POS for Farmers: Sell On-the-Farm and at the Market

Traditional cash registers might seem like the best payment management option for small business owners, including farmers. A cash register is relatively cheap and has a long lifespan. But an iPad-based POS system offers a whole new realm of opportunities to improve your business and to add functionalities that no cash register can provide. Let’s look at some of the advantages of POS for farmers.

• Increased Efficiency

An iPad POS system will improve the overall efficiency of your business by providing access to a wide range of data that gives insight into your sales, customer behavior, employee performance, and more. Create more detailed sales and accounting reports than you can with a cash register, and even feed that information directly into your accounting software.
Another key functionality for greater efficiency is inventory management. Automatically track inventory based on sales and usage, reducing the labor and potential human error of manual inventory. You’ll get alerts when it’s time to restock, and you’ll know how much to replenish, avoiding waste from overstocking. A POS system for farmers who sell items in bulk can be integrated with an NTEP Certified scale for tracking inventory by weight.

• Payment Flexibility

With an iPad POS for farmers, you can accept a greater variety of payment methods than simply cash or check. A 2017 survey by payment processor TSYS revealed that 44% of consumers prefer to pay by debit card, and 33% by credit card. Your POS can be equipped with card readers so you can accept these payments, including payments by EMV chip cards. You can also accept mobile or digital wallet payments from sources such as Apple Pay or Google Pay. According to the 2017 American Express Digital Payments Survey, 46% of respondents said they rarely or never use cash anymore; so you should be prepared to handle the types of payments your customers prefer.
You’ll also be able to give your customers more detailed receipts than those provided by a cash register, with information such as item descriptions, prices, and coupons or other discount savings.
Another advantage of an iPad POS system over a traditional cash register? Mobility. It’s easy to take your POS anywhere there’s an internet connection, whether you’re selling at the farmers’ market or participating in local festivals or tasting events. Take payments in house or on the road.

• Better Customer Service

A POS for farmers can help you provide a more positive customer experience. Not only can you take all types of payment and give better receipts, but the checkout process will be faster and more efficient. An iPad-based system will have an intuitive interface, one that your employees will likely already be familiar with from their own personal devices, so it will be easy for them to learn and use. And using a barcode scanner to ring up products is much faster (and more accurate) than manually keying in item numbers and prices on a register.
With an iPad POS, you can utilize consumer data to create targeted marketing campaigns and implement programs designed to retain customers, such as a loyalty rewards program. These programs create a sense of connection that customers desire, and they increase satisfaction. Buyers will be encouraged to return more often, and they tend to spend more when a loyalty program is in place.
You can turn any iPad into a POS system by using the free apps offered by SalesVu. You’ll find the tools you need to run your business better, from payment processing to loyalty programs. For more detailed analytics, you can subscribe to SalesVu’s cloud services. And you’ll have access to customer support, 24/7. Contact SalesVu today to learn more about the benefits of POS for farmers.