Shopify for Farms: 5 Critical Features You’re Missing

E-commerce for farmers can be confusing. Many know they need features like pre-orders, bundles, or products sold by weight, but it’s not always clear whether popular platforms can handle those needs. 

Shopify for farms is often the first option folks try because of its popularity — but can it really support everything your online store requires?

This article looks at five areas where standard e-commerce platforms often fall short and highlights the features farm store owners need to manage orders, inventory, and deliveries more effectively.

What Farm E-Commerce Really Looks Like in 2025

Most farms that try selling online begin with Shopify. It’s one of the most popular e-commerce solutions currently on the market — and at first glance, it looks like it can handle an online farm store. 

But once orders start coming in, farmers may run into limitations that make it harder to keep things running smoothly.

Unlike a standard retail store, farms don’t just sell “items.” They deal with:

• Products sold by variable weight that need accurate pricing.
• Seasonal and batch-based availability that changes with harvests.
• Bundles and mixed boxes combining different products.
• Multiple pickup points and delivery zones to coordinate.

Shopify can indeed cover the basics, but it often lacks the must-have features for these kinds of operations. That’s why many farms end up stacking paid apps onto their accounts just to approximate the workflows they need — which adds cost and complexity without really fixing the core issues.

Considerations Before Choosing an E-Commerce Provider

If you’re weighing Shopify against farm-specific platforms, it helps to put real numbers and workflows on paper first:

• Budget: Add up monthly platform fees, per-transaction costs, and the cost of required apps. What looks like $40/month can quickly turn into $70+ once you factor in add-ons.
• Core needs: List every task your store must handle — pre-orders, bundles, or products sold by the pound.
• Customer support: Ask how a provider handles farm-specific problems like a delayed processing date or last-minute harvest shortage.
• Growth potential: Consider whether the platform can expand with multiple locations, drop sites, or increased order volumes.
• Integration options: Identify which systems you need connected, like your payment processor, point of sale (POS) system, or delivery logistics.

Running through these questions with historical data and clear examples will show which providers are actually sustainable for your farm’s online business. 

Related Read: How To Create a Farm Website in 4 Simple Steps

Where Shopify Falls Short for Farms

Farms that start with Shopify often find themselves relying on multiple apps and workarounds to cover missing features. Over time, those gaps add complexity instead of reducing it. 

For operations already balancing planting schedules, harvest timelines, and customer expectations, that extra friction makes the platform harder to manage. 

Here are five challenges business owners may encounter when using Shopify for farms.

1. Variable Weight Sales

Most farm products, like meat, cheese, and produce, aren’t uniform. Customers expect to pay by the exact weight, not by a fixed unit. 

Shopify doesn’t support variable weights natively, and though there are paid apps that let you enter manual weights after packing, the setup can confuse buyers and doesn’t work well for all product types.

A farm-focused e-commerce system should let you:

• Charge by exact weight: Calculate totals based on the actual product weight.
• Provide pre-checkout estimates: Show an estimated charge that updates after the final weight is confirmed.
• Include variable weight items in bundles: Handle bundled products with varying weights without errors.
• Enter manual weights as needed: Adjust product weights directly for precise pricing and inventory tracking.

For example, a beef producer selling ribeye steaks can list them as “approx. 1 lb each.” An industry-specific e-commerce platform can calculate the exact charge at fulfillment, update inventory immediately, and include variable-weight items in bundles — without the extra apps that Shopify requires.

2. Processing Schedule Coordination

Farms often have limited windows for processing, pickup, and delivery. Coordinating deadlines across multiple order types keeps your customers happy and operations on track. 

Shopify’s scheduling capabilities are not incredibly robust, with automated deadlines, coordinated pickups, and multi-location fulfillment usually requiring extra apps.

A farm-focused e-commerce system should let you:

• Set processing deadlines: Automatically close orders based on your farm’s production schedule.
• Manage pickup and delivery windows: Offer multiple options like curbside, local delivery, or shipping through third parties.
• Track multi-channel orders: Combine web, POS, phone, and mobile orders in one system for accurate scheduling.
• Add customer notes: Record special instructions or preferences to guide future orders and personalized service.

For example, say your farm closes weekend pickup orders by Wednesday. You should be able to use your e-commerce platform to set order deadlines, assign each order to the correct pickup or delivery window, and combine all online orders into one schedule. 

