There’s something special about farm-fresh food. It’s not just the crispness of the produce or the rich flavors of the meat; it’s the extra care that goes into every product.
That’s why you and your customers deserve a point of sale (POS) system that’s as finely crafted as each of your harvests.
In this blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know about specialized farm stand POS systems — including why you need one, what to look for, and the three providers we recommend.
Let’s dig in!
What Does a Farm Stand POS System Do?
Let’s start with the basics. A POS system’s main role is to shape the checkout process, allowing you to ring up customers’ items and accept their payments.
But checking out customers is just one part of running a farm stand. You also need to track perishable inventory like meat and produce, monitor your sales trends, and find new ways to market your business.
Fortunately, modern POS solutions can help you tackle this lengthy to-do list. Let’s look at six essential features to look for in a farm stand POS system.
1. Integrated Payment Processing
Is cash your farm stand’s number-one payment type? Then it’s time to upgrade your payment processing capabilities.
We recommend investing in a POS system with integrated payment processing. Along with preventing manual entry errors and speeding up the checkout process, this tool allows you to accept multiple payment types, including credit cards, debit cards, and contactless payment options.
Offering flexible payment options makes it more convenient for customers to shop with you. Instead of having to search their wallets for exact change, they can simply tap their cards or phones to pay instantly.
2. Perishable Inventory Management
When customers stop by your farm stand, they’re looking for the freshest meats and produce in town — but ensuring the freshness of each of your products requires you to manage perishable inventory like a pro.
A POS system with perishable inventory management features can help. This tool tracks your stock levels in real time, helping you make informed decisions to reduce spoilage and adjust your farming practices in the future.
For example, if you have more pork chops on hand than you expect to sell, you can launch a promotion to increase turnover. Later on, you can adjust your livestock strategy to produce less pork, aligning your efforts and investments with your customers’ changing preferences.
3. Weight-Based Sales
Weight-based management is a must-have for your farm stand POS system.
With this feature, you can track and sell products by the single unit or by weight.
Let’s say your customer wants 1.25 pounds of ground beef. Instead of manually calculating the price, your POS system will do the math for you, ensuring your customer is charged the right price and that the right amount of beef is deducted from your inventory levels.
Along with giving your customers exactly what they want, this feature helps you turn every last ounce of your farm-fresh products into profit.
4. Customer Relationship Management Tools
Repeat customers are an essential ingredient for farm stand success, and the right POS system can help you attract and build a relationship with them.
Your POS system should include a customer relationship management (CRM) system, which keeps a running list of your shoppers, their contact information, and their purchase history.
You can also use this tool to reward shoppers every time they visit your farm stand through a customer loyalty program or personalized promotions.
5. Reporting and Analytics
Hoping to attract more customers, make more sales, and grow your farm stand? Your sales reports can help.
Your farm stand POS system should include a powerful reporting and analytics suite to help you monitor your business’ performance, learn more about your customers, and identify areas for improvement.
For example, you can pinpoint your peak selling times, and adjust your operating hours and staffing approach to ensure you’re ready when your customers are craving farm-fresh produce. You can also identify your bestsellers and underperforming products, adjusting your planting and livestock plans to align with your customers’ wants and needs.
6. E-Commerce Functionality
E-commerce is transforming the farm-to-fork industry, allowing farmers to expand their reach and sell to new customers.
If you want to take advantage of this growing trend, you need a farm stand POS system with e-commerce integration.
This feature allows you to manage your online and in-store operations from one convenient platform and ensures your sales and inventory records are always up to date.
Our 3 Favorite Farm Stand POS Solutions
Now that you know what a farm stand POS system can do, you’re ready to start shopping.
Diving into the world of POS solutions can be intimidating, so we’ve gotten you started by curating this list of our top three providers, plus their pros, cons, and pricing.
Square
First is Square, a popular POS provider offering sleek hardware and user-friendly software to retailers in all industries.
Pros
We’ve included Square because of their flexible hardware options. You can use a standard POS terminal, tablet, or mobile device to check inventory and process transactions, making it a great fit if you need to sell goods on the go at farmers markets or festivals.
Cons
The downside to Square is that their software is not specifically designed for grocery stores and farm stands — which means you won’t have access to built-in weight-based and perishable inventory features.
Pricing
Square is one of the most affordable options on our list. Their most popular software subscription costs $29/month, and their hardware options range from $59 to $799.
GrazeCart
Want to take your farm stand online? GrazeCart is a unique solution built to help farmers sell online and in person.
Pros
GrazeCart includes powerful farm e-commerce features that allow you to build a custom website for your farm, manage online orders, and even offer unique sales-boosting options like subscription boxes.
Cons
GrazeCart’s main strength is e-commerce, so it might not be the best fit if you’re hoping to expand your brick-and-mortar farm sales.
Pricing
GrazeCart offers several different pricing configurations depending on your farm’s size and needs. Use their pricing tool for an estimate.
IT Retail
Our final pick for farm stands is IT Retail. Our all-in-one POS system is specifically designed for specialty markets like farm stands, butcher shops, and organic food stores.
Pros
Our software includes all the features you need to tackle the challenges of selling perishable products. You can track your stock levels in real time, enjoy seamless scale integration, and print custom labels for weight-based products like meat.
You can also rely on our industry-leading support team to answer your questions and solve technical issues 24/7 at no additional cost.
Cons
Unlike the other providers on our list, IT Retail doesn’t have built-in e-commerce features. However, our software integrates with online farm and grocery platforms like GrazeCart, Local Line, and Instacart if e-commerce is one of your goals.
Pricing
We offer custom pricing options to meet every farmer’s needs and budget. Check out our build and price tool for an instant, custom quote.
Get Started With the Best Farm Stand POS
Ready to take your farm stand to the next level? We’ve got you covered.
IT Retail has everything you need to manage farm inventory, make sales, and grow your business — including secure payment processing, seamless scale integration, a built-in customer loyalty program, flexible e-commerce integration, and more.
See IT Retail in action by scheduling your live, personalized demo today.
