5 Mistakes to Avoid at a Craft Show
Whether you’re getting ready for a large trade show and have an entire booth to fill, or you’ve booked a table at a community craft show, these 5 mistakes are always important to avoid.
I’ve made every mistake on this list and when I corrected them, I saw an improvement in:
- The type of shopper who visited my booth
- The number of shoppers who stopped by my booth
- The number of sales I made
- The amount I could charge for my products
- The number of items I would sell in each transaction
- Wholesale orders from retailers
- And more
Did I make sales when I was making these mistakes?
Yes.
Did I make more sales when I corrected these mistakes?
Definitely.
These aren’t rules but rather advice based on my experience 🙂
Craft Show Mistake #1: Too much variety
When I started selling at craft shows, I figured: the more types of products and product options I have, the better chance I have to sell something to each shopper.
Unfortunately, that caused more harm than good, for a few reasons:
A) Too much variety causes decision fatigue
Although you do want to give your customers options, you don’t want to overwhelm them.
Too much selection makes it hard for them to decide which option is right for them and doesn’t allow them to focus on one shopping task.
If you have the choice between vanilla or chocolate ice cream, how quickly can you make a decision and purchase your ice cream?
A matter of seconds right?
If you have 50 ice cream choices, plus cake, pie, and donut options to choose from, it will take much longer to make a decision.
Now what if I asked you to also look at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options and decide what you want in a matter of seconds?
Even harder.
This is what you’re asking shoppers to do when you offer products under too many categories (e.g. candles, jewelry, and bags) and/or too much variety under one category of product (e.g. too many styles of jewelry).
In the craft show display below, there is too much variety:
- mittens
- cosmetic bags
- burp cloths
- baby blankets
- heating pads
- scrunchies
When someone is shopping for winter accessories (mittens), they’re unlikely to also be thinking about and shopping for cosmetic bags. Having all these products together in such a small space makes it hard for shoppers to focus on one shopping task, while the wide range of fabric options makes it harder for them to decide on a style.
The harder it is for shoppers to make a decision, they less likely they are to walk away without buying.
There’s a study proving that more options can reduce sales (you can read about that here).
B) Too much variety reduces how many items a shopper will buy
The easiest way to earn more money at craft shows is to sell more to each customer you get.
To do that, you must have items that work together and are likely to be purchased together.
If someone loves my mittens, there isn’t anything else on my table that makes sense to buy with the mittens. Someone isn’t going to buy a pair of mittens and a burp cloth.
On the other hand, if I focus on just one category of product (i.e. winter accessories), someone who loves a pair of mittens is likely to buy the matching scarf and/or hat.
Filling my time and table with bags, burp cloths, and blankets doesn’t leave space for well-developed product lines.
C) Too much variety says “hobby” instead of “business”
There’s nothing wrong with selling your crafts as a hobby. But if you’re looking to make more money and build a business, you’ll want your craft show table to look professional and tell people what you’re an expert at.
People are willing to spend more money with experts.
It’s almost impossible for one person to be an expert at candle making, and soap making, and jewelry making, and sewing.
If I’m going to spend $50+ on a bag, I’m going to buy from a “bag maker”, not a maker who has a few bags for sale (among dozens of other products).
How to fix
If you think your craft show table has too much variety, consider the following questions to help you narrow your selection:
- What are you an expert at? You may be able to create many things, but where do you skills really shine? For example, I can sew burp cloths, and cosmetic bags, and mittens. But if I love to travel, and I love makeup, and I love organization, focusing on cosmetic bags for travel is where I can shine.
- What do you want to be known for? If you could be known for one thing in your city (e.g. “they make the best _____”), what would that be? Focusing on one type of product allows you to hone your skills and understand your customers so you can become the best. Once you have a product or product category/subcategory, you’ll also want to decide on a niche. For example, someone selling jewelry must specialize in a specific style of jewelry (e.g. bohemian, or minimalistic, or punk, but not all 3) or type of jewelry (e.g. healing crystal jewelry).
- What is the main shopping purpose your table/booth is fulfilling? Shoppers rely on a small business to fulfill one shopping purpose (and big businesses or department stores when they want a one-stop shop). What purpose do you help shoppers fulfill? E.g. scenting their home, accessorizing their wardrobe with jewelry, or staying warm with knitted winter accessories.
Once you have your product type narrowed down, focus on the options you’ll offer and consider:
- For each product you sell, try to limit the options to 3 – 5. This will help ensure you’re not overwhelming shoppers and they can easily make a purchasing decision.
