Easily Set Up an Online Store With Pickup and Local Delivery

A big part of agility is the systems a business chooses—and having a disaster plan in place.

Recently I discovered that Square —known for the credit card swiper that plugs into your phone — has expanded its features into very full-featured sales tool for small businesses. Now Square not only can process point-of-sale and mobile payments at events but payroll, gift cards, and more, all wrapped within a free online / mobile store for your ecommerce.

(I became an affiliate after discovering how useful their software is for small food businesses, so I make a little money if you decide to pay for Square.)

Square is perfect for pivoting to add delivery and pick up during the COVID-19 pandemic…and beyond!

Take Starter Bakery in Berkeley, CA for example. This popular bakery (credited with starting the kouign amann craze in the U.S.) usually focuses on selling wholesale, processing catering orders, and selling at farmers market.

Then shelter-in-place happened. That didn’t stop Starter! The bakery began taking orders for pickup and delivery. They are also able to take orders intended to be donated to frontline hospital workers—a hugely popular option that is a win for all!

Checklist for Small Food Business Sales Software

Whatever technology you choose, consider all the possible scenarios in which you might need to sell. The pandemic makes the perfect playbook for defining an agile system to maximize sales potential and flexibility:

Taking credit cards in person by tap or swipe (contactless is critical)
Taking credit cards online with a simple, intuitive Web and mobile experience
Eating in-store, pickup, delivery with third-party services
EBT (electronic food stamps) are a payment type that is especially helpful, if you can accept it.
Integration with inventory, if that’s something you want

Check out Square. You may want to compare it to Shopify (With evaluating Shopify, be sure to know what functionality requires paid-for plugins).