 

3. Thoroughly Label Your Products

Labels are a must-have when it comes to catch weight items. Packaged meats that vary in weight should be clearly labeled with their exact weight, calculated price, and food safety information like the best-by date. 

A barcode label printer can make organizing your inventory and packing orders even easier. Instead of manually entering the product type, weight, and price into your software, you can simply scan the barcode to ensure the sale is reflected in your records. 

4. Prioritize Pricing Transparency

Purchasing catch weight items can seem intimidating for your customers. Instead of simply clicking “add to cart,” they have to decide how much of a certain item they want and figure out how much it will cost. 

That’s why your farm website should be transparent about catch weight pricing to simplify the decision-making process. 

Once your customer has added a variable weight product to their online cart, make sure your website shows the exact price they’ll pay, plus an estimate of their delivery costs. 

Related Read: What Is the Best Farm Website Builder? 5 Top Solutions

Make Catch Weight Inventory a Breeze With GrazeCart

That’s everything you need to know about catch weight items! Let’s do a quick recap: 

• Catch weight items are simply items sold by weight rather than individual units. For example, farm-fresh meats have natural size variations, which means the best way to track and sell them is by weight. 
• The right farm sales software is the foundation of an effective catch weight management strategy. Look for one specifically designed to help food producers track and sell products by weight. 
• Invest in a reliable scale and label printer to keep products organized and to deliver accurate orders.
  Clearly communicate how catch weight pricing works with your customers using a website builder designed for farm sales. 

Ready to put these best practices into action? We’re here to help. 

GrazeCart is a software solution created by and for farmers to help you manage weight-based sales, grow your profits through e-commerce, and simplify your operations. 

See what GrazeCart can do by starting your free, two-week trial today.