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You’ve been accepted as a vendor to our craft market! Congrats and welcome to our creative community! Whether you’re a newbie to (our) craft shows or a seasoned veteran, these 10 best practices have a huge impact on your success and your reputation.
Read these tips carefully and keep them in mind before, during and after your market experience.
Photo credit: Melina Serangelo
Think beyond sales
It’s natural to have a big dollar sign in your mind or to repeatedly check your sales’ report as the market unfolds. You’ve made a big investment in terms of renting the space, preparing enough stock, and showing up for hours and days on end. So, you want to sell everything, and fast! And when people walk past your products as you mentally calculate whether you’ve finally covered your breakfast costs while your neighbor’s Square beeps about yet another transaction, it can be disheartening. But while it’s absolutely everyone’s goal for an event to be profitable, that dollar sign should not be your only metric of success. A market is, above everything, an advertising opportunity, especially for vendors doing our market for the first time. Shift your mindset from sales to brand awareness and do everything in your power to hit it out of the park so your shop will be memorable for shoppers when their needs evolve or when they find you next!
2. Optimize your display and pricing
Don’t leave your display planning to the last minute and take your stress out on the event organizers. Know exactly how much space you’ve rented (check your contract!) and plan your display ahead of time. Be intentional in every aspect of your presentation. Not only do you have to sell the products our team juried and accepted, but you also have to consider product variety for a range of tastes and budgets, as well as the overall cohesiveness of your display.
Will customers know in a matter of seconds what exactly you sell and why it’s cool before they move on to the next booth? When in doubt, keep it simple to avoid overwhelming shoppers. Does your display invite people to engage with your products or does it give off a “don’t touch my stuff” vibe? Is your signage legible and inclusive of different demographics (think bilingual writing in large fonts!) and is your pricing clear? Should you use battery-operated tabletop lighting to make your products stand out? Can you add seasonal props to create an ambiance and lifestyle around your products? Are you burdening shoppers with way too many decisions? Demonstrate your products’ use with a mannequin (for accessories), frames (for artwork), or with photography (for everything). Test your set-up in advance and adjust based on how visitors interact with your items at the show. A harmonious and functional display has a huge impact on visitors’ experience and decision to buy.
Photo credit: Melina Serangelo
3. Make it easy for your clientele to find you
As market organizers, we do a LOT of publicity and public relations work to get thousands of visitors through our doors. To put it bluntly, the rest is up to you! You are responsible for converting visitors into customers. It can be tempting to blame market organizers if you don’t hit your sales goals, but it would be more fruitful to strategically promote your presence at our event. Post about our show on your social media accounts, send off a newsletter to your subscribers, list the market dates on your website, and add our Facebook event to your business page. Share sneak peeks of your products and behind-the-scenes of your brand to help followers get to know you. Make sure your online shop is up to date. You’d be surprised how our shoppers do their homework! Most of them diligently go through our vendor lists, favoriting items in vendors’ shops, making lists of what they’ll buy before they even set foot in our venue. Use this to your advantage by making obvious links between your digital presence and in-person market presence. Prominently display the items you’ve been promoting online. Rearrange your online shop to have those same products front and center instead of on page 8. Use your brand colors to trigger visitors’ memory and make sure your shop’s name is visible.
Crucially, make it easy for your clientele to find you after the show because most people do not buy right away. Give out business cards or coupon codes (with a show-specific code so you can track post-show sales) or if you prefer a greener option, use a QR code or newsletter sign-up sheet. Play the long game: constantly focus on warming up your audience, priming them to eventually buy from you.
Photo credit: Melina Serangelo
4. Say hello, please, and thank you
We know people can forget to be nice when they are anxious, but please don’t be that person. When you arrive at the venue, say good morning before you ask for something or complain that something is not as you expected. Introduce yourself to organizers and fellow vendors. If there’s a mistake that needs rectifying, trust that organizers always work hard to make it right because they ultimately want everyone to succeed. We appreciate honesty, but we value positivity. No matter your stress level, please remember that a little kindness goes a long way.
5. Drop your “table face”
Haven’t sold more than $15 worth in the last two hours? Don’t let your face show it. Table face is a thing that organizers, vendors and even shoppers pick up on, and it doesn’t look good on you. No matter how disappointed you are, please avoid sulking. The day is still young, and markets can generate sales months after the actual show dates if you play your cards right (read # 1 and #3 again). Staring at your phone, giving your very profitable neighbor the evil eye, complaining to other vendors…these give off a bad vibe to visitors and will further chase them from your table. Instead, remain welcoming and gently engage your visitors with a smile. If they stop to chat, enlighten them about your creative process to increase brand awareness. Never pack up early! You’ll be in violation of your contract and will come across as unprofessional. Your attitude is something you can control and a huge part of your brand’s reputation.
Photo credit: Melina Serangelo
6. Respect your neighbors…and your contract!
Behind every beautiful craft show is a strong sense of community. It is so uniquely inspiring to have a vibrantly diverse group of talented artists and entrepreneurs under one roof. Like it or not, all vendors are accountable to one another; each person’s efforts and attitude has a ripple effect on the event as a whole. Foster than sense of community in your small actions. Lend your booth neighbors a hand if they need one and watch their booth if they need to get away for a few minutes. Don’t encroach on their space! Build your display up, not out.
Be a shopper and an ambassador for small businesses like yours. Having access to a support network of innovative, like-minded entrepreneurs can be life-changing. Be grateful for that community in your interactions with organizers and fellow vendors. And smile! You are doing what you love, so enjoy yourself!
Collectif Créatif Montreal
7. Listen carefully
Thinking beyond sales again, consider every event an opportunity to conduct market research! Listen carefully to visitors’ questions, feedback, hesitations, and special requests. Which pieces are conversation starters that stop visitors in their tracks? Are there common inquiries you can add to your website’s FAQ section? Even if they don’t (immediately) buy from you, visitors give you useful hints into what catches their eye, what they wish you had, if they think your pricing is fair, and more. Take notes and keep an inventory of what sells so you can look back to determine your bestsellers.
Photo credit: Melina Serangelo
8. Arrive prepared
It’s been a while since you applied for our show and filled out our contract! It’s time to refresh your memory on event logistics. What type of space did you rent? Will there be electricity or not? Where will you park? Is there wi-fi? When and where will you unload your stock? Who will be exhibiting on the same day(s) as you? Is your Square charged? Do you have a backup Square and a fully charged battery pack? Do you have water and snacks? Think of all the tools and supplies you need for your day to go smoothly. Run through a transaction in your mind from A to Z – what will you need on hand to avoid rummaging (and shoplifting while you’re distracted) as you package the purchase? As you reflect on this, make yourself a market checklist that you can modify as you grow with shows.
9. But go with the flow
Though preparation is key, pack your flexibility! Be prepared to troubleshoot in the moment and to modify your plan off the cuff based on traffic flow, lighting, proximity to certain other vendors, whether or not you got the wall and electricity you requested (usually our team makes it work but sometimes logistics are beyond our control). Arrive at the venue rested and calm so you can think on your feet!
Photo credit: Melina Serangelo
10. Pick up and dispose of your trash
You’d think this one goes without saying, but you’d be surprised… Pick. Up. Your. Trash. (Recycling, too).
It’s just the nice thing to do.
Photo credit: Melina Serangelo
