There are lots of things that you need to think about when selling at a craft show. This list will help you choose if and which craft show is best for you and how you can achieve success at your very first show without being totally anxious.
Here are 30 craft show tips for first timers:
- The very first suggestion is to do your analysis and just take part in shows that are really well promoted by people organizing it. You can easily identify craft shows within your location by checking web sites like Festival, Craft Fairs Online, National Craft Shows, however you need to look into them first. Take a look at last show sellers to get an understanding of the price range of exactly what these people provide so as to check out if your products will match in the price range of the other sellers.
- Print off a craft show checklist to use as a guide for your next craft show.
- Bring a close friend that can help you!
- Bring loads of calling cards!
- Reserve ahead of time due to the fact that not all great shows just allow duplicate sellers.
- Practice putting together your craft show booth before you arrive. Make the effort in your home and put together everything the way you like it. Make use of tape so as to gauge off precisely just how much space you will get. Take loads of pictures as well and this will certainly make putting together a lot simpler.
- Install an iPad or a smart TV/monitor along with a slide show of products you have actually created previously. If there are no iPad or electrical power, use a 3 ring binder with huge quality pictures in sheet protectors.
- Make a Facebook event for your Facebook Business Page providing the date, the time as well as location of the craft fair. Beginning two weeks ahead of time, update your social media with photos of what you are going to be offering once daily to provide your followers with a nice sneak peak.
- Spend for or borrow a tent that is going to cover on all of the sides. You need to cover the sides in order to safeguard your products if there is an upcoming strong wind or rainfall, and also in some cases you might need a divider between you and the other booths.
- Don’t forget tables & chairs. Cover the tables with high quality table cloths and use the space below to have product storage space.
- Make your area/booth a small retail shop by thinking about comfort, preparing the ambiance with rugs, lamps, plants, etc., add price tags on those products as well, presenting your products using multi-levels so as to bring eye up, preparing the products you are really offering using additional store acquired things like pumpkins, scarecrows, and ornaments, etc, and getting towers or displays that show up of the tent and make use of each sides of the tent so as to dangle products.
- And so you learn exactly how you need to create a great deal of products when it comes to the show right? Effectively, why not save yourself some time simply by making one product of your preferred products to show and after that take customized orders!
- In addition save yourself some time on products by creating a number of easy styles, certainly not every single design has to be over the top.
- Cover sold products in cellophane bags with raffia and fasten a business card to ensure that whenever shoppers bring it out, some other could inquire exactly where they bought it. CUSTOMERS PROMOTE FOR YOU!
- Fill up your craft show space along with products! You need to provide a bunch of products and your booth must be complete however not so complete that your eye does not know where to look. And so you need to see to it to carry enough things in order to restock as required but keep them unseen up until you need them.
- Put your very most costly products at eye level.
- Offer products of different price points. And so if you’re in the home decor business, provide centerpieces, lantern swags, bows, smaller wreaths, etc. In addition, try organizing products all together for a more costly price point (i.e, bracelet sets, 5 bows, a wreath and matching mailbox topper, etc.).
- Email message your contact list so as to let these people find out exactly where you will be as well as where to locate your booth.
- Make an Etsy Local Event. That allows known Etsy customers find craft fairs close to them. This also reveals good examples of exactly what these people can purchase during the course of the craft show.
- Sell your project materials! As an example, if in the home décor industry, offer brand-new unused accessories, complete unopened rolls of mesh, ribbon by rolls, holiday picks, signs, monograms, etc. You know you possess a lot of supplies in your stock and now is really a wonderful chance to try to sell of a few of them. Certainly price this to where you earn a profit, not just what you spent for it.
- Think about offering a set for buyers to create their very own pieces when they get home. You know you constantly hear, “I can make that.” Explain to them why your products cost more and so be truly prepped and provide them a kit. Offering your understanding always satisfies.
- Make use of the Sell On Etsy App and try to have the customer to take an e-mail receipt because the moment they get the receipt, it will certainly possess your branding and business link information.
- Catch buyers e-mails simply by holding a drawing of a premium item. You can easily make use of a QR code making it that a lot easier for you since the buyer types all of their information in for you. You can even ask for that they need to do 2 things, Like you on Facebook and provide their e-mail address.
- Take an emergency kit including tape measure, hot glue gun, glue sticks, wire, pipe cleaners, extension cord, zip ties, wire cutters, scissors, markers, extra hang tags, gum, breath mints, pens, paper, snacks, smart phone, phone charger, sun glasses, sun hats, water, etc. You can get craft show checklist here.
- Think about offering products you do not create but suit your specific niche. As an example, if you sell jewelry, think about shawls and if you offer wreaths, consider painted door hangers.
- Take a card reader (Etsy, Square, Paypal). Debit/Credit card readers are actually cost-free but, they charge a fee the moment you make use of them each purchase. Even so, it is truly very worth it since individuals rarely bring money anymore and when aren’t ready to take their card, then you will not have their cash.
- Make use of an e-mail provider to record their e-mails. Whenever you send your customers with a follow up e-mail, you can easily involve a tip where you met, any kind of sales you are presently working (perhaps offer a show discount), any kind of fresh products you posted in your Etsy shop, request customized orders and do not forget to introduce who won the free gift, etc
- Show off pictures of your set up, you involving gladly with buyers and put all of them on your Instagram and Facebook business page the day of your show.
- Show ways to make your item as you stand by to really help attract buyers into your display.
- When it comes to products that do not sell, post them on the internet in an Etsy shop or save on them for your the future show participation.
To get more tips, check this video by Southern Charm Wreaths:
Are you ready for your upcoming show? Please let us know what you’re going to sell and where you will be selling in the comment box below.
I live in the one of the most beautiful places in the world on the Sunshine Coast in Australia with my wife and our 2 dogs, Poppy and Mia. Since 2009 I have helped over 15,000 handmade business owners to grow their business with our software and free tools designed for todays entrepreneurial artisan.
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