Online shop for delis and producers: selling your local produce on the internet

Your customers love your lavender honey. The trouble is, some of them live 600 kilometres away and only walk past your shop one week a year, on holiday. An online shop lets them reorder for the rest of the year, without waiting for the summer.

123Ventes is designed for shopkeepers and producers who have better things to do than spend their evenings at a computer. Here is how an online shop answers the questions that come with running a deli.

A catalogue sorted like your shelves

Honeys, jams, olive oils, wines, biscuits, preserves: you create your categories and subcategories just like your aisles. You can also sort by region or by producer. The customer looking for “everything from So-and-so’s farm” finds it all in one place.

Each product page shows the price, the weight, the volume and the stock. The VAT rate is set product by product: a jar of jam and a bottle of wine don’t have the same one, and the shop doesn’t mix them up.

The label, on the product page too

In the shop, the customer turns the jar over to read the label. Online, they can’t. Food labelling rules require a distance buyer to have the essential information before paying: name of the product, ingredients, allergens, net quantity, origin where it is compulsory, and the producer’s details.

• Copy this information into the long description of each product.
• Add a sharp photo of the label among the four views on the product page.
• Put allergens in bold: it is the first thing some customers look for.

Best-before and use-by dates are not tracked by the shop: you rotate the stock yourself, just as on the shelves. If you are unsure about a label item, ask your local food or consumer protection authority. In France, that is the DGCCRF or the direction de la protection des populations of your département.

Fresh produce: stay close to home

Cheese, cured meats, ready meals: anything that lives in the fridge doesn’t take kindly to two days in a lorry. For these products, choose local solutions:

• Click and collect: the customer orders and pays online, then comes to pick up their basket.
• Kerbside pick-up: they don’t even get out of the car.
• Delivering it yourself in your town or area, with your own vehicle and your cool box.

Pizza Jeannot, a pizzeria in Vence, works this way: online ordering, for takeaway or delivery. Its profile is on the references page.

Dry goods: ship them anywhere

Honey, oil, biscuits and jams travel very well, as long as they are well packed. Colissimo, Mondial Relay or DPD deliver them to the door or to a pick-up point.

• Weigh the parcel ready to go: glass is heavy, and that is the weight the carrier charges for. Shipping costs are then worked out by weight band.
• Protect each jar and each bottle separately. A jar of fig jam spilt in a box stays sticky for a long time.
• Offer free delivery above a set amount: customers happily add one more jar to reach it.

You can also decide to deliver only in France. All the carriers are described on the delivery options page.

Wine and spirits

Selling wine online is possible, but with a few precautions. Selling alcohol to minors is forbidden, online just as over the counter: say so clearly in your terms of sale. In France, product pages must carry the health warning on alcohol, and advertising for alcohol follows strict rules.

Shipping alcohol, especially to other countries, is also subject to specific regulations (duties, documents, carriers that do or don’t accept bottles). Before shipping, check with your customs authority (in France, the douanes) and your consumer protection authority (in France, the DGCCRF). Starting with your own country and click and collect is still the simplest option.

Gift hampers and the festive season

In December, a deli turns into a gift shop. Create your hampers as products, with options for the customer to choose: basket size, red or white wine, greetings card, with or without an extra charge.

The site collection lets you prepare a “Christmas” or “Mother’s Day” version of your shop and put it online when the time comes. Add a promotion or a new products page, and your customers will have no excuse for giving yet another scented candle.

The counter and the website, one single stock

You sell in your shop, at markets and online. The built-in till records sales at the counter or on your stall, and the stock is shared. The last jar of chestnut honey sold at Saturday’s market also disappears from the website.

A producer without a shop? Collection from the farm or at the market works in exactly the same way.

Keeping food lovers coming back

A customer who liked your oil will buy it again. The customer file keeps their orders, and the included newsletters announce the new harvest or the arrival of the truffles. Promotion rules reward loyal customers: loyalty points, a discount after several orders, a free item. You can also give a discount to a group of customers, for example the restaurants in your area. Text messages are available as an option.

How much it costs

The subscription costs 29 € a month or 319 € a year, with hosting and the security certificate included. 123Ventes takes no commission on your sales: only your payment provider’s fees apply, about 1 € on a 50 € basket paid by card. If you would rather not do anything yourself, the turnkey set-up costs 400 €. The details are on the pricing page.

Your questions

Do I need special permission to sell food online?

The rules are the same as in a shop: hygiene, traceability, labelling. Selling online mainly adds the obligation to inform the customer before they buy. Depending on your business, check with your local food safety authority (in France, the direction de la protection des populations), your chamber of trades or your chamber of agriculture.

Can I sell wine and spirits?

Yes, as long as you follow the rules: no sales to minors, the health warning, and the specific regulations on transporting alcohol. Check with your customs authority before shipping, especially abroad.

Can I ship fresh produce?

It is possible, but the cold chain is hard to guarantee in an ordinary parcel. For fresh produce, go for click and collect, kerbside pick-up or your own local delivery, and keep shipping for dry goods.

How long does it take to put my products online?

The shop is created in a minute. After that, allow about ten minutes per product, photos and label included. Start with your twenty best sellers, and add the rest as the seasons go by.