Craft shows are top event for all arts and crafts lovers. But some craft show booths have an inviting appearance and some not. Have you ever stopped in a front of the show booth and your eyes were all around the place and you wished to buy just about – everything? Things are neatly set up, displays are simple and well organized, and then above all, everything is labeled and priced. Don’t let this happen to your craft show booth. You need to think about the same principles of good marketing when you set up the booth for a craft show.
First, you should make a good and manageable plan. That means decide on an idea of what your craft show booth is going to look like. Many people just open their car trunk doors to show their offer or maybe use simple shelves or chairs as additional displays. Those people usually ask themselves, “why did I sell nothing this weekend?”.
So, you have an idea how your craft show booth will look like. Than you need to talk to the craft show organizer to check how much space you can occupy, and if there are any restrictions to what you can have in or around your booth. Don’t forget to ask if you have a reliable power supply to run your booth. The next thing you want to do is to have a floor plan of where your booth will be located so you can imagine in advance how people will move around and make it work for you as good as possible.
In the process of setting up the craft show booth one thing is crucial – no rush! Keep yourself well organized. Group your crafts in order you will display them. For example, if you are a knitter and you have sweaters for children and adults, you have to display them separately because it will be much more simple to browse them. If you are displaying scarfs and gloves, try to make match them – it will help you to sell more!
Merchandising skills are important too, so take some time to brush them. If you have a special stained glass window hanging, it would be time well spent to purchase or build a window that you can display in your booth with one of your window hanging’s in it. If you do the ceramics, try to set up table ready for tea party (napkins, biscuits and, of course, your teacups). When people see the item in real surroundings, they can picture how to using it or how it will fit their own home. If they can do this, then they are more likely to part with the money to buy it.
Keep all your items no lower than waist level – No one will bend over or duck to see what treasures you have hidden around. Keep your items on display within a people’s reach and they will be more likely to pick them up and look at them closely – which leads to more purchases. Leave the floor area for extra stock (packed neatly in boxes) that you can fill your racks with.
All your items should be tagged with the price – make it much more easier for people to buy your crafts. If you don’t have a price, many people will actually leave your booth before decide to ask for the price .
Eliminate any possible obstacles that could stop people walk around your booth. Try and create a natural flow for people to look at your craft show items, be nudged along by others coming through, and right through to the till at the end. If you create to many spaces where people are stucked or they have trouble moving around to see different crafts, you are limiting your sales. The frustrated customer does not spend their money in a craft show booth that frustrates them.
Remember, you are running a business. Just bear in yur mind that shop where you wanted to buy everything because is well organized, cute, neat and friendly – and you’ll find that people will spend more money on your crafts!