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Summer is Here! Time to Spruce Up Your Farmers' Market Stand

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It’s summer, which means the return of the farmers’ market. The time when sweet, sun-drenched tomatoes and fresh herbs catch the eye, locally made honey and soaps are on display, and crowds line up to see what their local vendors have to offer.

For many local farmers, vendors, and craft food suppliers, summer is the most important time of year. It’s when the majority of business happens and much of the year’s profits fall into place.

What does this mean? Well, as a vendor you have to stand out. Farmers’ markets are growing incredibly popular, leading to more competition and less space. Your stand isn’t just a booth. It is a beautiful blank canvas to paint with gorgeous, eye-catching, branded displays.

Remember, farmers’ markets are a feast for the senses and you want to be the caterer. To help spruce up your farmers’ market stand this summer, we’ve put together a list of five ideas that will surely play to your customers’ senses.

1. Display Eye-Catching Signage

They say eyes are the window to the soul, but when it comes to farmers’ market stands, eyes are more like a window to the stomach. You need to make sure you start with eye-catching, branded signage.

Draw in the crowds to your booth with a banner or custom table throw that gives a theme to your display.

Include easy-to-read text that displays:

Your brand name
Products
Logo
Contact info (location, website, social media, etc.)

Don't forget to include signs with prices. People don’t like to guess, and no one does well with sticker shock. Potential customers will appreciate clearly displayed prices and will be more likely to stop and take a gander at what you have to offer.

Chalkboards are incredibly popular for price signs since you can easily change these on a whim for seasonal produce or when items sell out.

2. Take Advantage of the Greenery

If you sell fresh-cut flowers, herbs, or flowering vegetables, take advantage of their beauty. Create bouquets and other displays that utilize your products to sell to customers.

Here are some ideas:

Display vegetables, flowers, and fruits in different-sized rustic baskets
Create floral arrangements in containers or vases
Plant flowering herbs in crates to sell
Use burlap or vintage tablecloths to cover your stand

If you’re selling non-food craft items like soaps, or things in jars like honey and maple syrup, add greenery to your display to grab attention. If you are selling items other than fruits and veggies, there are plenty of creative ways to set up your displays.

For example:

Soap bar pyramids
Display honey jars in crates or wooden shelving
Place non-food items in branded, custom-designed boxes
Use creative props to display jars and bars, like a vintage scale

3. Place Bestsellers Front & Center

Display the items you want to move front and center. It may seem like a simple idea, but you’d be amazed at how many people make their items hard to reach. Use shelves or crates to create a multi-tiered table with your heavy hitters in the most prominent location.

It’s also worth noting that people are drawn to plentiful booths. Plentiful. Not cluttered. This is a fine line you don’t want to cross. Use boxes, baskets, or crates of varying sizes to create depth and take up space. Again, include the items you want to sell the most in the center.

If you don’t have a huge inventory of things to sell, there are a few tricks you can use to make your booth look more plentiful:

Fill the bottom of baskets with burlap. Pile your items on top so the basket seems full.
Put shredded paper in the bottom of crates or boxes, then place your items on top.
Use a tiered table filled with items of varying height and size to make your display look fuller.

The more crowded (but organized) your booth is, the more people will stop to look at all the cool things you have for sale.

Also, ensure that you outfit your big-hit items with a striking, branded label. Colorful visuals increase shoppers’ focus up to 80 percent! Not sure where to start with label design? We have a few resources:

4. Offer Free Samples

Repeat after me. Free is key. Free samples can help your booth stand out at a crowded farmers’ market and they can generate buzz. How many times have you seen people walking around with a sample of something and thought, “Where do I get that?”

Whether you are giving away small samples of soap, letting people taste your salsa on a tortilla chip, or offering free cucumber water, free samples get people to your stand and force them to take a look at what you are offering.

Free samples don’t have to be expensive, and they don’t have to take a bite out of profits. Cut up the strawberry that had a small dent in it, make an olive oil dip with leftover herbs to let people taste your bread, or use the honey jar that wasn’t quite full. Be creative in your offer.

As an aside, if you are going to offer something free, keep hand sanitizing wipes nearby or include a handwashing station.

5. Give Customers Something to Remember

You want customers to remember who you are, and you want them to come back again and again. How can you increase brand awareness long after your customers leave the farmers’ market?

Create custom stickers to include with each purchase. They are low cost and a fun thing for people to have.
Print branded tags to tie around fruits and vegetables.
Get creative with your bags. Pack customers' items in rustic burlap totes they can reuse or add branded labels to sturdy paper bags.
Place a flower in their bag or basket when they checkout.

Giving customers that little extra care goes a long way and no matter what you're selling, consistent customer service is excellent for staying top of mind with buyers.

Make Your Farmers’ Market Stand Pop This Summer

Farmers’ markets are growing all across the rural and urban US. With the rise in popularity of the farm-to-table movement, there’s a massive demand for high-quality, artisanal items and craft foods. The opportunity is there.

As you ready your stand for the summer, keep these tips in mind. You’ll gain a competitive edge at the market and walk away happy.

Looking to do more with custom labels, boxes, or stickers? Stomp is always here to take your craft food labels from bland to on-brand. The right labels, business cards, table throws, and eye-catching banners will make your farmers’ market booth stand out. See how we can help!