E-Commerce & Subscription Platforms
Part of Marketing, Brands, and Value-Added
Online Sales for Dairy Products
Direct-to-consumer dairy sales have grown significantly, with customers increasingly willing to order milk, cheese, and other products online. Success requires e-commerce platforms that handle the unique challenges of perishable products, local delivery logistics, and recurring subscriptions.
E-Commerce Platform Options
General E-Commerce Platforms
Shopify, WooCommerce, and Square Online can be configured for perishable products with appropriate plugins and settings for shipping zones, delivery windows, and product handling.
Farm-Specific Platforms
Platforms like Barn2Door, Local Line, and Farmlead are designed specifically for farm direct sales with features for CSA shares, delivery routes, and recurring orders.
Local Food Marketplaces
Multi-vendor platforms like Local Harvest, Farmigo, or regional food hubs aggregate local producers and handle order fulfillment.
Key Features for Dairy
Subscription Management
- Recurring orders (weekly milk delivery, cheese clubs)
- Flexible scheduling and pausing
- Automatic billing
- Customer self-service portals
Delivery Logistics
- Delivery zone definition
- Route optimization
- Delivery window selection
- Pickup location management
Perishable Handling
- Cold chain shipping options
- Lead time requirements
- Inventory management for fresh products
- Expiration tracking
Subscription Models
- Weekly/bi-weekly delivery: Regular milk or product delivery to customers
- CSA shares: Prepaid seasonal or annual subscriptions
- Cheese/product clubs: Monthly shipments of specialty products
- Flexible subscriptions: Customer-customized recurring orders
Cost Considerations
Platform fees typically range from $50-300 monthly plus transaction fees of 2-4%. Transaction fees may be lower than payment processor fees alone for high-volume operations. Factor in labor costs for order fulfillment, delivery, and customer service. Compare total cost of ownership including payment processing, shipping, and platform fees.