Workflow: Running an Online Store

Setting up and running an online store is easy and flexible with VeggieCropper. New orders immediately update your harvest and pack lists so you have real-time information in the field and pack shed. VeggieCropper uses the most direct and effective marketing strategy for online sales, email.


Workflow for running an online store with VeggieCropper


A) Configure your online order form

B) Adding products to your 'store'

C) Email your customers directly with a link to your form

D) Running your online store

E) Harvesting and Packing for your Online Orders

F) Editing and updating an online order

G) Completing an order

H) Accepting payment

FAQ

A) Configure your online order form

  1. From the 'Orders' page, click on the Online Order Form icon beside '+ Harvest'
  2. Click on '+Online Order Form' to see the form setup page (learn more about this page here)
  3. Consider whether you want to 'Allow customer to edit their order before the order window closes', the default setting for this toggle is checked.
  4. Select an email to receive order confirmations and updates. These emails must be added as crew accounts. Click here to learn more about adding crew members to your account. You can create a crew account to list a particular email you want to use.
  5. Add 'Order Confirmation Notes' with details about what the customer needs to do next. This gives them clear direction so they know they are doing everything right. Consider:
    1. Details about how you want to receive payment
    2. Pickup location and logistics
    3. Ability to edit or cancel order until order closing date (if enabled)
    4. A thank you!
  6. When ready click 'Save' and you will go to the Online Order Form setup page.

B) Adding products to your store

Once you save your form settings page, you will end up on the form setup page. This page allows you to add products to sell. Click the more menu beside the form name to return to the form details page if needed.

  1. Click + Unit to add a new unit or select an existing unit.
    1. You can combine crop units and credit units for members to top up their accounts when needed.
  2. You must add an 'Available' amount for each unit.
    1. 'Max order' will set a maximum number of a specific unit for this order.
    2. Toggling 'Harvest' will create a harvest and a pack for this unit for each order. If this box is unchecked, and only a pack will be created and can be useful for selling off farm products or products in storage (roots, garlic, etc.)
    3. Toggling 'Required' will ensure that a minimum of 1 of these units is required before the order can be placed. Required units appear prepopulated with a 1 for the customer. A maximum unit number of 2 allows customers to order 2 of a required unit.
  3. Click 'Save' after adding a few units.
  4. Click on the more menu beside the form name and select View Live Form to see how the form will appear to the customer.

You can adjust the order of how the units will appear on the online order form, click save and then drag and drop the eight-dot icon beside each unit. Save the form again.

Try a few test orders to ensure everything works as you want it to.


  1. Click the more menu beside the name of the order on the form setup page
  2. Click 'Copy Order Form Link'
  3. Paste or hyperlink this link into the email you will send to your customers
  4. Triple check it is working as it should
  5. Finish off the email text, pictures say a thousand words. Keep the content short and make a clear ask or direction to click the link to open the order form.
    1. We suggest putting a few more details in the order form with the goal of getting the customer to put in an order. Pictures, brief update, what's new and exciting etc.
    2. Send!

D) Running your online store

  1. Watch your orders come in by confirmation emails (if enabled) and on the Orders page.
  2. Keep an eye on the remaining availability of in demand products, you can change inventory amounts at any time. Once a product reaches 0 units available it does not appear on the online order form.

E) Harvesting & Packing for your Online Orders Orders

As soon as an order is placed the items for each order will appear in the harvest and pack lists.

Harvest and pack one order at time: Select the Order from the Orders page. From here you can print the form, and you can mark it complete for both packs and harvests by checking the order form off on the Orders page.

One list to harvest and pack: The pack list is called Pack Summary. This list is automatically created for any Order and works really well when you are harvesting and packing for multiple orders. From the Orders page, click on the more icon beside Orders and select Pack Summary.

Separate Pack and Harvest lists: Select the Harvest box beside each crop unit on your order form for the crop you want to create a harvest list for. This will add the ordered amount to your harvest list. This is a separate list from your pack list. To see Pack and Harvest lists, from the Orders page, click the more menu beside Orders.

Print Pack Lists for Each Order: From the Orders page click the more menu and select 'Pack Lists PDF'

F) Editing and updating an online order

Editing an online order form can only happen from the order form itself. You can link to the order form from clicking the order on the Orders page, or clicking the harvest or pack amounts on the Harvest & Pack page (click the more drop down on Orders, Harvests or Packs).

G) Completing an order

To mark an order complete:

  1. Click on 'Orders' in the navbar
  2. Find the order you are looking for
  3. Click the circle to the left of the order to mark it complete
    1. Marking an order complete will complete any remaining harvests and packs at the same time.

H) Accepting payment

Track payments as they come in for your Orders:

  1. Click on Orders in the nav bar
  2. Click on the order total
  3. Add the payment amount, type, and date
    1. Include partial payments, an order will not appear as paid until it is fully paid.
  4. Click 'Save'

FAQ

Customers Cancelling Orders

If orders are able to be edited before the order cutoff time, members will see a 'Cancel Order' link at the bottom of their order. Cancelling an order changes its status to 'Cancelled', these orders still show on the Harvest list page and appear greyed out.

Making changes to member shares/orders when there is a shortage

Logged in as an account manager or owner, you can open existing online order form orders and adjust them even if the order window is closed.

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