Farmers markets are growing in popularity. According to the USDA, the farmers market industry grows by just shy of seven percent every year. As a farmers market seller, you want to take advantage of the opportunity provided by this growth! But you know you can’t do it taking cash-only payments.
Farmers markets are a unique retail environment, with the need for a point of sale (POS) system that can handle various payment methods, track inventory, and manage customer information. Finding the best POS system for your business can be challenging, but the right one can save you time and money and increase your sales.
This blog post will review the top features and pricing of the best POS for farmers markets. From wireless connectivity and mobile payments to inventory management and customer analytics, we'll cover everything you need to know to find the perfect POS system for your farmers market business.
The Best POS for Farmers Markets: Essential Features
Running a successful farmers market business requires a lot of hard work and dedication. You need to have the right products, find the best location(s) for your stall, and, of course, have the right POS solution to help maximize your profits and sales.
The right POS system can help you streamline your operations, manage your inventory, and keep track of your sales data. However, with so many options available, it can be tough to know where to start. After all, a POS solution that works great for a local store might not have the features and functionality you need as a farmers market seller.
Farmers markets face challenges other businesses don’t, including:
- Internet connectivity: As a farmers market seller, your stall may have unreliable internet connectivity or limited power sources at that site.
- Varied inventory: Much of your inventory is likely sold by weight, requiring a solution that integrates with a deli scale and can automatically calculate price based on weight.
- Selling in all weather conditions: Many farmers market sellers sell from outdoor or partially outdoor locations. As a result, you’ll need more rugged, durable POS hardware than the average storefront.
- Unique local products: Selling locally made and produced products means you’ll likely need the ability to create and print custom barcodes for your products.
As a result of these unique challenges, you’ll want to consider a POS solution with the following features:
- Mobile and wireless capabilities: You will want to explore the ability to process payments offline for your solution.
- Robust inventory management: Seeing inventory updates in real-time will help ensure you never run out of inventory or can help you make critical decisions based on the inventory you have left at any moment.
- Multiple payment processing options: Modern farmers market sellers can’t get by accepting only cash payments any longer. Look for a solution that lets you accept contactless payments from credit cards, ApplePay, and more.
- Integration with accounting tools: Keeping all your data in one place is essential for running your business effectively and efficiently.
- Customizable reporting and analytics to track seasonal sales: Farmers market sellers often have products and sales heavily dependent on seasonality. Your POS solution should be capable of tracking seasonal sales.
- Deli scale integration: A POS scale will help you to sell products by weight.
- Barcode customization and label printing: Print custom labels and apply them to local products for easy sales and scanning.
1. POS Nation
POS Nation’s point of sale solution caters to specialty sellers and grocers, offering integrated hardware, software, training, support, and more. Hundreds of grocers and market sellers across the United States use POS Nation’s solution to run their business and simplify their processes.
Enjoy features like:
- Hotkeys with photos: Set custom hotkeys instead of typing in PLUs for all your produce or other products manually.
- Unlimited database of items: Switch out your products with the season with an unlimited product library.
- Mix and match pricing: Drive sales and bundle different items by grouping products into packages for specific deals.
Pricing:
Flexible monthly pricing starts at $149 per month, but custom plans are available upon request.
2. Square
Square offers a highly customizable point of sale solution for a wide variety of businesses, from restaurants and services to retail, markets, and more. One of Square’s most famous features is its simple setup and highly portable interface.
Some key features of Square that farmers market sellers may enjoy include:
- Multichannel inventory: Easily track inventory and sales across multiple channels, including online, over the phone, and in person.
- Simplified checkout: Quickly train employees on a simple, tablet-based interface.
- Team management: Add new devices or locations as your business grows, manage scheduling and time tracking for employees.
Pricing:
Square offers a package that charges 2.6% plus 10 cents per transaction. You can also take advantage of more advanced features for $60 per month or more with the Plus and Premium packages.
3. Rezku Point of Sale
Rezku is most known for its restaurant point of sale systems, but farmers market sellers may be interested in some of Rezku’s features. They offer reservation and waitlist solutions in addition to their point of sale offerings.
Some of Rezku’s features include:
- In-order note taking: Track specific requests and specialty orders or keep track of loyal customer preferences by adding notes directly in the order.
- Product modifiers: Modify or make special changes for specific customers with the product modification features.
Pricing:
Rezku’s mid-sized package charges $99 per month for multiple terminals and a variety of tailored features.
4. Markt POS
Markt POS’ solution is designed specifically for groceries, small markets, and farmers market sellers with stable stall locations.
Our solution is designed to help you boost sales and provide big-box efficiency to small stores and individual sellers. We strive to be a partner who can help you gain back the time you spend on manual processes, get you fast answers to your pressing questions, and provide an amazing experience to you and your customers.
Some of our top features for farmers market sellers are:
- Weight scale integration: Weigh random-weight products, from beef to bass, with an integrated add-on deli scale — and send accurate prices directly to your point of sale.
- Multiple payment methods: Accept payments in cash, credit, ApplePay, and more with our solution that accepts all major payment methods.
- Cash discounting: Pass your savings on to your customers by giving them a discount when they pay in cash, saving you on credit card processing fees.
- Offline transactions: Perform and keep track of all card and cash transaction information, even if you’re selling somewhere with poor service. Everything syncs when you’re back online!
Pricing:
We offer customized pricing plans and models to fit your operation. Check out our build and price tool to see your perfect solution.
5. ERPLY
ERPLY offers POS solutions for multi-store retail chains and franchise operations. However, many of ERPLY’s features work well for single-store locations and operations like yours as a farmers market seller.
Some great ERPLY features include:
- Self-checkout: Use this customizable self-checkout system to provide customers with the options to check out without waiting for your sales associate.
- Inventory management: Reserve items from online orders, track inventory in real-time, pull aside items for customer pick-up, and more with features from ERPLY’s inventory management suite.
Pricing:
ERPLY’s inventory and retail POS bundle starts at $69 a month.
6. IT Retail
IT Retail specializes in markets, grocery stores, corner stores, and co-ops. You can use IT Retail to manage a unique inventory and serve your community better. IT Retail boasts that they are the POS solution designed for grocers by grocers.
Some IT Retail features that may appeal to farmers market sellers are:
- Bulk and weighted pricing: Sell items by weight while allowing your customers to bring their own containers or bags for those weighted items.
- Wholesaler integrations: Manage your relationships with your vendors, wholesalers, and more in one easy-to-use system.
- Multiple payment methods: Offer gift cards, EBT payments, and more with IT Retail’s full checkout suite.
Pricing:
You can build a custom solution on IT Retail’s site using their robust build and price tool.
Implementing the Best POS for Farmers Markets
If you’re ready to bring your farmers market stand into the modern age, you need a modern, mobile POS solution capable of inventory tracking, multiple payment methods, and more.
All the solutions in this post offer features farmers market sellers may find helpful or even vital to their operations. By implementing one of these solutions, you’ll have the tools you need to take your stand to the next level and grow your business.
To see how Markt POS’ features like offline transitions, customer memberships, streamlined ordering, and more can help scale your business, schedule a free demo of our solution today!
