As we step into the new year, the significance of an online presence is more pronounced than ever, and for those selling online – your farm's online store can be a game-changer. Whether you're a seasoned online seller or just dipping your toes into the world of farm e-commerce, preparing your farm's online store for success in 2024 is a strategic move.
There's more to having a high-converting online store than just setting it up. Great online stores are easy to navigate, visually pleasing, and up-to-date. Customers want to know what you have and when they can get it.
This blog post aims to guide you through the essential steps to not only adapt but thrive in the online marketplace. Discover the key strategies to elevate your farm's online store, increase visibility, and cultivate a thriving digital storefront that resonates with customers in the coming year. Let's jump in!
First and foremost, if you’re not already selling online – what are you waiting for? An easy-to-use, reliable storefront helps your online traffic convert to customers and sales. If you haven’t heard of us, Local Line is a user-friendly, all-in-one sales platform for farmers and food hubs. Getting set up is easy. Once you log in, start uploading your products, defining your fulfillment plans, inviting customers, and managing your orders.
➡️ For a full step-by-step on how to get your online store up and running, check out this article!
If you already have an online store, now is the time to prep it for the year. Take some time to reflect on the past year. Are there any updates you can make to your existing storefront?
Taking the time to review and update your farm store can help you get prepped and ready for a busy new year.
Next, get sales-ready by segmenting your customers into unique price lists. Local Line gives you the ability to leverage the same inventory into different unique storefronts. A price list is your “shoppable” list of products on your online store. For your different sales channels, your pricing, pack size, and availability might change. For each customer type, you can create a unique price list to reflect this.
As you prep for the next year, take the time to map out all of your different customer segments (i.e., wholesale, CSA, retail, etc.) and organize your offerings into your different price lists. You might need to make updates to your packages, pricing, and create a new price for a new sales channel. With Local Line, pricing plans have varying included price lists to meet your needs. You can also add additional price lists to your subscription for $24/month.
You can also set up automated emails that get sent out to the members of your price list on a pre-determined schedule. This is a great tool to re-engage customers to put in their orders. You can set these up in your Price Lists settings inside Local Line.
Make your products pop on the page. High-quality product images are a must. Clear, well-lit, and professionally taken photos showcase your products effectively. Make sure to capture the uniqueness and freshness of your farm's products. High-resolution images help customers make informed decisions and enhance their online shopping experience.
Some quick tips for taking high-quality photos?
➡️ For even more tips on how to take professional product photos, check out this blog post!
Accurate and compelling product descriptions are essential to attract and inform potential buyers. Use descriptive language, highlight the key features of your products, and include any relevant information such as production methods, pairings or recommended uses, and flavor profiles. Create a consistent style for your descriptions to maintain a professional appearance.
Pro tip: Include the most important information in the first sentence of your product description. This copy will display on the home page of your online store. Not all of the copy will display on your storefront – so be sure to pick and choose what you want to show first.
Prepping your farm's online presence for 2024 is crucial to staying competitive and achieving your sales goals. With these steps, your farm is well on its way to a prosperous and successful year ahead. To help you better prep for the 2024 sales season, we’ve created a series of articles covering topics such as: Setting Up Your E-Commerce Store, Optimizing Your Website for SEO, Preparing Your Instagram Profile for Sales, and Re-Engaging Your Email List.
In addition to great software, we also offer suite of sales and marketing services for farmers. We offer everything from website builds to social media content, paid advertising, SEO, and even writing your email newsletters for you.