In today's digital-first world of online shopping (hello, Amazon Prime!), a missing shopping cart on your website could mean a missed opportunity. For farms, food hubs, and small businesses, setting up an e-commerce system may take some extra work, but it can lead to more streamlined operations—and more sales.
Fortunately, there are plenty of tools that make online selling simple and effective. Many platforms go beyond just checkout and include features like inventory management, invoicing, and POS systems, bringing all your business tools into one place.
Below, we’ve rounded up a few e-commerce platforms we’ve worked with. If you want to explore even more, check out the CSA Innovation Network’s report that compares how farmers rated different e-commerce tools.
Square
Square began as a way for small business owners to begin accepting credit card payments in person and has grown to be a complete e-commerce and POS system. Square offers easy payment collection (online and in-person), an e-commerce website, payroll, inventory management, and more, which can all be managed simultaneously. Various plans are available, including the option for a custom plan, so businesses can choose which features are useful. Some features are included within the plans and some cost extra. Additional fees per transaction are also collected. Through the Square app, sellers can also easily accept contactless payments.
Options are available for more traditional retail businesses, food/beverage businesses, service businesses, and more.
Cost: Plan options are free, $89/month, and premium custom (price varies).
Retail POS System - Retail Point of Sale Software | Square (squareup.com)
Shopify
Shopify is a more recent option for selling that is a complete commerce platform. Features offered to businesses through Shopify include an online store, in-person and online selling, and product management (inventory, shipping, receipts, etc.). Similar to Square, Shopify also offers an entire POS system integrating all in-person and online sales. While most Shopify features require a hardware system, Shopify does accept Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Shopify offers various plans at different price points, which include different features. A free trial followed by 3 months for $1 per month is available.
Cost: Plan options are $29/month, $79/month, and $299/month, with additional fees and equipment prices varying.
Website: Start and grow your e-commerce business - 3-Day Free Trial - Shopify USA
EasyCart
EasyCart is an e-commerce option for businesses who use WordPress as their website developer. EasyCart works easily with WordPress websites to offer an online store, shopping cart, check-out, and customer account and order tracking system. While EasyCart doesn’t offer some of the additional POS features that options like Square and Shopify do, it’s a simple way to sell online and transfer funds to a bank account, if you have a WordPress website.
Cost: Plan options are free with WordPress, $69/year, or $89/year, with additional fees collected per transaction.
WordPress Shopping Cart & eCommerce Plugin by WP EasyCart
Local Line
Local Line is an online e-commerce and management system specifically designed for farmers and local food producers. With Local Line, you can sell online and manage websites, inventory, price lists, pick/pack lists, invoices, orders, customer accounts, and more, all designed specifically for family farmers. They also offer resources on how to build your brand, including topics like websites, social media, etc. A full POS feature is coming soon along with a marketplace feature that will allow Local Line users to connect with consumers and different buyers like restaurants, grocery stores, and more.
Cost: Plan options are $99/month, $199/month, and $399/month with credit card fees varying.
Local Line | The Sales Platform for Farms and Food Hubs
Barn2Door
Barn2Door is also geared towards farmers, even with features specific to different kinds of farms (dairy, flower, produce, etc.). It is an e-commerce and POS system, allowing you to build your online store, fulfill orders, manage inventory, sell in different ways, and more. It also integrates easily with other systems that farmers may utilize, including Squarespace, Facebook, MailChimp, and Quickbooks.
Cost: Plans are designed for various business scales, including $99/month + one-time fee of $399, $159/month + one-time fee of $499, and $299/month + one-time fee of $599.
Getting Started With E-Commerce
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution—your choice depends on what you're selling, where you're selling it, and how tech-savvy your team is. Ask yourself:
Do you need in-person and online selling?
Do you want an all-in-one tool (inventory, invoicing, POS)?
Are there certain e-commerce options that pair well with your current website provider?
The good news? There are e-commerce platforms for nearly every business need. Taking the time to choose the right one can save time, increase sales, and make daily operations a lot smoother. If you’d like help, feel free to contact KCARD at kcard@kcard.info or (859) 550-3972.