Rose Van Hemmen
If you’re a home food maker looking to step into the world of eCommerce, you know that finding the right platform can be hard. You’re not alone—80% of small business owners think their sales would increase with a more optimized storefront. So where to start?
With hidden fees, complicated interfaces, and features that don’t cater to the unique needs of your food business, it’s a challenge to find the perfect place to get started!
Look no further than FreshFind, the all-in-one solution for local food makers selling via eCommerce. FreshFind is designed to support your business and covers all the areas you need to sell successfully.
Why Choosing the Right Platform Matters for Your Home Food Business
Taking your delicious creations online can open a world of opportunity, and the platform you choose can make a big impact on your success. That’s why picking the right one matters! Here are the top points you should consider when making a decision:
Cost and Pricing
Starting a home food business often means working with a limited budget. Hidden fees, expensive monthly plans, and penalties for not using specific features can eat into your profits. Choosing a platform with a transparent fee structure and a free starter plan lets you test the waters and grow at your own pace.
Ease of Use
Setting up and managing an online store shouldn’t require too much tech experience. Look for a user-friendly interface with intuitive features designed for home businesses. This helps you focus your time and energy on other parts of your business!
Scalability
Your home food business has the potential to grow, so choosing a platform that grows with you is essential! Look for a platform that offers flexible plans and doesn’t lock you in with limitations on data export, making it difficult to migrate to a new platform in the future.
Building Your Brand Identity
Your online storefront represents you and your business. You want a platform that lets you showcase your unique brand and products! Look for features that give you control over your storefront design and content, allowing you to upload high-quality photos and write engaging product descriptions.
Support When You Need It
Online sales can be a new experience, so having access to reliable support can make a big difference. You’re likely part of the 76% who value how quickly a brand responds to their questions and concerns. That’s why you should look for a platform with a dedicated support team available 24/7 to answer your questions and guide you through any challenges that might come up.
By considering these factors, you can choose a platform that empowers your home food business to thrive online!
How FreshFind Stacks Up Against Other eCommerce Platforms
Taking your unique offerings online shouldn’t be complicated. FreshFind is designed specifically for local food businesses, offering a user-friendly platform and features that cater to your unique needs. Here’s what makes FreshFind the perfect fit for your home food business when compared to other platforms:
Shopify
Shopify is a well-known platform with a vast marketplace.
Things to Consider for Home Food Businesses:
Pricing: Monthly fees can range from $38 for the basic plan to $389 for the advanced plan, with additional fees for not using their payment system, Shopify Payments.
Limited Customization: Shopify offers templates to reflect your brand, which can provide easy initial set-up but potentially limit creative control over your storefront in the long run.
Support: Shopify’s customer support may be less flexible than other platforms. While you may find assistance in Shopify forums and articles, using a platform with more direct one-on-one support may be helpful for small business owners.
Wix
Wix offers a user-friendly interface that’s geared toward beginners.
Things to Consider for Home Food Businesses:
Approach to eCommerce: While Wix offers basic selling features, it may lack the advanced features needed for eCommerce and can have restrictions that limit future selling.
Brand Identity Challenges: If you ever plan on changing how your brand is represented, it can be difficult and may require you to rebuild your site from scratch, which can be discouraging
SEO Limitations: Wix may not offer the same level of SEO optimization as other platforms, potentially lowering your online visibility in search results.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce offers an advanced array of tools for marketing, analytics, and design.
Things to Consider for Home Food Businesses:
Complexity for Beginners: BigCommerce’s extensive features can be overwhelming for those new to eCommerce, and may be difficult to navigate for home food makers looking to start
Pricing: The monthly cost can start at $39 and go up to $399 for the pro tier, which may be costly for a home-based business starting small.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin for WordPress websites.
Things to Consider for Home Food Businesses:
Technical Expertise Required: Setting up and maintaining a WooCommerce store requires technical knowledge for development and ongoing security updates. This can be a challenge for those without a background in web development.
