Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Pork Online
Why Sell Pork Online?
Selling your pork direct to consumers through online channels can be streamlined by software to make your products more accessible to Buyers and help manage your orders and increase cash flow. 3 in 5 Americans regularly purchase groceries online for pick-up, so your customers are accustomed to ordering food through these sales channels. Organize your inventory, plan ahead for your harvest dates, and align your fulfillment schedule, before your pigs are processed! Save time with an online Farm store that is accessible via your website, mobile, social media and email.
1. Find a Farm eCommerce for Pork
When deciding to sell pork online, you must choose an eCommerce solution that provides the capabilities to sell and manage perishable food products. As a pork producer, you may prefer to sell your items in bulk (whole/half with an upfront deposit), as a one-time purchase, or as an ongoing box subscription (pay-as-you-go). The majority of generic eCommerce platforms do not support all of these avenues or purchases, which may cause confusion for Buyers or extra work for you as a Farmer. Utilizing a solution built for Farm products, Barn2Door allows you to Sell by Weight (take deposits, then reconcile the remaining price at pick-up), sell as a One Time Purchase, or offer recurring Subscriptions to your pork products (on an ongoing, seasonal or rolling basis).
Align your harvest and fulfillment dates within your eCommerce platform to move all your pork products through your Farm store, and avoid packing your freezer. Your Farm eCommerce platform should be easy for Buyers to navigate and intuitive for your Farm to manage, while helping you capture Buyer contact information at every interaction (without charging you an additional fee). Unlike other eCommerce solutions, Barn2Door allows Buyers to check out as a “guest” to make a quick and easy purchase.
2. Pricing and Packaging your Pork
Consider who your ideal pork Buyer may be in your community. Survey local customer preferences, analyze market purchase history, and ask other Farms for their insights. When you know your ideal customers’ purchase habits, commitment to sustainable food, monthly budget and family size, then you can better tailor your product offerings to attract more purchases.
Many Farms offer Subscriptions to pork bundle boxes, which helps move more products through a single order, while minimizing dependencies on freezers. Pork bundles enable your Farm to package popular cuts (e.g. pork loin, pork chops, bacon) with less familiar cuts (e.g. pork butt, pork sausage) to ensure you are moving every part of your animals. Subscriptions will also help your Farm business build a healthy base of recurring revenue and plan ahead (e.g. harvest dates, fulfillment schedules, and available pick-up and delivery options). Standardize your bundle boxes to simplify your packing process and reduce decision fatigue for Buyers.
Offer one-time-purchases to Buyers to become familiar with your pork products, or to access and pay a premium for specialty items (e.g. pork belly). Pair lesser known products into bundle boxes with popular items, to help fuel demand and increase your average order value (AOV). You may also choose to sell byproducts or value-added items in your Farm store. These can often be seen as premium goods, such as jerky, meat sticks, pet food, and pork lard. Offer these byproducts and value-added products as an add-on to existing Subscriptions, to capture more wallet share.
Your products are sustainably raised, and tastier than what is offered at the local grocer. Buyers that understand your commitment to raise healthy food for the community, plus seeing your hard work and building a personal connection through your marketing efforts will encourage them to pay a premium for your Farm products. Communicate the value of your product to build Brand loyalty.
Know and evaluate your production costs to ensure you are preserving a healthy margin for your pork products. To build and maintain a sustainable Pastured Pork business, you must make a viable income. Price your products at a premium to build a strong base of recurring revenue to underwrite your Farm operations and pay yourself a living wage. Loyal customers will support your Farm businesses, even at a higher price point (versus their local grocer), because consumers value their health (you are what you eat). Do not be afraid to lose a few customers when raising your prices; rather, focus on serving and acquiring Buyers who value your Farm’s commitment to sustainably raised hogs.
3. Marketing Pork Products
Target Buyers online and in-person for your pork products. Share photos online of your animals, products, Farm, your family and daily life (chores) on social media platforms. Buyers want to feel a personal connection with your brand. 43% of customers spend more money on brands they trust. This underscores the importance of providing a consistent Brand experience on all channels, that is professional and friendly for Buyers to interact with on your website, mobile, social media and in email newsletters.
