Episode 41 | In the final spring-season CHOP Local University webinar, Katie explains how farmers market vendors can use an online store to increase sales through pre-orders for market pickup and year-round ordering, citing survey data showing only 9% of direct-to-consumer meat farmers have online stores but 71% of farms selling over $200,000 do, and that average sales are $140,000 with e-commerce vs. $81,000 without.
She outlines actions before, during, and after market season: optimize store usability (fast loading, easy product discovery, sell by package/weight ranges rather than exact weight, and answer common customer questions), create signage/QR codes, collect emails using lead magnets, and train customers to pre-order with incentives and scarcity. After season, she recommends frequent short emails with clear calls to action, scheduled pickup “meetups,” and holiday gift bundles, and describes Chop Local’s marketplace, vendor tools, shipping requirement, and support options.
Ready to elevate your brand and business? Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand
And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!
00:29 What Is Chop Local
01:57 Meet Katie Olthoff
02:50 Survey Data Insights
04:23 Online Store Advantage
06:13 Candace Success Story
07:36 Three Phase Strategy
08:41 Optimize Store Basics
09:42 Sell By Package
12:19 Answer Customer Questions
13:16 Signs and QR Codes
15:02 Collect Emails at Market
16:55 Lead Magnet Explained
18:37 Coupon Funnel Q&A
21:18 QR Signup Best Practices
23:09 Push Preorders Online
24:07 Scarcity With Preorders
26:08 Email Cadence Made Simple
29:08 Calls To Action That Convert
31:00 Offseason Pickup Meetups
32:56 Holiday Gift Box Push
35:41 Quick Strategy Recap
38:34 Next Steps And Offers
44:01 Tools Q&A And Wrap
