Offline app for craft markets: the test to run

An app that's useful at a market must let you record a complete sale with no signal: item, quantity, payment, then automatic syncing when the connection comes back. To check this, put your phone in aeroplane mode and try to record a sale before choosing the tool.

Village halls, sports halls, village squares, packed Christmas markets: markets are often held where the signal is poor. Just when you need to be quick, the internet can disappear. An app that needs a connection for every action then becomes one more problem at the stall.

What offline really changes

It avoids three very real problems:

• losing a sale because the app won't load;
• noting a sale by hand, then forgetting to enter it;
• ending the day with stock figures that don't match anything.

With an offline app, sales are saved locally, on the phone. When the connection comes back, they sync.

The difference shows most in tense moments: a queue, a customer who can't decide, a payment that needs to go through quickly, a neighbouring stallholder asking a question. The app shouldn't add to the pressure.

How do you run the aeroplane mode test?

1. Before you leave, set up the app with your items, prices and stock while you're connected.
2. Turn on aeroplane mode on the phone.
3. Open the app and check that the catalogue appears.
4. Record a complete sale, with a variant and a payment method.
5. Record a second sale with two different items.
6. Close the app, then open it again: both sales should still be there.
7. Turn off aeroplane mode and check that the sales sync.

If step 3 or step 4 fails, the app isn't ready for a market.

What data must stay available at the stall?

Even with no signal, you need access to:

• your catalogue and its variants;
• your prices;
• your stock;
• your payment methods;
• the day's market.

That way you can keep selling normally, even if the signal stays off for several hours. To prepare this data before you leave, the craft market checklist gives the order of checks.

Beware of fake offline mode

Some apps still show the home screen with no signal, but don't actually let you create a sale. That's not enough. A real offline mode must let you record complete sales, from start to finish.

How do you sync without stress?

Good syncing detects when the connection comes back, sends the pending sales and keeps a clear history.

A made-up example: seven sales made in a sports hall with no signal. When the connection comes back, five sync. The other two stay visible as "pending" instead of disappearing.

If a sale needs a decision, such as which market it belongs to, it should stay visible rather than vanish into a technical setting. For how to record these sales during the rush, see tracking your sales at a market.

Quick checklist: what to check before choosing

• it works in aeroplane mode;
• it records a complete sale with no signal;
• it handles variants and one-off pieces;
• it keeps prices and stock on the phone;
• it shows sales waiting to sync;
• sales are still there after closing the app;
• it lets you group sales by market.

What if the test fails?

A failed test doesn't mean your business has to stay on paper. You just need to know what you can rely on at the stall. If the app doesn't hold up without signal, keep a paper copy of your prices and stock, and note sales as you go so you can enter them later. Then look for a solution that passes the three critical steps: recording a sale, reading it back, syncing it.

Run this test again before each season. A new phone or an update can change how the app behaves.

Frequently asked questions

Isn't the venue's wifi or a phone hotspot enough?

They can help, but the connection can drop just as a payment goes through. An offline app means you don't depend on an unstable network.

Do I need to be connected to prepare for the market?

Yes, it's actually recommended. Sync your items, prices and stock before you leave. At the stall, the data stays available with no signal.

Does an app replace the card reader?

No. Card payments still go through your card reader. The app records the sale and the payment method used, so your figures stay consistent.

To then work out what a market left you with, the market profitability calculator does the sum from your figures.

At the stall, Comptartisan lets you record sales with no signal, sync them when the connection comes back and see what you kept after the market.