Who carries cash anymore? Not many of us. Mostly it’s credit and debit cards. 99% of the time this is perfect for any purchase but occasionally, like at farmers markets, we’re left rooting through pockets and purses. Yes, some markets have electronic payments but for most, it’s cash only. Unless…
If you have a chamber gift certificates program, and your farmers market offers standing stalls and is comprised of the same merchants throughout the season, you can extend the chamber currency program to them. This gives shoppers buying local an alternative to carrying cash to the market and it’s a way for the chamber to get some idea of what is being spend at the local markets.
Benefits for Local Growers Being a Part of a Chamber Gift Certificate Program
The other benefit to using local gift certificates at farmers markets is that the merchants can see the popularity of the program and begin to appreciate the chamber’s efforts on behalf of buying local.
Another reason to include local growers is convenience. Most small farms don’t have websites and if they do, they’re usually informational only and not transactional. By including them in the gift certificate program people can order gift certificates online and then use them at the market. This convenient purchasing power would help out a group that is often not advanced enough on their website to offer gift certificates in an online shopping cart.
Buying local programs have exploded in popularity over the past couple of years. People feel good about spending money at local merchants. There’s no reason this should be any different at the local farmers market. Reaching out to local growers and inviting them to be part of your program also gives you an opportunity to talk to a group that the chamber might not have much involvement with. If you offer a tiered dues program, you may want to consider what special needs these merchants have and how you can help them grow their agri-business.
