The Data on Selling your Beef Products Direct
Beef is regularly consumed by many Americans on a consistent basis - it is a staple for many households. When selling Beef products direct to consumer, it is crucial for Farmers to understand best practices to attract orders and meet Buyer expectations. Understanding the purchase habits of consumers can help increase sales and ensure your Farm can move all parts of the cow.
We surveyed 50,000+ Buyers to better understand their preferences when purchasing Beef from a local Farmer. Download the infographic:
Local Beef Buyers Purchasing Habits
Buyer purchasing habits can vary across different communities, however there are patterns that Farmers can recognize to better set up their Beef products to sell out. Beef is one of the most profitable products Farms can offer, as it is widely consumed across most households on a consistent basis.
When marketing your Beef products, share how they differ from the big name alternatives at the grocery store. Buyers want healthy food choices for their family. In fact, 97% of households say “Sustainably-raised beef is important” to them.
To attract more Buyers, consider where your local target customers live to place your products in a convenient location for them to purchase and pick-up. For busy, suburban customers, you may consider popular locations within the community to add as pick-up locations (e.g. local business, church or school), or offer home-delivery for a fee (e.g. $10 delivery fee). For more rural Buyers, you may consider offering on-Farm pick-up if they are closer to your operation.
Packaging and Pricing your Beef Products
When offering your beef products for sale, understanding product and packaging preferences of your local Buyers is important to increase their spending habits on local, healthy food. Your marketing efforts should educate Buyers on why your food is only available at a premium to grocery store alternatives, and how they can save money with Bundle Box and Subscription purchases.
The average household consumes 12.4 lbs of beef each month, so considering how you can package this monthly Subscription box to provide Buyers with a convenient purchase and fulfillment option, while helping your Farm move more cuts. Almost half of all households (49%) purchase beef at least every 2 weeks, so offering a Beef Bundle Box Subscription that is delivered bi-weekly will be attractive to many Buyers. You should also offer various Bundle Box sizes to ensure smaller and larger households are also satisfied with your product offerings.
If you market your products as “sustainably-raised”, Buyers are more willing to pay a premium for your Beef products. The top 41% of average households will pay an average of $10.85 per pound (for a mixed Bundle Box of beef), so market your products accordingly. Pair high-demand cuts with harder sell items to ensure you can move all parts of the cow in a bundle box. Consider surveying local Buyers and testing various pricing and packaging options that will allow you to find what is most attractive to Buyers, and is worthwhile for your Farm.
Selling Beef Byproducts to your Community
Selling Beef Byproducts ensures you are selling every part of the cow and maximizing your profits. However, byproducts can be daunting to some customers, who may be unfamiliar with certain items. Interestingly, 75% of households say that bundle boxes with other cuts are appealing when a recipe is included (making the byproducts and unfamiliar cuts more comfortable).
Pushing more products within a bundle box will ensure you can have a steady fulfillment schedule aligned with your processing dates. Top performing Farms line-up their kill dates every month (e.g. 3rd Tuesday each month) to make it easy for local Buyers to commit to a Subscription Bundle Box, or a Herdshare for a Quarter, Half or Whole Cow. You can then build hype by marketing your sign-up dates through social media and email newsletters, and have all of your product accounted for, and paid for, upfront.
This will allow you to know how many animals are going to the processor, how they will be cut, and what packages will need to be prepared each month for the Subscription. On average, a Farmer needs 20-25 bundle boxes subscribers or 25 Herdshare members to move the finished products of a whole cow each month.
Create value-added items that can be included in Subscriptions, or as a one-time purchase. You can partner with other Farms and small businesses to sell tallow and other beauty products, leather goods, bone broth kits, or animal feed. This will set your Farm apart from other Beef operations, and encourage your Buyers to spend more with your business.
Conclusion
When selling Beef products direct to your local Buyers, you must consider what pricing, packaging, and fulfillment options will be most profitable for your operations, and what will move the most product through your store. Survey your local customers to better understand what they expect and desire from your Farm, but these data points will help you maintain an inventory that is set up to sell out.
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.