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When customers purchase fresh meat, seafood, or cheese, they rarely stop to think about the logistics behind pricing those items. Unlike a box of cereal with a fixed weight, these products vary in size and require a different pricing approach—this is where catch weight comes in.
Managing catch-weight products can be challenging for farmers, wholesalers, and retailers. Pricing fluctuates, inventory tracking requires precision, and invoicing must reflect actual weight. In contrast, fixed-weight products follow a straightforward model with consistent pricing and packaging.
Understanding the difference between catch and fixed weight is important for businesses dealing with variable-weight products. Without the right tools, mismanagement can lead to revenue loss, pricing errors, and frustrated customers.
This is where weight-based inventory management systems, such as Local Line, prove invaluable. They provide a streamlined solution to catch weight complexities by automating pricing, ensuring real-time inventory updates, and generating precise invoices.
This article breaks down the concept of catch weight, the key differences between catch and fixed weight and how specialized inventory software can simplify catch weight management.
Catch weight is a term that refers to products with variable weights, meaning their weight fluctuates from unit to unit. Unlike fixed-weight items, which are packaged in consistent, predetermined amounts, catch-weight products must be individually weighed and priced based on their actual weight at the time of sale.
For example, a fishmonger selling whole salmon cannot guarantee that every fish weighs exactly 5 pounds. One salmon may weigh 4.6 pounds, while another comes in at 5.3 pounds. Since the price is based on weight, each fish must be weighed individually, and the customer is charged accordingly.
Because catch-weight products naturally vary in size, farmers, fishers, and ranchers must track their weight carefully to ensure accurate pricing and inventory management. This makes catch weight more complex to handle than fixed-weight products, which have standard pricing.
Fixed weight refers to products with a consistent, predetermined weight, which remains the same across all units.
Unlike catch-weight products that require individual weighing, fixed-weight items are packaged in standard amounts, making them easier to price, track, and manage in inventory systems.
For example, a 1 L jug of milk will always contain exactly 1 liter, and a 500g jar of honey will always weigh 500 grams. Because these products do not vary in weight, they are sold at a fixed price per unit rather than by weight.
Catch and fixed weights are two distinct approaches to managing product weights. Understanding their differences helps businesses optimize inventory, pricing, and customer experience. Below is an overview of their key distinctions, including their benefits and challenges.
Catch-weight products like meat and seafood have natural weight variations, requiring businesses to invoice based on the exact weight rather than an estimate. This approach ensures fair pricing and reduces discrepancies between expected and actual costs.
Managing catch weight effectively helps prevent overstocking and spoilage by aligning inventory levels with real-time weight fluctuations.
👉 Learn more about how to sell meat online and how to sell seafood online.
Customers want to trust that they're getting what they paid for. When using fixed-weight pricing for variable-weight goods (i.e. meat), there is less transparency in how a product is priced. All steaks are priced the same no matter the final weight.
By clearly displaying actual weights on packaging and pricing the products accordingly, you build customer trust. This goes both ways. Accurate pricing for your customers, also ensure the farm is getting accurate revenue in return.
Catch-weight products require dynamic pricing, as each unit's weight varies. This makes pricing more complex than fixed-weight products with a standard price per unit.
Accurate weight labeling is essential for catch-weight items to maintain consumer trust and ensure fair pricing. Businesses can use online platforms like Local Line to automate weight-based pricing for online sales to streamline pricing, ensuring transparency and accuracy.
👉 Download our FREE guide to selling by weight
Tracking catch-weight products requires more precision than managing fixed-weight items. Since each unit has a unique weight, farms will track both by unit quantity; while adjusting final pricing before sale.
Fixed-weight products simplify inventory management, as they remain consistent across all units. However, farms dealing with catch-weight items need specialized e-commerce and inventory software, like Local Line, to track products accurately and streamline order fulfillment.
Managing catch-weight products requires specialized software to maintain accurate pricing, inventory, and sales records. Since each unit may have a different weight, farms often rely on average weights to estimate pricing and inventory levels. However, actual weights must still be recorded at the point of sale to ensure customers are charged correctly.
Farms who invest in advanced inventory systems, can efficiently handle both catch-weight and fixed-weight products, improving overall operations and customer satisfaction. This helps to:
Understanding the key differences between catch weight and fixed weight helps farmers, ranchers, and fishers choose the best approach for their products, optimize inventory processes, and enhance customer trust through accurate pricing and transparent weight management.
Selling catch-weight products online doesn’t have to be complicated. First, you need the ability to sell products by weight online. With Local Line, you can choose to track inventory and sell by weight or by unit–depending on your needs. The variable weight workflow, allows you to sell products by weight while maintaining control over final pricing.
Local Line’s variable weight workflow ensures that catch-weight products—like meat cuts—are marked with a Needs Approval tag. This means customers can place orders as usual, but before the final invoice is sent, you can adjust the weight to reflect the actual product size. The item appears as a standard product in your storefront, but you have the final say on pricing.
Here’s how it works step-by-step:
With this workflow, you can confidently sell variable-weight products online while ensuring customers are charged accurately for what they receive.
Managing catch-weight products can be challenging without the right tools. Catch-weight items, like fresh meat or other variable-weight products, don’t have a fixed weight. This variability can lead to errors in pricing, invoicing, and inventory management.
Local Line is a tool that simplifies this process.
Here’s how Local Line helps:
With Local Line, farmers can sell by package or by weight, allowing flexibility in payment options. Customers can pay after order completion via credit card or other methods, making transactions smooth and error-free.
Create your Local Line account and start selling catch-weight products