Compare that to Shopify for farms, which requires several add-ons and manual coordination to achieve the same results.

3. Farm-Specific Inventory Management

Farms deal with seasonal products, batch-based items, and unpredictable harvests. Generic e-commerce platforms assume consistent inventory, which can lead to overselling or missed pre-orders.

Shopify requires separate apps to track seasonal inventory, configure bundles, and manage stock across multiple pickup locations, which forces farm owners to switch between systems and manually reconcile orders.

A farm-focused e-commerce system should let you:

• Track detailed inventory: Access full product information, quantities, and historical sales data.
• Set out-of-stock thresholds: Prioritize stock for subscriptions or loyal customers when supply runs low.
• Manage seasonal and batch products: Automatically update availability based on harvest cycles or production schedules.
• Coordinate inventory across locations: Sync stock levels for multiple pickup sites or sales channels.

For example, a farm selling seasonal produce and bundles can track stock across locations, reserve items for subscribers, and update availability if a harvest is delayed or a batch sells out. 

Farmers depending on Shopify might need multiple apps to do the same, adding extra steps and complexity.

4. Industry-Specific Support

Farms face challenges that typical retailers don’t, like handling last-minute harvest shortages or selling products by variable weight. Shopify’s support is geared toward general retail, so it may not provide the guidance you need in these situations. 

A farm-focused e-commerce system should let you:

• Handle variable weight sales: Support estimated and finalized charges and manual weight entry for products like meat or produce.
• Set flexible pricing and fees: Adjust delivery-zone pricing and manage custom pricing groups for wholesale customers.
• Manage subscriptions and memberships: Support recurring billing and require customer accounts for subscription programs.
• Access detailed inventory and pick lists: Track perishable and seasonal products with operational workflows in mind.

For example, a farm selling a monthly meat subscription box uses an industry-specific e-commerce platform to calculate weights for each cut, adjust pricing for out-of-stock items, and generate pick lists for fulfillment. 

Related Read: How To Sell Frozen Meat Online: 3 Best Tools

Shopify for farms, on the other hand, often requires separate apps for weight pricing, inventory tracking, and order management — meaning farmers have to reconcile everything manually. 

5. Integrated Local Delivery and Pickup

Coordinating deliveries and pickup locations can create headaches when systems don’t talk to each other. Shopify provides local delivery and pickup, but handling multiple zones, routes, or drop points usually requires separate apps and manual reconciliation.

A farm-focused e-commerce system should let you:

• Offer multiple fulfillment options: Include hyper-local delivery, curbside pickup, and regional or nationwide shipping in one system.
• Combine omnichannel orders: Manage web, POS, phone, and mobile orders together for accurate scheduling.
• Track routes and pickup schedules: Keep inventory synced across locations and assign orders to correct fulfillment channels.

For example, a farm that offers assorted produce boxes to nearby neighborhoods at two on-site pickup locations can assign each order to the correct route and update inventory in real time within a single platform. 

Farmers using Shopify typically need multiple add-ons and manual tracking to handle each neighborhood and pickup site separately, which increases time spent and the risk of mistakes.

Comparison Table: GrazeCart vs Shopify For Farms

Finding the right platform for your farm isn’t easy — each system offers different tools, and it’s hard to know what’s essential versus optional. 

GrazeCart is a farm-focused option designed to match your farm’s operations, so you can evaluate features without having to just guess what works. Use the table below to compare features directly with Shopify.

Before committing to any e-commerce provider, have conversations — ask for demos, understand pricing, and test key features with real examples from your farm to make sure the platform will actually support your day-to-day effectively.

Choosing the Right E-Commerce Platform for Your Farm

Shopify for farms can handle basic sales, but many operations quickly hit limits that require multiple apps and manual coordination. 

Farmers recognized a gap that traditional POS and e-commerce platforms weren’t filling, so they created GrazeCart — an all-in-one system designed to support businesses like yours. 

Over 600 farms, butcher shops, and fresh food retailers rely on GrazeCart to manage online and in-store sales, track variable-weight products, run subscriptions, coordinate deliveries, and more.

Find your perfect plan today and start managing orders, inventory, and delivery more effectively.