Zen Cart for Online Farm Product Sales: Overview
Zen Cart is a powerful, flexible shopping cart application that is open source
(free) and widely supported by web hosting companies. The Zen Cart application is a Content Management System (CMS) with an admin that
allows the owner to easily update the site contents (manage inventory, add or
delete products, change prices, etc).
I have done several
Zen Cart applications for progressive farmers who wish to sell directly to local
customers. See the website links below.
The most common model is the use of Buyers Clubs in close proximity to the farm.
Buyers Clubs can be hosted by individuals or businesses. Typically online orders
are placed by customers at specific times (as determined by a calendar) for
delivery to the Buyers Club locations (also called drop sites or pickup sites)
at regular intervals (such as once per month).
The Product Variability Challenge
Because of inherent product variability, the biggest challenge in using an online shopping cart for this business model is
how to easily and smoothly create accurate invoices and receive payment.
Some farm products do fit
well into the traditional shopping cart structure (such as a carton of one dozen
eggs, a pound package of ground beef or hot dogs). These products tend to
have low variability.
However many other products cannot
easily be fit into a single, permanent price structure for online purchase.
In other words, the item ordered online is usually not exactly what the
customer will receive on delivery. For example, a customer may order a 5 lb broiler but end
up with 5.3 pounds or 4.8 pounds of meat, or whatever, depending on the specific
chicken they get when the order is packaged for delivery.
There are two basic approaches for dealing with the product variability problem:
1) Adjusted Invoice - The customer places the order based on an ESTIMATE for what
the delivered product will be. This could be the average price
(based on average weight) for the particular item. Then the store owner
adjusts the final invoice to match what is ACTUALLY available at delivery time. The adjustment may
occur within Zen Cart or a third party system such as Quickbooks. Payment can be COD at the
delivery site. Polyface uses this
approach. Or payment can also be via PayPal (outside of Zen Cart) once the invoice has
been adjusted (NOTE: PayPal payment does not occur in Zen Cart during checkout). Full Quiver uses this approach.
2) Incremental Product Listing - Products with variable attributes
(such as weight) are listed in discrete incremental levels. For example, a
sirloin steak may be offered for purchase at two weight levels (1.2 lb min. or
1.75 min.) The steak will weigh no less than the listed minimum. Thus the
order invoice does not need to be adjusted. The customer can place an order
online, make instant payment with a credit card via PayPal, and receive delivery
at a drop site for exactly what they have ordered. The product variance is built
into the price and averages out over time and volume, so that on the whole, the
buyer gets what they paid for and the farmer gets a fair price for the product.
This approach does require a bit more time at setup for creating the additional
product levels, and of course, inventory/stock numbers must be maintained
accurately (which Zen Cart does pretty well). Avery's Branch uses this
approach.
Websites
Here are links to some Zen Cart websites I have created:
- Polyface Gift Shop - a
straightforward Zen Cart application with an instant payment option (PayPal) and standard
shipping for the general public.
- PolyfaceYum Buyers Club - A private
Zen Cart just for buyers club members as discussed above in the adjusted invoice
approach. Zen Cart can be scaled up for large operations like Polyface.
- Avery's Branch Farms Store
- A private Zen Cart for buyers club members. Avery's also has a private
access Zen Cart for cow shareholders. This farm uses the incremental
product listing approach.
- Full Quiver Farm - A Zen Cart
for buyers club members based on adjusted invoice via PayPal once the order has
been filled.
- Wolfies Wild Dog Food - Zen Carts can
be adapted to a variety of purposes and designs.
Resources
Zen Cart is well supported with resources, including online video tutorials. Click on the links in the left
sidebar for specific resources relevant to your Zen Cart installation.
Here are a few additional general resources to help you get started:
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