How To Sell Meat Online: 7-Step Process for Butchers

Jan 30, 2024 • 6 min read

Has your butcher shop seen a drop in customers in recent years? If so, you’re not alone. You know your quality hasn’t dipped, but still, you’re struggling to get the foot traffic you once did. Is online selling the answer?

Many customers have moved to buying products, including groceries, online. But how can you leverage this trend toward e-commerce while staying true to the tradition of your craft? Direct-to-consumer online meat sales present an opportunity to reach customers beyond your brick-and-mortar location. Selling packaged cuts or advanced meal kits can expand your reach and help grow your business.

Wondering how to sell meat online? This is the right post for you. We’ll talk through the steps you need to take to start selling your products online.

How To Sell Meat Online: Should You Pursue Online Sales?

As more shopping and commerce shifts online, specialty retailers — like butcher shops — are faced with a decision: Should you take your business digital, too? E-commerce promises advantages like expanded reach, but selling products like meat online has unique logistical challenges. A few challenges to consider before taking the plunge include:

Maintaining temperature control:
The paramount challenge with shipping meat is maintaining temperature controls to avoid spoilage during transit. Packaging like insulated shipping containers and frozen gel packs adds cost. Set up processes to track delivery, as timely delivery and package receipt also help ensure quality. Remember, online sales have little benefit if the ordered products arrive thawed and inedible.
Financial considerations:
The financial considerations of e-commerce meat sales can be challenging. Packaging expenses, shipping fees, and digital marketing to drive online traffic carry costs that cut into profits. Weigh projected revenue from additional internet sales against these expenses to determine if taking your butcher shop online makes financial sense.
Consumer preferences:
Consumer preference plays a role as well. While grocery staples like paper towels thrive online, some customers still hesitate to buy proteins virtually. Evaluate if your existing customer base, and targeted demographics, are technologically inclined and comfortable purchasing meat sight-unseen. Their behaviors should guide your business decisions in every area, including your decision whether or not to sell meat online.

Considering all these factors can help you determine whether or not it’s the right call for your butcher shop to begin selling meat online. If e-commerce is the right call for your business, you’ll still need some critical tips and tools to pull it off. Let’s dive into our discussion of the tips and tools every digital butchery needs to succeed.

1. Research and Planning

Launching online butcher shop sales requires considerable upfront planning. Before you can start accepting online orders, you must consider market conditions, competitors, legalities, and your store’s technological infrastructure.

Start by thoroughly analyzing industry sales data to identify growth trends and see what the most popular meat varieties purchased online are. Research direct and indirect rivals locally and virtually. What does your store offer that these sellers don’t? How can you differentiate your store?

Before developing your website, you should also verify the required USDA and state agriculture certifications for processing and selling packaged meats through e-commerce channels. The last thing you want is to trip over the finish line due to red tape or other similar challenges.

2. E-Commerce Platform Selection

With market research completed, focus next on choosing a high-caliber e-commerce platform. Remember that not all e-commerce platforms are created equal — and not all platforms are designed to sell and ship perishable inventory. Weigh solutions like InstaCart, Mercato, and Local Express to see which is the best fit for your business.

You should also consider each e-commerce platform’s integration potential with your point of sale (POS) system. If your current POS system does not integrate easily with e-commerce solutions, you will want to update to an all-in-one point of sale solution with e-commerce features.

Your combined back end tech stack must centralize inventory, orders, customers, and fulfillment to prevent headaches. Automated syncing of price changes and product availability in real time is essential to prevent accidental stockouts or discrepancies between online inventory and actual inventory.

3. Online Store Setup

Once you’ve selected your e-commerce platform, you can set up your online store. Set up your product catalog with options to sell meat by the pound, offering varying thicknesses and cuts.

Include as much possible relevant information in your product catalog, like farm source, certifications, breed, and other details to help build customer trust. Your point of sale system should integrate with your e-commerce listings, auto-populating information like pricing, inventory levels, and base weights.

Photograph products professionally from multiple angles to ensure your website has attractive visuals for your inventory. Outline order fulfillment expectations regarding processing durations and refrigerated shipping specifics. Also, take the time to plan your customer service protocols for order issues. Thorough setup is essential to ensure a smooth user experience when you launch your store.

4. Inventory Management and Product Listings

Managing fresh meat inventory between online listings and in-store stock is far from simple. You must implement real-time syncing through your point of sale system to manage it effectively.

As meats are portioned for orders or replenished via deliveries, ensure data flows automatically adjust item quantities visible online. Details like weights, cuts, and pricing should also align automatically across your sales channels.

Closely monitor user traffic and purchase behaviors to identify bestselling items. Use this data to choose which items might need expanded descriptions, updated photography, or more stock. Also, watch for low-traffic listings to potentially consolidate or remove.

5. Logistics and Shipping

Another tip for how to sell meat online is to master your logistics and shipping process. Start by investing in insulating containers and refrigerant gel packs to keep your products cool while they’re en route to customers.

Determine required packaging supplies by anticipated order volumes, transit days, and the time of year. For example, if your butchery is located in New York, you’ll need fewer refrigerant gel packs in January than you will in June.

Label containers with refrigeration and handling requirements. Establish processes for setting gel packs at the desired temperature consistently before shipping.

Vet shipping carriers on delivery footprints, average transit days, real-time tracking visibility, claims process, and refrigeration capabilities. Weigh branching into last mile services with branded vehicles or outsourcing via established names like FedEx and UPS.

6. Marketing and Promotion

Opening your online meat shop is just the beginning of your journey! If you want your e-commerce efforts to turn a profit, you need to market and promote your online store, building sustained awareness and web traffic.

Create social media channels for your online store. You can highlight your products with professional photos and offer promotions like discounts on seasonal specialties or free ground shipping to encourage first purchases.

Run retargeting display ads reinforcing the brand to visitors who previously browsed items on your website. Distribute branded stickers and recipe cards with in-store purchases to remind patrons about enhanced online ordering options. Send abandoned cart and weekly promotions emails nurturing relationships and driving returns. Consistent outreach keeps your online store on your customers’ radar.

7. Compliance and Ongoing Operations

Finally, you need to remember that selling meat online requires just as stringent safety and compliance standards as in-store sales. If you want your online store to survive, you must meticulously maintain USDA documentation like HACCP plans and undergo all required inspections related to grading, chilled storage, and cleanliness.

In addition to compliance, you must regularly maintain your e-commerce store’s operations. Analyze online purchase patterns and shipment volumes to guide your inventory planning and fulfillment preparations.

Keep online meat listings constantly up to date through your POS integration. Temporarily hide out-of-stock items until you’ve had the chance to replenish them to avoid frustration from customers looking to order an out-of-stock item. Monitor packaging performance and refrigerant lasting power based on weather to gauge adjustments.

How To Sell Meat Online With the Right POS System

Through the information in this post, you can see that expanding butcher shop offerings to include e-commerce holds potential for revenue growth. However, it also requires planning, preparation, and proper tools. A robust, all-in-one point of sale system is the most essential tool in your arsenal.

Markt POS offers POS solutions tailored for the workflows of specialty food shops and butcher stores. Our customizable packages integrate brick-and-mortar and online features and tools, allowing real-time inventory visibility, customer management, and sales insights regardless of purchase channel.

If you're exploring online meat sales but need technology built for omnichannel butcher shops, schedule a Markt POS demo today.

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