In the hustle and bustle of getting ready for a craft show, invariably the one area that usually sees the least amount of effort is the craft show booth. Come on, admit it - you haven't really given much thought to how you are going to arrange your crafts and design the booth so that it is easy and appealing for customers to come in.
But, when we equate traffic with potential profit at a craft show, it is very easy to see that an increase in traffic will most likely come to a booth that has appeal to it. And once you get the buyers in, your booth needs to make them want to buy.
Here are five things you need to do to your craft show booth:
Clean it - Many people are turned off by clutter and disorganization. In fact, they would probably take one look at a dirty and disorganized craft show booth and form an opinion on the craft itself. It probably won't be a good one, either.
Access to crafts - Humans are sensory beings; if you have potpourri, it needs to be sniffed. If you have a pot holder, people need to be able to touch it and inspect it. Appealing to more than just the sense of sight is a great way to help make a sale. Encourage craft show goers to handle your crafts - with care!
Good flow - Create a pattern for people to enter and exit the craft show booth - a path that takes them by all of the major items and provides space for congregation among popular crafts in your booth. The flow should be easy and free, and of course it should end up with them passing by the till, where hopefully they have made a purchase.
Price and merchandise - This is a two-part tip: first, you need to make sure that the price is available for the customers to see. It should be on a tag that is on the craft, or it should be on a sign around or above the crafts. Never make people guess - and often (unless they MUST have the item) they won't ask. They'll just walk by. Second - when laying out the merchandise, tease the people walking through. Show a crocheted hat on top of a 'head', or get those fake birds to demonstrate how they eat from your wooden birdfeeder. Merchandising is all about putting a product it is natural environment - and when people can imagine it there - they have an easier time imagining the craft in their home.
Make check-out easy - If you have to have two tills working, automated debit card and credit card machines, then you should do it. If sales are being turned away because people are waiting to pay, then you are losing money. If you expect a lot of business at a craft show, make sure you are prepared to handle the glut of sales you can make. There is nothing worse than watching person after person pick up your craft, see the lineup for the till, and then put the craft back down and walk out of the booth.
Craft show booth creation is time and energy well spent. You can increase your profit by making your booth more appealing, more convenient, and even more efficient for a buyer. You don't want customers to walk away and get their craft from the next booth just because it is cleaner and the crafts are easier the access. Think of the customers first, and you can't possibly go wrong!
Natalie Goyette shows you how to make your craft show business profitable in her best selling ebook: Craft Show Success Secrets. Visit her site: [craftshowsuccess.com parked domain].
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