Starting at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning, farmers markets become the go-to venue for the granola girl Instagram aesthetic, clothing hauls and colorful produce, but vendors like Paul Hun don’t mind. In fact, this recent trend has resulted in more customers.
Some business owners have noticed an uptick in recurring customers in recent months. Paul Hun — owner of Hun’s Gardens in the River Market — attributes this to the increased media exposure. In order to promote business, he aims to post on Instagram or Twitter about his newest flowers and price adjustments two to three times per week.
According to a Harbinger poll, a majority 63% of Shawnee Mission East students go to the farmer’s market for produce, rather than the 37% who go for the aesthetic.
“If they don’t see me post on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter, they don’t come. So they just watch Instagram and then they come by. It positively affects me,” Hun said.
Kansas City resident and regular City Market customer Bryson Hamman goes on biweekly flower and grocery runs. But his shopping excursions are also an Instagram opportunity. Each time he visits, he snaps a few pictures to post of him with flowers or fresh foods, which get over 200 views and likes. But repeat customers like Hamman are a rarity, according to Hun.
“Based on my credit card swipe, I see less than 20% (repeat customers) on a weekly basis,” Hun said.
The same goes for River’s Edge Produce vendor Gary Overday, who sees only 15 to 20 regulars come back each week, out of hundreds that he sells to.
“It’s kinda hard to tell [with regulars] because they aren’t consistent. Some come every other week, and some once every 2 months,” Overday said.
But not all vendors share this experience. Freshmaters owner Hillary Bard has been selling his homegrown fruits and veggies for 42 years. About 150-200 regulars come every one to two weeks, he said.
“I’ve been selling here for 42 years and I’d say I have 150 [repeat customers]. Social media doesn’t really affect me,” Bard said.
This leads to one conclusion — the difference between success and failure in the agricultural business. According to aspiring agricultural major and sophomore Elizabeth Starr, a vendor needs to have good produce, but also form connections with the community. Through social media, merchants are able to do that more effectively.
“When you’re a small business you get to know your customers, they get to know your quality, and you get to know their preferences.” Starr said. “Being able to personalize your goods will help you produce the right products. The customers know they’ll be getting the best quality from you.”
Starr is already selling her own extra produce to family and friends, and hopes to one day also sell at a farmers market. She says going to the market for produce has many advantages including fresh food and supporting local vendors.
“Fresh food that you get at a farmers market is better for everyone, for your health, tastes better, and the money goes straight to the farmers,” Starr said. “And you get to meet the people who grew [the food] and worked to get it to you.”