5 Visual Merchandising Mistakes to Avoid at a Craft Show

When I worked as a visual merchandiser for major retailers, there were certain tasks that needed to be completed and best practices that needed to be followed.

And since your table/booth is like a mini retail store, these tasks and best practices are important at a craft show too.

Here are 5 visual merchandising mistakes to avoid:

 

1 – Neglecting your Zone 1

Zone one in a retail store is the area shoppers encounter first. In some stores, it’s even visible to people walking by and can draw shoppers into the store.

When I worked for a popular retailer, this area was addressed daily (sometimes hourly on a busy day).

I had to be sure zone one stayed fresh with the hottest items (based on sales stats) and looked tidy and inviting.

At a craft show, your zone one is the area that catches a shopper’s eye from a distance and the end/side of your table/booth most shoppers will approach first.

Throughout the event, pay attention to shoppers as they’re in the aisle and take note of which items catch their eye or which items shoppers tend to gravitate to first. These are ideal products for your zone one.

Don’t be afraid to refresh your zone one throughout the craft show to keep it looking fresh and to ensure you’re optimizing it to attract the most shoppers.

• Move a different items into zone one
• Alter the signage
• Move your zone one to a different area on your table or in your booth
• Etc.

This is your prime real-estate. Be sure you’re filling it with items that make an impact.

 

2 – Making decisions without consulting stats

Each morning, before the doors opened and before anyone started their work, there was a sales meeting.

We needed to know, based on sales stats, what was working and what wasn’t.

If an item had spent the day in zone one but only a few had sold, it didn’t matter how great the table looked, it needed to be changed.

If company sales stats indicated an item was a best seller, but that store had only sold a few, that best seller needed to be moved into a hot spot.

Visual merchandisers were not allowed to place things based on what they thought looked best. Decisions had to be numbers-driven.

Be sure you’re tracking important numbers at each event (here are 7 Stats to Track at Craft Shows (to improve sales)) and then base your decisions on those numbers.

Sales stats should influence:

• which products and product options you make
• how much you make of each item
• where and how you display each product in your craft show

 

3 – Ignoring target market needs/lifestyle

The trendy fashion retailer I worked for understood their customers and adapted products and displays throughout the year based on their needs/wants.

For example, at the beginning of summer, they knew their customers were starting to shop for dresses to attend summer weddings. So, the dress section expanded and was moved to a more visible spot.

Which products you make for a craft show and how you display them should be based on your target market’s needs and how they’re changing.

They may be drawn to different:

• scents based on the season (e.g. spicy scents like chai in the Fall and bright energizing scents like citrus in the Spring).
• colors and styles based on trends (if your target market is trend-driven).
• materials or ingredients based on the weather (e.g. heavier creams during dry winters)
• products based on an upcoming event (e.g. back to school)

Get into the mind of your ideal customer and consider what they’re likely to be interested in based on the season, upcoming events/holidays, popular trends, etc.

Adjust your product line, product features, which products you highlight in your display, signage and props, etc. to appeal to and connect with your target market’s current situation.

 

4 – Focusing on beauty over function

Of course, a display needed to be visually appealing, but never at the expense of sales.

>> Although a top may look good in a particular spot, if it wasn’t a profit producing best seller, it couldn’t go in a “hot spot”.

>> Each item within a display had to be a fit for the items surrounding it so it encouraged multi-item sales (here’s how to cross merchandise at a craft show) (e.g. no sweaters merchandised next to dresses, even if the colors matched perfectly).

>> A best seller couldn’t go in a hard to reach and shop spot.

>> Racks couldn’t be too full, making it hard to shop.

>> Displays couldn’t look too perfect (giving a look-but-don’t-touch vibe).

A display needed to attract shoppers (and tell a story, e.g. dresses for attending summer weddings), be easy to shop, and convert (i.e. make sales).

Keep that in mind when planning your display and choosing fixtures. Don’t just try to fit your products on the table.

• Find the best way to display your products so they catch shoppers’ eyes
• Choose fixtures that make it easy for people to look and touch
• Don’t cram too much on your table, making it hard for shoppers to move items, pick things up, or place them back.
• Pay attention to sales and make less of what doesn’t sell and more of what does (for future craft shows)

 

5 – Letting displays get stale

In my visual merchandising career, I worked for 2 major retailers over a decade. One was very trend-forward, while the other was more focused on the basics.

Both refreshed their merchandising regularly, with the trend-forward retailer refreshing displays daily.

The products you sell, the type of shoppers the event is attracting, and how quickly your stock sells will impact how frequently you need to refresh your display.

Be sure to shuffle things around and refresh:

• as products sell out
• after items get touched and moved by shoppers
• as sales dictate (if one item is selling more than others, move it into the spotlight/give it more space your on your table)

If you participate in several craft shows throughout the year, keep things fresh for repeat shoppers.

It’s likely craft show shoppers will bump into your booth at more than one event. If your display looks the same from event to event, they may assume there’s nothing new to check out and will skip your table.

 

I hope you found this article helpful!