Hidden Costs: While the plugin itself is free, you’ll need to factor in website hosting costs (starting around $3.95/month) and potentially hire a developer for setup and maintenance, which can be pricey, especially if you prefer to control your marketplace.
Etsy
Etsy is a well-known platform for handmade goods.
Things to Consider for Home Food Businesses:
High Competition: Standing out can be difficult on Etsy due to the sheer number of sellers. Your product visibility relies heavily on Etsy’s ranking algorithms; plus, with so many options, there is a lower chance of customer loyalty to your brand.
Limited Branding: Etsy’s branding dominates the platform, which may make it more difficult to fully showcase your own brand identity rather than being simply another “Etsy store.”
Fees: Etsy charges fees for set-up, listings, and transactions, making it a less cost-effective option for home food businesses looking to start selling.
Customer Data: You have limited access to customer data on Etsy, making it difficult to build direct customer relationships and loyalty programs.
Squarespace
Squarespace offers a user-friendly interface for building basic online stores.
Things to Consider for Home Food Businesses:
Scalability Limitations: Migrating away from Squarespace in the future can be difficult due to limitations on exporting your data. This can be a worry if you ever want to scale up and move to a different platform.
Transaction Fees: Transaction fees can vary depending on the Squarespace plan you choose, ranging from 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.
FreshFind: Empowering Your Home Food Business Success Story
FreshFind understands the unique challenges faced by home food businesses venturing into eCommerce! We’ve built a platform specifically designed to address those hurdles. Here’s how:
Transparent and Cost-Effective from the Start
Free Starter Plan: Test the waters risk-free! Our free starter plan allows you to dip your toes into online sales with no monthly fees. Ideal for starting small or managing a limited order volume (under 10 per month), you only pay a low 2% transaction fee + $0.50 per transaction. This lets you experiment, gain confidence, and build customer loyalty without upfront investment.
Grow As You Go: Ready to scale up? FreshFind offers higher tiers with progressively lower transaction fees (as low as 1%). These plans unlock valuable features like the option for instant payouts (for a small fee), ensuring you get your earnings quickly to reinvest in your business.
No Hidden Costs, Ever: We believe in upfront honesty. Unlike other platforms, there are no surprise charges with FreshFind. You’ll see a clear breakdown of our fees, including payment processing (3% + $0.35) to cover secure credit card transactions and a $1 payout fee from Stripe, our trusted payment processor, to get your money directly deposited into your bank account.
Built for the Specific Needs of Food Businesses
Analytics and Automation: Access sales reports and, with our upgraded plans, advanced analytics and automation to help your business grow with data-based decisions. These tools save you time and help you tailor future listings to customer preferences!
Advanced Schedule Management: Expand your reach and cater to your local community. You can manage deliveries yourself or leverage our network to ensure your food gets to customers fresh and fast. You can always schedule pickup times, too—and manage all your orders in one place.
Effortless Setup and Management
User-Friendly Interface: Forget complex coding or endless tutorials. FreshFind’s intuitive interface is designed specifically for local and home-based food makers. Set up your online store in minutes, upload photos of your products, and start selling your delicious food without technical headaches. As an added plus, FreshFind is optimized for web and mobile usage, making management easy wherever you are.
24/7 Support: We’re here for you every step of the way. Our dedicated support team is passionate about your success. Get help whenever you need it with our phone support, email assistance, and 24/7 live chat support (support varies per plan—but is always guaranteed). Our team is always happy to answer your questions and guide you through the platform, ensuring a smooth and successful online selling experience.
Unleash Your Culinary Creativity and Freedom
Endless Opportunities: There are no limitations on your offerings! FreshFind supports creativity. From seasonal cookies and artisanal breads to mouthwatering jams and specialty salsas, you can showcase all your unique offerings!
Build Your Brand Identity: FreshFind gives you complete control over your online storefront. Upload high-quality photos, craft descriptions of your offerings, and create a space that reflects your unique brand and story.
Sign up for your free FreshFind account today and see how our platform can empower you to turn your passion for food into a thriving online business!
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings