E-Commerce
E-Commerce
E-commerce stands for “electronic commerce,” which simply means selling your products online. Selling your products online can mean a variety of different things. Here, we are talking about using the internet as a point-of-sale, where customers are actually purchasing your product online for either in-person pickup or to have the product shipped directly to them. Selling local products online has become increasingly popular for customers and accessible for producers in the past several years. In many ways, selling your products on-line for in-person pickup can make your products much more accessible to a wider customer base (think: people who use ClickList, etc. for their normal grocery shopping). It can also make it easier on you, the producer, who knows exactly how many of each crop to harvest for sale in a particular day. Additionally, online sales platforms can provide some really useful sales data.
Key Requirements
| Marketing Time Required | High |
| Required Product Volume | Low-Medium |
| Potential Sales Volume | Medium-Low |
| Price Per Item | High |
| Difficulty of getting into this market | Low-Medium |
| Importance of Product Quality & Shelf-Life | Medium-High |
How do I get started in E-Commerce?
The first step to getting started is to consider the available e-commerce platforms for you to use as your point-of-sale. Below are some linked resources that can help you determine what sales platform might be best for you and your business. It is worth noting that the point-of-sale system you are already using, at the farmers market for instance, may also be compatible with e-commerce.
Challenges
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Problem-solving delivery/pick-up: can require some heavy logistics work
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Learning curve of an online platform: there are trainings available for nearly all ecommerce platforms
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Customer service for any problems: need to be “on call” for issues that come up
Opportunities
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Can have low overhead costs: no need for a storefront, many online platforms are pay-per-transaction
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Provide convenience for customers: can make you competitive with other grocery options
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Can be flexible for you and your customers: does not have to include shipping if that model does not work for you
Other Resources for Online Marketing
- E-Commerce Platform Guide for Farms, Food Producers, Food Hubs, and Food Distri…
- Considerations for Getting Your Farm Business Online
- Farmer's Guide to Direct Sales Software Platforms
- From the National Young Farmers Coalition
- How to Make the Most of Your Online Store
- Webinar from Taste the Local Difference