As a farmer, you’re an expert in growth.
You know what to plant, when to plant it, and when to harvest it — all resulting in the freshest, most delicious produce in the county.
But to take your farm stand to the next level, there’s another type of growth you need to master: cultivating a loyal customer base and raking in bigger profits.
In this blog, we’ll explore how a farm stand point of sale (POS) system can help you accomplish these goals, plus our four favorite POS solutions for farmers like you.
What Does a Farm Stand Point of Sale System Do?
A POS system is an essential tool for processing sales transactions at your farm stand — but that’s not the only thing it can do for you.
The right farm stand point of sale system will act as your business partner, helping you track inventory, monitor sales trends, and streamline your overall operations.
Let’s take a closer look at why you need a farm POS system.
1. Provide Speedy Customer Service
While an attractive array of farm-fresh products can go a long way in winning over customers, a convenient shopping experience is just as important.
Your farm stand point of sale system plays a major role in shaping your customers’ experience, ensuring that checkouts are quick and accurate.
A fast, reliable POS system is crucial during your busiest seasons. Whether you sell mountains of fresh strawberries during the summer or fresh ears of corn in the first months of fall, you need a POS system to keep your lines short and your customers happy.
2. Grow Your Loyal Customer Base
Repeat customers are one of the most important ingredients for farm stand success. Once you’ve earned their loyalty, they’ll visit you every time they’re craving fresh, in-season produce.
A farm stand point of sale system with a built-in customer loyalty program can help you turn one-time visitors into lifelong fans of your farm stand. A loyalty program gives customers the chance to earn points every time they shop with you and unlock exclusive perks — encouraging them to stop by more often and spend more.
3. Monitor Your Inventory
Spoilage is a farm stand nightmare. Every wilted vegetable or gray steak you throw away is time and money down the drain.
Fortunately, a farm stand point of sale system can prevent inventory disasters by giving you real-time insights into your farm stand’s inventory and letting you make more informed decisions to minimize waste.
For example, if your POS system reveals that you have more eggs on hand than you’re expected to sell, you can launch a last-minute promotion to sell them before they expire.
4. Reveal Your Sales Trends
Farm planning starts way before you plant the first seeds of the season. You have to decide which crops to grow, set aside the right amount of space for them, and predict your harvests.
Your farm stand point of sale can make this challenging process easier by giving you insights into your bestselling products and historical sales trends.
If you’ve sold out of sweet potatoes year after year, you can make a confident decision to invest your time and money into growing a larger crop of sweet potatoes to meet customers’ demand. On the other hand, if you undersold peaches during previous summers, you can shift your focus to crops that perform better financially.
Our Top 4 Farm Stand Point of Sale Systems
In short, there’s no limit to what a farm stand point of sale system can do for you. It can improve the customer experience, save you time, boost your bottom line, and so much more.
Now, let’s take a look at our four favorite farm stand point of sale providers.
1. Square
If your priorities are cost, simplicity, and speed, Square might be a solid option for your farm stand.
Square is a POS provider that caters to small business owners in all retail industries. Their simple, user-friendly hardware and software make them popular among beginner and budget-conscious retailers.
Along with basic POS functionality, this system stands out for its mobile features — which are particularly useful if you bring your harvests to the local farmers’ market. Instead of setting up a full hardware configuration, you can use your mobile device to process transactions quickly and securely.
Square offers several pricing options, but their most popular plan starts at $29 per month.
2. Markt POS
Is your farm stand evolving into a full-fledged grocery store? Then you might want to consider a more robust solution like Markt POS.
Markt POS is an all-in-one POS system designed for small, specialty food stores and markets. It includes features like real-time inventory monitoring, a built-in customer loyalty program, and powerful reporting capabilities to help you operate more efficiently and profitably.
To learn more about this provider and their offerings, head to the Markt POS website.
3. GrazeCart
GrazeCart is one of the most unique farm stand point of sale providers on our list.
While GrazeCart does offer a standard POS solution that can process transactions and handle your farm stand’s day-to-day operations, their main focus is e-commerce.
Selling your farm-fresh goods online is an excellent way to expand your customer base, boost your sales, and take your operations to the next level, and GrazeCart has tools to help you every step of the way. Their website builder, order management system, and flexible fulfillment options are everything you need to run a successful farm e-commerce business.
Learn more about GrazeCart’s innovative features and get pricing information on their website.
4. IT Retail
If you’re on the hunt for a reliable farm stand point of sale system that does it all, look no further than IT Retail.
As an all-in-one POS solution designed by and for small grocers, IT Retail offers a well-rounded selection of features to streamline your day-to-day operations and help you plan for what’s next.
With IT Retail, you can keep a close eye on your stock levels, grow your customer base through a built-in loyalty program, learn about your sales trends through in-depth reports, and even sell your products online through e-commerce integrations.
If you’re ready to take your next steps with IT Retail, check out our flexible pricing options.
Secure Farm Stand Success With IT Retail
Ready to take the leap and invest in a powerful farm stand point of sale system?
It’s a major decision, and you don’t have to make it alone.
Our team of food retail experts will be here to help you every step of the way, from walking you through IT Retail’s features to providing you with 24/7 support once you’re a customer.
Take the first step on your IT Retail journey today and schedule your live, personalized demo of our software.
