Introducing Product Variants: More Flexible Inventory Management for Farms

Proper inventory management is an important part of every successful direct-to-customer farm. Whether you run a CSA, offer meat boxes, or sell produce, having a firm handle on your inventory is essential. 

Local Line is already known for having robust inventory management features, but one piece of the puzzle was always missing until today. We’re excited to release our new Product Variants feature, which allows you to track your inventory by package instead of by product. 

For example, you sell apples. You have 10 large apples and 10 small apples. Instead of selling apples with a combined inventory of 20, you can give customers the option to order the 10 large apples or the 10 small ones. It’s still one product (apples), but now you can list unique inventories per package.

This is helpful for livestock farms with different-size cuts and farms that sell pre-packaged goods like flour in different-size bags. It also helps farms sell apparel that comes in sizes like small, medium, and large. At the end of the day, Product Variants creates a more customized shopping experience for your customers and better inventory management for you.

How inventory management on Local Line works

Local Line’s inventory management is already flexible. Today, you can sell a product by weight or unit AND track inventory by weight or unit. You can also have different packages within a product. Think of products and packages like this:

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Historically, inventory was tracked at the product level. For example, I have 150 lbs of carrots, and I sell those in 1lb and 5lb bags. Before today, the individual package inventories were calculated based on the total inventory of 150 lbs. So I have 150 1lb bags or 30 5lb bags as shown below. 

For a product like carrots, this type of inventory management works because I harvest and package all my carrots to order. Now, with Product Variants, I can also track package inventory separately. For example, if my carrots are pre-bagged, I have 80 1 lb bags and 14 5 lb bags, totaling 150 lbs.

As a meat seller, all my retail cuts are packaged at once. For my product Rib Steak, I sell two sizes: Small Steak (avg. 0.6 lb) and Large Steak (avg. 1 lb). Having a combined inventory for this product doesn’t make sense. So instead, I have two packages under Rib Steak, each with their own inventory as shown below. 

Why Product Variants Matter

Farmers, food hubs, and producers often sell products in multiple formats. Some products are pre-packaged or come in completely different sizes, so pooling inventory doesn’t work. Selecting how to track package inventory on a per-product basis gives farmers the flexibility to sell in the way that makes sense. 

Benefits of product variants include: 

• Improved Inventory Accuracy: Track each package separately to avoid overselling and stock-outs.
• Cleaner Storefront Display: No more duplicate product listings. Keep your storefront clean and organized by listing one product with multiple sizes and unique inventory. 
• Enhanced Ordering Experience: Shoppers can browse the available options at a glance and buy their preferred package.

How to create Product Variants

Here’s how to create a new product and track inventory by package: 

1. Go to the Products table and click on New Product in the top right corner. Note: You cannot change how your inventory is tracked for an existing product.
2. Add all the relevant product information, such as Name, Keyword Tags, Description, and Images.
3. Toggle on Track Inventory and select Packages have separate inventory. This will allow you to set individual inventory levels for each package. 
4. Select to track and charge by weight or by unit. Which you select depends entirely on your product type. For example, for pre-packaged steaks, you can track them by unit (i.e., how many small vs. large units I have) and sell them by weight. 
5. Next, you will build out your packages. Select the package inventory, price per unit or average pack weight, and the price per weight. See two examples below. The Rib Steaks are tracked by unit and sold by weight. The Farm Merch T-Shirts are tracked and sold by unit. 

6. Add your product to the relevant price list and update the product status. 

You can update your package inventory at any time from the Products table. Select Edit Inventory and a module will appear where you can update inventory. 

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Ready to simplify your inventory?

There is no additional cost to use Product Variants - it’s included in every Local Line subscription. Start using Product Variants today and make managing your inventory simpler than ever. Whether selling produce in bulk, offering various cuts of meat, farm merch, or pre-packaged goods, Product Variants give you the flexibility you need—all while keeping your storefront (and your back office) clean and organized.

Not yet using Local Line? Now’s the time to switch! You can create your account here or connect with someone from our team to learn how Local Line can help you today.