Go into nearly any supermarket and you may notice some trend : There ’s a different exit than entrance . Milk River is in the back . There ’s a whole selection of kickshaw surrounding the check-out procedure line of merchandise . Am I wrong ? likely not , because this is all very common and very designed . If you run a supermarket , you train to get customer to loiter as long as potential and expend money .
Although we do n’t tend to guess of our Farmer markets in the same illumination as supermarkets — because they often comprise so many different businesses and generally mean to be the anti - supermarket — what I ’m about to argue is that perchance we could learn a few things from them . By crafting our market to better resemble grocery store memory , perhaps everyone ’s sales can go up and all the vendors , not just those who get the best spots , can do good .
1. Place Meat, Dairy & CSA Vendors in the Back
Obviously , not every farmer mart has a “ back ” per se , as many are out-of-door , but that does n’t think of they ca n’t be made to have backs or that the eye can not be utilized as the back . Wherever the deepest point in the market is , that is where the booths with firm , regular customers should reside . In a supermarket , this intend put Milk River , gist and dairy in the back ; for a sodbuster market , CSAs , cheese , center and dairy could fill up that office . CSAs in particular are farms whose client are go to be there rain or radiance , calendar week after calendar week , and by draw them across as much of the market as possible , you open up the greatest number of sales from those client to other vendors . And it ’s not a bad idea to have a separate entranceway and exit if you’re able to manage it — this forces the customer to blow over nearly every vendor before leave .
2. Set Baked Goods & Prepared Foods at the Entrance
Retailers and restaurants have known for years that aroma draws in customer . The olfactory property of coffee orfresh bake breadwill convey the client into the marketplace and , once there , hopefully inspire them to shop . Also , parched trade good can act as the closest affair a market has to “ suggestive selling”—those stacks of candy ginmill and cartridge at the checkout line .
3. Put Market Gardeners Beside Bakers
human race are of course drawn to the land site of bountiful tables of reinvigorated food . If you need to get a client walking through the market , come in your marketplace gardeners near the snapper of the market may be the estimable direction to do start them walking and assure those vendors , who rely on hebdomadary sales , get passed by the greatest number of possible consumer . Perhaps the piles of fresh produce will inspire a bacon customer to make some BLTs that Nox with those estimable , local tomatoesthey espy on his or her style through .
4. Play Music at Farmers Markets
field have shownthat music is wildly beneficial to business . A lack of music makes an surroundings feel sterile and does n’t invite the customer to lollygag or spend money . euphony should , obviously , not be offensive or flashy , but it should be present . Live stripe are nice but not necessary — a phone and an amplifier can do the trick nicely . Music , especially slower music , make ambience and keeps the customer comfortable while they ’re shopping .
5. Provide Kids Activities
Go to food market store on weekend and they will often have kids activities in full swing music . Parents are always looking for places to take kids , so why should n’t the husbandman mart be that place ? Face painting , book reading — anything you may think of to get parent there and keep them around can help boost overall gross sales .
Obviously , how to design your market like a grocery store is up to interpretation and depends on your space . Certainly to some this may vocalize manipulative of the lovely multitude supporting these seller , but mayhap think of it this agency : Customers like supermarkets because they make the customer feel comfortable , even excited , to be there — they’re designed to — and score our markets sense that way is a great way to stay competitive , give the customer what they want and to put more money in the pockets of farmers . Everybody get ahead .
