Your very first Craft Fair or Market can be a daunting task, so here's a blog post for the newbies.
A little how to. to get the most from your craft fair or market.
Turn Up In Good Time:
A little how to. to get the most from your craft fair or market.
Turn Up In Good Time:
There's nothing worse
than turning up late, especially if it's your first or one of your first craft
fairs or markets. Turning up early and having time to have that first cuppa
once you've set up your stall will set you up for the day and help you relax
into the experience.
Make
an eye-catching display
Colour and branding is
really important here. If you sell Vintage Furniture and dress your stall in
Gothic colours and your business cards and promo materials are different again
it can confuse your customer.
Stay on brand! If you
sell Vintage make sure EVERYTHING you do and the way you display thing is also
VINTAGE. Everything from your logo to your packaging should reflect your
products and brand as a cohesive whole. Avoid this at your peril. HOT
PINK next to Black and White is one example of colour playing an important part
in catching your customers eye.
Consider bunting, a large sign or banner.
And as a footnote
here: Make sure your table cover is STRAIGHT and lines up with the floor.
(Sorry… it’s
my pet hate).
If you can,
Demonstrate
Demonstrating or
working on your craft while at a fair or market works on many levels.
It shows your item is
hand crafted by YOU.
It engages people with
conversation.
People love to watch
something being made.
People love to buy
things from people who make.
If you take
commissions - Tell them!
A simple card on your
stall will show people that you are open to making something bespoke and to
their requirements. The same goes if you are willing to sell to trade.
A card saying TRADE
ENQUIRIES WELCOME or COMMISSIONS UNDERTAKEN is all that is needed.
Price
clearly & Price to Sell
Your item may have
taken you forever to make and as far as you are concerned you’d
like £1,000 for it. All very well if you are selling through a gallery, but at
craft fairs and markets people don’t generally
carry around that kind of cash. While it’s
not unusual to sell items for £40-£50, you are far more likely to
sell things at £10-£25 .
However it's always best to have some of your higher end products on your stall too.
Alternatively if your product is generally higher than average, have some less expensive things on your table too. The more varied the price range the more likely you have of selling.
While we’re
on this topic make sure that you price things clearly. Avoid pricing things on the bottom.Think about it….
If you go into a shop and nothing is priced would you feel comfortable asking ‘How
much’or would you assume it's too expensive.
People will not pick things up from your stall and nor should they have to, it’s not bargain basement, your hand crafted goods are precious. Price large and clear and avoid loosing that sale because someone is too shy or embarrassed or thinks it’s too expensive to ask that all important question “How Much?”.
People will not pick things up from your stall and nor should they have to, it’s not bargain basement, your hand crafted goods are precious. Price large and clear and avoid loosing that sale because someone is too shy or embarrassed or thinks it’s too expensive to ask that all important question “How Much?”.
Promotional
materials
It’s
always handy to have some form of promotional material with you. Pop a business
card into EVERY sales bag, hand out leaflets showing your work and where you
can be found. Add personalised labels to your product so that when the customer
gets home and a friend asks
“Oh wow! Where did you buy that?” you can be found easily.
“Oh wow! Where did you buy that?” you can be found easily.
I’ve
bought many things at craft fairs and I’m
astounded when people say they haven’t got a card.
Think of these
scenarios.
“So what if I
want to buy some of your other work in the future?”
“I’m
on Etsy but I haven’t got anything with my business name on
right now, do you want me to scribble it on a bit of paper?”
“You can always
email me”
"I don’t
have a website or anything… I’ll
probably be back here sometime in September”
Any of the above IS
NOT AN ANSWER!
People may not buy
from you on the day, but if you give away promotional material you’ve
every chance they WILL buy from you in the future.
Be
cheerful & attentive. Engage in conversation
I know, sometimes it’s
hard if you have had a pretty rough day but there’s
nothing worse than going to a stall and seeing someone sat on a chair, head
down, playing on their phone. Some stall holders don’t
even notice you there never mind acknowledge you.
A simple hello with a
big cheek to cheek smile will go a long way and could make someone’s
day!
Offer
something FREE
Yes….
You heard that right!
There’s
a reason supermarkets employ people to stand at the front of a store and give
away samples of a product. Even if it’s just a bowl
of sweets, nothing will draw people to you quicker than something free.
Offer a FREE prize
draw for one of your items.
This is a great way of
collecting peoples Names, Addresses and Emails, so you can contact them in the
future and keep them up to date with your latest offerings.
Packaging
Is Key
Many people will buy
your product as a gift. Packaging your item and presenting it as a ready-to-go
gift will appeal to someone far more than something loose lying on a table. If
they are considering something as a gift then it saves them the time and
trouble of finding something to put it in once taken away.
If your customer is
short on time, you could very well miss a sale.
Packaging will also
increase the perceived value of your item and is also another opportunity to
brand your work.
Don’t
forget the little extras:
Pens
Paper,
Change,
Bags and Packaging,
Business Cards,
Leaflets,
Table Covers,
Lighting,
Warm Clothing if it's a cold day
Cool clothing if it's a warm day.
Warm clothing if it's a hot day
and cool clothing if it's a cold day.
I know... I bet you are thinking I've completely lost the plot.....
but I have been known to have to rush away and buy cooler clothing on what started as a cold morning, only for the sun to come out and have me nearly passing out with the heat.
I suggest layers that you can add or remove whenever necessary.
And last buy not least. .
Something to eat
Something to drink
What advice can you offer others about getting the most from Craft Fairs and Markets?
What works for you?
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Warm wishes and happy crafting,
Sue x
