March 2022 - 15

MARKETING
Are You a People Person?
What is your personality like? Do
you enjoy meeting people and talking
with them? Are you more introverted
and the idea of spending several hours
meeting and talking with people seems
like a form of torture? As an extrovert,
I liked doing farmers' markets, but
my wife is the exact opposite and we
quickly learned that her skills were best
used elsewhere.
Pros
While having a farmers' market
will cost you some real estate, you'll
have a ready audience because you'll
already have the foot traffic coming
into your store. It's also an instant
focus group - you can interact
directly with the customer to gauge
their reaction to your products, and
hear their evaluation of how you are
offering them.
Farmers' markets also allow you to
sharpen your marketing skills, fine tune
your displays to show your products at
their best, and increase sales.
Consider these pros and
cons of offering a farmers'
market at your garden
center.
T
hanks to Covid, farmers'
markets have been given a bit
of a boost when disruptions in
the food system occurred and pushed
customers to find alternatives to their
usual shopping outlets. According to
a study by Colorado State University
for Local Food Economics, 35% of
consumers participating in the study
said they tried at least one new
market channel.
If you are considering offering a
farmers' market at your garden center,
you should weigh the pros and cons to
make an informed decision that will
hopefully lead to a profitable outcome.
Find Your " Why "
Consider why you want to include
a farmers' market. Perhaps you are
looking to drive more customers to
your garden center, or maybe you are
looking to increase your gross sales.
Set some goals.
Cons
Weather can affect your success,
depending on if your setup is indoors
or outdoors. Obviously, a rainy day
brings few customers to an outdoor
market. There has, however, been some
research that shows the customers who
do come on bad weather days tend to
purchase more.
Holding a farmers' market might be
your most expensive marketing channel
due to increased labor costs. Even
though the market may be open for
only a few hours, it is really an all-day
event; it could take an hour or more to
set up and the same for tearing down.
Depending on your setup, initial
startup costs can be high, as you
might need a canopy, weights for the
canopy (a must if outdoors), tables,
coolers, etc. Ideally, these are items
you will use for many years, so that
cost is spread out.
Let's finish up with a few " do's " and
" don'ts " .
Do
Be on time. Setting up your market
late will ultimately hurt your business.
If you start late, you might never really
get fully set up and end up losing sales.
Brand your stuff. Your logo should
be on everything, including t-shirts,
hats, signage and labels. You're looking
to tell your story about what you offer
and why.
If you offer samples, have them
prepared in advance. This saves time
and you won't have to clean utensils at
your stand, which could lead to health
department scrutiny.
Have a system for keeping your
space clean. Develop and implement
protocols for cleaning so you can
operate during Covid.
Farmers' markets
also allow you
to sharpen your
marketing skills, fine
tune your displays to
show your products
at their best, and
increase sales.
Don't
Don't be grumpy. No one wants
to buy from someone who looks like
they'd rather be somewhere else.
Smiling, engaging vendors will always
do well.
Don't be short on your top
products. You may have developed
a reputation for having some highquality
products like sweet corn or
strawberries; make sure you have it
all season and through the market
day. If you are constantly selling out
halfway through the market day, you
will frustrate your customers.
Having a farmers' market means
having an additional space where you
can build your business and enhance
your marketing skills. Given the current
interest in local food, this could be the
best time to start a market.
Brian Moyer is an educational program
associate with Penn State Extension
at the Lehigh County office. He can be
reached at bfm3@psu.edu.
LGRMAG.COM | 15
http://www.LGRMAG.COM
March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2022
