# Farmers-Market Marketplace — Product Planning Meeting

**Date:** August 1, 2026  
**Time:** 10:00–11:00 a.m. ET  
**Location:** Zoom  
**Facilitator:** Maya Chen  
**Note-taker:** Jordan Lee

## Attendees

- Maya Chen — Product Manager
- Jordan Lee — Operations Lead
- Priya Shah — Engineering Lead
- Lucas Martin — Marketplace Partnerships
- Elena Garcia — Vendor Success
- Noah Williams — Marketing
- Sophie Tremblay — Customer Support
- Daniel Kim — UX Designer

## Agenda

1. Review vendor and shopper feedback from the summer pilot
2. Define marketplace scope for the fall launch
3. Confirm ordering, pickup, and payment policies
4. Review vendor onboarding requirements
5. Assign launch deliverables and owners

## Discussion Notes

- Shoppers liked browsing multiple farms in one place but found separate checkout flows confusing.
- Vendors want control over inventory cutoffs because availability can change after harvest.
- Pickup instructions varied significantly across markets during the pilot.
- Several vendors requested weekly payouts and downloadable sales reports.
- Support received repeated questions about substitutions, refunds, and missed pickups.
- The team agreed that delivery would add too much operational complexity for the initial launch.
- Marketing recommended launching with a small group of reliable vendors before expanding publicly.

## Decisions

- Launch the fall marketplace at three pilot markets: Riverdale, Junction, and North End.
- Use one shopper cart per market day, even when the order includes products from multiple vendors.
- Support scheduled market pickup only; delivery and shipping are out of scope for the fall launch.
- Vendors must confirm inventory by 6:00 p.m. two days before each market.
- Shopper ordering will close at noon the day before pickup.
- Vendors may offer substitutions, but shoppers must explicitly opt in during checkout.
- Process vendor payouts weekly, less platform fees and approved refunds.
- Apply a 7% marketplace fee to completed orders during the pilot.
- Issue full refunds for vendor-cancelled items. Missed pickups will not be automatically refunded.
- Require vendors to provide business details, payout information, food-safety documentation where applicable, product photos, and pickup-day contacts.
- Limit the initial launch to 20 vendors, prioritizing produce, baked goods, dairy, preserves, and prepared foods.

## Action Items

- **Priya:** Draft the technical plan for shared carts, inventory cutoffs, and substitution preferences by August 7.
- **Daniel:** Produce updated checkout and pickup-instruction prototypes by August 8.
- **Lucas:** Confirm participation and fee acceptance with the first 20 vendors by August 12.
- **Elena:** Finalize the vendor onboarding checklist and training guide by August 10.
- **Jordan:** Document pickup-day operations, signage, and escalation procedures for all three markets by August 14.
- **Sophie:** Prepare help-center articles covering refunds, substitutions, missed pickups, and order changes by August 16.
- **Noah:** Draft the pilot launch campaign and customer email sequence by August 18.
- **Maya:** Confirm success metrics and circulate the fall launch brief by August 6.
- **Maya and Priya:** Review payment-provider reporting and payout reconciliation requirements by August 11.

## Open Questions

- Should shoppers be allowed to edit orders after checkout but before the ordering deadline?
- How should taxes be calculated for prepared foods across different vendor categories?
- What minimum order volume should trigger expansion beyond the three pilot markets?
- Should vendors be able to pause individual products without closing their entire storefront?

## Next Meeting

**Date:** August 15, 2026  
**Focus:** Launch readiness, vendor commitments, and prototype review