FARMERS’ MARKETS
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personal connection with you, they ' ll be more likely to return. However try not to talk to one customer for too long if others are waiting. Have a brochure, price list or other reading matter that they can look at while they are waiting. Find characteristics about your product that make it superior to that of other vendors, ie, find your unique selling point( USP). Are your wares genuinely organic? Is your jam recipe different from the usual? Is your handmade soap made of finer ingredients? Are you catering for special dietary requirements, ie, is your produce gluten-free or suitable for diabetics, etc? Don ' t undervalue your products, but don ' t charge unrealistically high process. Do your market research beforehand and find out what the going rate is for your type of produce. Make sure your pricing is clear. Decide whether it is cost-effective to print coloured labels.
Packaging can make the difference between perceived high-quality and averagequality. For instance, bars of homemade soap with a pretty wrapper, tied with raffia, look like they ' ve had more care than bars of soap just piled in a bin. Pick colours and a design that play on the local aspect of your product. Providing printed cards with your favourite recipes encourages purchases, especially if you focus on recipes for some of your more unusual items that don ' t sell as well. Plan your harvest and product lines so you have a consistent supply of produce.
If it is possible, have samples of your produce for people to taste. Think of a way to engage children at your stall. Try to identify and remember your key weekly customers by name. Ask them how they used your products and if they were satisfied with them or if they have any suggestions to make. Keep the weekly process of packing for market stress-free with a permanent checklist of everything you need, from change in the cash box to your business cards. It ' s easiest to have one permanent bin with all your key supply essentials for the season. You have to persevere- consider success at the farmers’ market an on-going journey of learning. Keep experimenting and trying different approaches and, whenever possible in your travels, visit other markets and bring new perspectives back home to your neighbourhood.
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