Why you Need a Separate Farm Website and Store
While it is wise to have a website for potential Buyers to research your brand and find more information about your Farm, it is more important to build a streamlined eCommerce shopping experience first to fuel sales. Prospective Buyers can access eCommerce from email, social media, QR codes and your website. But, before you rush to build a website, consider how you intend to sell your products, your packaging and pricing, your inventory availability and fulfillment options.
It is better to understand the eCommerce needs prior to building a standalone website.
Should your Farm eCommerce be Directly Accessible?
Yes, your Farm eCommerce should be directly accessible from your website (“Shop Now”), your email, social media profiles and via QR codes. However, many new Farms believe that they should bury their products into website pages, where there are multiple pages of information and details to peruse. The data proves that a standalone eCommerce experience increases conversion versus a website with products that are intermingled.
Successful Farmers have proven that a distinction between an informational website and eCommerce store helps improve conversion, attract more orders and lessen Buyer confusion. A standalone online Farm store can be easily linked to your homepage, or individual website pages, but can also be shared through mobile messaging, on social media, in email newsletters, and accessed via QR codes. Sending people directly to your Farm store will make shopping more convenient for potential Buyers, and give them a simplified avenue to view your inventory and make a purchase anytime, anywhere. Less steps to purchase will equal increased conversions.
Every branded channel, including your website, should be a gateway to your Farm store, with ‘Shop’ buttons, product descriptions and available inventory. However, if you attempt to combine all of your Farm information and all of your product information in one place, it is often overwhelming for Buyers and reduces conversion.
On your website, your Farm information, such as an ‘About’ page, your fulfillment and store locations, your Farm practices and Recipes should be segregated from your Shop to avoid Buyer confusion, and limit endless pages to scroll through. Do not overload Buyers with Farm information when they are simply looking to make a purchase. Your Farm eCommerce experience should have the goal of leading Buyers to place an order, while your website can have the goal of educating customers about your Farm business, practices, and history and pointing them to “Shop Now” on every page.
Leverage an eCommerce platform that is built for Farm products and offers enhanced functionality to attract orders (e.g. Sell by Weight, Deposits, Subscriptions) versus a basic website builder for one-time-purchases. Barn2Door’s software is built for Farmers to manage the nuances of different products, price sheets, and payment options, while simplifying order management with you and your customers in mind.
While a basic website can be good for informational purposes, an eCommerce experience that has features specifically for selling Farm products can lead to a better user experience for Buyers, a streamlined backend operations for the Farmer and less stress for all parties involved.
Prepare for Sales Before Marketing
Prior to launching a website, your Farm must have a functional eCommerce store in place. An easy to shop experience that can be accessed from every channel (email, social, mobile, website and QR code) is more important than a standalone beautiful website (with any eCommerce). While you want both at the end of the day, begin with sales of your products, which are the #1 driver of your Farm business. Start with driving revenue through your shop, then use your website as one of many marketing assets.
Plan ahead to ensure your Farm store provides a strong foundation for sales and builds a strong base of recurring revenue. Prioritize product listings by pinning the most popular items and Subscriptions to the top of your store. Provide a variety of product and packaging options that attract Buyers, including fulfillment options that are easy and convenient to minimize back and forth communications. Provide clear product descriptions and simple pricing, explaining any discounts or costs for bulk items.
Once you have built your eCommerce store, you can then test it on trusted friends and family before launching your Farm brand to the general public. When you soft launch your store, you can work out any kinks, anticipate potential questions and run through a fulfillment day without the stress of serving hundreds of Buyers.
Thereafter, you can create a website with pages pointing to your store (Shop Now), dedicated to products, fulfillments, your mission and Farm story. Your Farm eCommerce should be user friendly and easy to use, so it makes purchasing a breeze and maximizes your conversions. Simplify your Buyers’ experience by placing your products into appropriate categories, naming items with clear titles and offering a range of convenient packaging options. Once your store has been built out and tested with a soft launch, you can start marketing it to the general public.
Marketing your Farm eCommerce
Your eCommerce store should be easy for your customers to find and navigate. It is important that you link your Farm store to the homepage on your website, social media profiles, as well as newsletter templates, email signatures, and to a QR code that can be posted anywhere. This will allow Buyers to have an easy path to shop from you, leading to improved conversions. The less steps it takes to make a purchase, the more Buyers will be inclined to shop, and become a returning customer.
You want to think about your Farm storefront (eCommerce), prior to investing in your digital billboard (website). Every Branded channel (website, social, newsletters, emails) are for information sharing and marketing, while your Farm store is for selling purposes. You should link to your Farm store in your social media bio and in social media posts (Facebook). In all of your newsletters, share specific products that link to your store homepage with a “Shop Now” button, and in your email header/footer. Link to your store across your website, with the “Shop Now” button visible on your homepage and add links to products on your product pages. By effectively connecting your website and your eCommerce experience, you can turn visitors to your website, social media, newsletters and email into loyal customers.
Conclusion
There are several steps you can take to ensure you have a firm foundation in place prior to launching your Farm sales. Many Farmers may believe that a website is the first order of business, however, your eCommerce experience is the actual driver of sales for your products. Ensure you have your Farm storefront assembled and tested, prior to launching a branded website to your community for marketing. Once your Farm store is ready to sell, then you can attract Buyers via your website, social media, newsletter, email and QR codes to your eCommerce to make a purchase.
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.