Short answer: Make it look abundant, colorful and easy to buy. Prep the day before, keep the display full and fresh, put clear prices on everything, and move slow items to the front with a reason to buy them.
Prep the day before
Load produce into display crates so market day starts fast.
Wash, bunch and bag ahead. Weighing 1 lb bags at the warehouse beats doing it in line.
Share crates between small items with a cardboard divider.
Clean and sanitize crates on a set schedule.
Build the display
Create abundance. Lots of apples, not a few.
Use contrast. Put bright colors next to greens.
Put hand fruit low, at kids' eye level.
Line up recipe bundles next to a cooking demo.
Rotate stock so the freshest product is always visible.
Watch the sun and the wind, and rearrange the setup if you need to.
Make every price clear and easy to read.
Move what is not moving
Deal of the day. Move it to the center and call it out.
Did you know? Share a fact or a use, like avocado as a first food for babies.
Pair it. Discount a slow item with a fast seller.
Suggest a meal. Tell people how to cook and store it.
Refresh it. Mist the greens, trim wilted leaves, bring it forward.
Create reasons to come back
A stamp card or loyalty game. Challenge picky eaters to try something new.
Recipes from customers and local chefs.
Food pairing cards, nutrition facts and food waste tips.
A sign that shows where your food comes from.
Tell people what is coming next week.
From the road: Our honey supplier sells us cases in bulk at the start of each season, and we pass the savings on. At a Veterans hospital stop, residents had a kitchen but no knives, so they bought honey and hand fruit for a snack. It became the stop's favorite. We invited the honey producers to visit. Watching them sit with the vets, tasting and telling bee stories, is a moment we will not forget.