Share your “why” (mission), photos and videos, your Farm history and the seasonal chores and activities on social media and in email newsletters to increase Brand awareness in your local community. Encourage followers to share your posts, and offer promotionals on products when Buyers sign-up to join your email list (e.g., 10% off your first order). Online marketing allows you to link directly to certain products (e.g. Subscriptions, Pre-Orders). This will make it simple for Buyers to find and purchase your pork products. Make it easy for customers to shop anywhere, anytime, and they will become loyal Buyers provided your fulfillments are convenient (local pick-ups and/or direct delivery).
Attend local community events, Farmers Markets and fairs to shake hands with prospective customers in-person. Invite customers to attend on-farm tours, better understand your practices, interact with your hogs and build a personal relationship with your business. Whether you are at a booth or on the Farm, collect emails and encourage Buyers to visit your Farm store to increase loyalty and encourage future purchases. Find other small businesses within your community to partner with to offer complementary products, such as poultry and dairy items (e.g. a breakfast bundle), or a beef Farm for a mixed protein Subscription (e.g. a griller’s bundle box). You can expand your audience and increase your average order size by partnering with other Farms and producers.
4. Convert In-Person Pork Buyers to Online
When you convert in-person Buyers to online shoppers, you provide access for those customers to make self-serve purchases 24/7. This will encourage larger orders of your Pastured Pork and allow you to move more products. The average order value online is 4x greater than in-person purchases because your Farm is catering to a captive Buyer (without competing alternatives adjacent to your market booth). To convert Buyers, collect their contact information at every available in-person interaction. Using a Point-of-Sale (POS) built for Farmers, you can collect emails with a screen prompt at checkout. Include a QR code on all your Farm signage, packaging and vehicles, and use a clipboard to collect customer emails during in-person sales.
With Buyer emails, you can market consistently, increase Brand awareness, and provide a simple link to your online store. Utilizing eCommerce will allow you to link directly to product pages for a one-click purchase. 70% of Americans admitted to being influenced by email marketing to make a purchase. Make it easy for Buyers to access your inventory and convert into online customers with enticing pork offerings (e.g. pin your top-selling Bundles Boxes and Subscriptions to the top of your storefront). Offer promo codes in your email marketing to encourage Buyers to make an initial online purchase. Once they see that it is simple and convenient to order online, Buyers will be encouraged to purchase again from your Farm in the near future.
5. Convenient Local Pork Fulfillments
When it comes to purchasing products from your Farm, it must be convenient. If it is difficult for Buyers to obtain your products, they will opt for something that is more convenient. Make your Farm visible and accessible in your community’s local loop (business, churches and schools) to make it easy for Buyers to pick-up their orders (while expanding your reach and Brand awareness with new potential customers in those areas). Consider highly populated areas where you can set up pick-up locations that are easy for Buyers to access, and allow your Farm to fulfill multiple orders in one place. If your Farm is in a smaller town, but close to a big city, consider targeting high-traffic areas.
Pick-up captains are another strategy to target different areas and increase the efficiency of fulfillment day. Find trusted Buyers who live in highly-populated areas, who are willing to make their house a pick-up location. This will require a shaded area (and/or refrigeration) for other customers to grab their orders within a given time range.
Direct-delivery is the most convenient option for Buyers, but must be worthwhile for your Farm business. If you have sufficient Buyer density and can complete 5+ deliveries per hour, then direct-delivery can be a profitable avenue for your Farm (assuming you charge at least a $5+ delivery fee to cover the costs of fuel and labor). Farms offering delivery find the average order size of those Buyers are 2x greater, and often the most loyal.
Convenient fulfillments options for Buyers (not Price) is often the deciding factor for many customers when it comes to ordering from your Farm.
Conclusion
Selling your pork online provides Buyers convenient 24/7 access to your products. Choosing an eCommerce solution that is tailored to suit your Pastured Pork products is critical to streamlining your operations. Make sure your eCommerce software is built for Farmers, providing the ability for you to manage different Buyer types, offer various avenues to purchase (sell by weight, one-time-purchases, and subscriptions), and makes it easy to track your online and in-person orders. You are raising a premium product, so ensure your Buyers benefit from a premium purchase experience when buying your pork.
Barn2Door offers software for Independent Farmers to create and promote their brand, sell online and in-person, and save time managing their business. If you’re curious to learn more, watch this 5-minute video.