You can have data without information, but you can't have information without data.

Every data point entered into Metrics has the capacity to become a powerful metric. Recognizing the potential of data, and transforming that data to become information is the foundation of Farmers Market Metrics. Review the tables below to familiarize yourself with the inputs and outputs of Farmers Market Metrics.

Data Entry Forms: what you put in

 

Vendor attendance, the weather, activities at the market….it’s likely that you’re already collecting some or all of this data. Collecting this data in Metrics allows you immediate access to trending reports, and ensures it’s availability to future market managers.

 

 

 

 

A lot of markets are surprised to find that their off-the-cuff estimates of visitor counts can be way off from reality. Knowing the number of visitors that attend your market is a foundational metric in understanding the larger impacts of your market.

 

 

Choose to use as few or as many questions for your visitor survey by using the Hide/Show feature. Use the “Copy Link” button to allow for mobile-friendly survey collection at the market, or the downloadable paper template if you prefer.

 

 

 

SNAP Eligible Goods is a great metric for low-capacity markets. Along with it highlighting and reinforcing the number of goods available to SNAP shoppers, it’s equally useful for quantifying the number of farm-fresh foods available at your market.

 

 

 

Markets can choose to track sales at the market level and at the vendor level. They can also choose which currencies they choose to track, removing extraneous currencies to make data entry simple and streamlined. When managing the currencies you track, choose from a comprehensive list of federal, state, and local incentive or voucher programs.

 

 

 

 

 

Vendor Profiles consist of 12 easy demographic questions, which when aggregated across your market, provide a rich dataset that can speak to the economic, ecological, and social capital that your vendors create by selling at your market. If vendors don’t want to actively participate, market managers can create and manage vendor profiles on their behalf.

 

 

Reporting and Analysis: what you get out

 

Watch your market dashboard update as your season matures. Balance your vendor mix, track market sales, and become familiar with key demographic statistics about your market.

All data that enters the application is transformed into one-page summary impact reports for distribution and marketing. Personalize the text to suit your specific needs, add your logo and ways to keep in touch. Choose six metrics from the list of twenty available, and more coming this year!

One-click sharing of individual metrics to Facebook or Twitter allow you to instantly share the fruits of your labor, and continue to grow the appreciation for and understanding of how data becomes information.

 

Network level accounts have exclusive access to Tableau Dashboards, which allow the user to see market data at 30,000 or 30 feet. Users can drill up and down as needed, download datasets and use the dashboards for easy reporting.

 

Every data point that is put into Metrics can be easily exported to a CSV/Excel document for specific needs. Exports are clearly ordered in tabs related to vendors, market day data, and survey and tally data. Filter your exports by selecting just the markets you need.

Coming in April of 2018: Metrics will use all market and vendor data to create a dynamic market directory, for use on your website or sharing. As you update information in Metrics, your Directory updates as well!