Upping your Retail Game

Angie Day •  September  14, 2025

Retail Therapy

In a recent survey, NAFDMA learned that a large number of our farm members struggle with retail displays, traffic patterns, and merchandising.  This is not new, and nearly all agritourism locations have a retail display of some sort, even if it is just a pile of pumpkins or a stack of limes for purchase.


Resources

NAFDMA has held several different sessions over the years for retail best practices and determining products that will work for your customer base.  A few different options can be accessed for free by members using the Education Center on our website and clicking on the various options in the Retail section. 


Ideas

One great tip - display your offerings in a different way.  Hang a ladder from the ceiling and have gourds attached to it for selection.  This not only brings the eye up, but it engages a space that may not be used otherwise.  It has the additional benefit of being eye-catching, as no one expects a ladder to sport hanging gourds.  Be sure to also cross-merchandise.  Next to the pile of pie pumpkins, have some pre-made pie crusts so a family can take home both to make their own homemade pie.  Or have sets of carving tools for purchase so the family doesn't have to go elsewhere for their Jack-o-lantern supplies.


Stay Consumer Focused

Whatever products you have, put your mind into the space of a consumer and what will either make their life easier, or will capture their sense of delight and surprise.  You will feel some "retail therapy" in no time!

RECENT ARTICLES

Planting for Tomorrow: Pots of Tulips, Pops of Color

By angie • September 15, 2025
Adding Pops of Color to Your Spring Festival 

Adding the Yum to Your Farm!

By Suzi Spahr • September 5, 2025
As we head into the busiest time for many agritourism farms, owners and managers start to look at quick and easy ways to add new offerings to their customers. One way to increase the per-person spend? Add snacks! Biting Off the Next Bite of Consumer Attention? Food & Beverage may seem daunting, but there are many ways to simplify it. If you are just getting started, you may want to check out our Concessions 101 webinar. This gives you the most important things you need to know to start adding food, snacks, and drinks. If you are wanting to "level up" the experience for your guests, avoid some pitfalls by viewing the webinar titled Food & Beverage: 8 Things I Wouldn't Do . How to Get Started One of the easiest ways to get started is by using a pre-made snack that just needs heating up. The Amish Pretzel Company/Ben's Pretzels has just worked with Gordon Food Service to add both their 5.5 ounce pretzel and their pretzel bites to the GFS line of products. Who doesn't love a warm, tasty pretzel?! New Partnership from a NAFDMA Industry Member In the words of Tiffany from The Amish Pretzel Company: You may not remember me from the NAFDMA Expo but hopefully you remember sampling the world's best frozen pretzel. I am happy to let you know, you can now find our products the 5.5 ounce pretzel and the pretzel bites at your local Gordan Food Service (GFS) (NOTE: They do not stock in Florida or Texas) 96 ct - 5.5 ounce pretzel $124.99 Pretzel bites - $109.99 If you choose to use GFS for your ordering just let your GFS know that you will be ordering so they can plan to stock plenty for your farm. If this option does not work, you can always reach me to ship directly to you. Tiffany 574-215-8470.

Fueling Tradition: How Long Acre Farms Brought Mustang Magic to the Corn Maze

By angie • August 27, 2025
When a family farm in rural New York sent a cold email to Ford, they never expected to hear back. What started as a hopeful note to a generic inbox evolved into one of the biggest collaborations in Long Acre Farms’ history—an iconic sponsorship that brought “Fast Never Fades: 60 Years of Mustang” roaring to life in their 2025 Amazing Maze.