- For each product you sell, try to have 1 – 5 products they could purchase with it. This will ensure your product line stays focused and you’re encouraging multi-item sales. For example, if you have a pair of earrings, ensure you also offer a matching necklace, ring, and bracelet people can buy with the earrings.
Craft Show Mistake #2: Not enough variety in pricing
Although you may be narrowing your selection, you do still want to offer a variety of price points.
This not only helps you appeal to a range of budgets, but it also makes shoppers who are on the fence feel more comfortable buying.
For example, if I discover an artist at a craft show, I may not be ready to spend hundreds of dollars on an original piece of art. But if the artist is selling smaller prints for $20, I might buy a print to take home and test in my space, or to have something to enjoy until I’m ready to spend more money.
A variety of price points also allows you to increase your units per transaction (UPT) and boost sales.
>> Here are 5 ways to increase how many items each customer buys
If I only offer one size and style of cosmetic bag, it’s unlikely one customer will buy 2 or more of the same bag.
But when I offer a bag in different size and style options, a customer is more likely to add items to their purchase.
You can still offer pricing options, even if you only make one type of product.
Let’s say I only sell a medium-sized cosmetic bag. I can offer that bag in:
- a polyester fabric (low price point)
- a vinyl fabric (medium price point)
- leather (high price point)
A shopper who loves my pieces but is on a budget may purchase the bag in polyester fabric, while someone buying a gift and wanting to spend around $40-$50 can purchase the bag in leather.
Craft show shoppers are browsing and discovering new products and businesses.
This means, most craft show shoppers won’t be prepared to spend a lot of money.
Try to stock up on low and mid-priced products so those who are being introduced to your business for the first time, have a selection to buy from.
Use your high-priced items as the showstoppers. Place them at eye level and in a spot that catches the eye to draw people in.
How to fix
Here are several ways to add a variety of price points and increase sales:
- How to Use Up-Selling to Sell More Handmade
- How to Use Add-Ons to Sell More Handmade
- How to Create an Entry-Level Product for your Handmade Business
- How & Why a Craft Business Should Down-Sell
And here’s where to place each type of product in your display: Craft Show Table Layout Tips
Craft Show Mistake #3: You’re selling but not marketing
The majority of craft show shoppers won’t buy from you.
The average conversion rate of a brick-and-mortar store is 20% – 30% (source). Which means, if 100 people walk into a shop, on average, only 20 – 30 people will actually buy something. Online conversion rates are lower; typically 2% – 3% (since options are endless online).
Because shoppers don’t know what they’ll find at a craft show until they walk through the doors, and there are dozens (if not hundreds) of vendors to choose from, it’s likely conversion rates at a craft show fall somewhere between brick-and-mortar and online averages.
Your conversion rate will vary depending on the type of event you’re selling at, what you’re selling, price points, time of year, etc.
Let’s say the average craft show booth conversion rate is around 10%.
That means 90% of shoppers won’t buy from you.
But if you’ve chosen the right event, the majority of those shoppers are still ideal customers for your business. They may not buy that day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not interested in your products and won’t buy from you at some point.
So it’s important to market to those shoppers in hopes they buy from you after the event.
You also want to consider the people who do buy. Ideally, you want them to buy from you again. So it’s important they remember your business, can find it outside of the craft show, and can easily buy.
How to fix
You want shoppers to remember your business and be able to find it after the craft show.
First, your booth should be memorable.
You want to be known for something. Such as: “THE vendor selling candy-scented soaps”. Or, “the vendor selling healing crystal jewelry”, or “the vendor selling cat-themed bags”, etc.
“The vendor selling a few bags, some mittens, burp cloths, and heating pads” is NOT as memorable.
Your craft show display should also create a memorable experience.
A table with a bunch of jewelry sitting on it isn’t very exciting or memorable. But if the vendor is selling healing crystal jewelry and creates a space that feels calm and healing through:
- the sound of trickling water coming from a tabletop water fountain
- the subtle smell of calming lavender coming from a diffuser
- natural elements infused through live edge wood trays and display fixtures and potted plants sprinkled throughout the display
- etc.
That creates an experience a shopper is unlikely to forget.
Then, you should give shoppers a way to contact you after the event.
Place a stack of business cards on the outer edge of your table so it’s easy for shoppers to grab one as they’re leaving your space (or try this trick to save money and ensure shoppers hang onto your information).
For shoppers who do purchase from you that day, stick a clever business card in their bag so they can easily buy from you again.
Even better, give yourself a way to contact shoppers after the event, by getting them to sign up for your newsletter.
Here are free printable newsletter signup forms you can use: How to Grow your Newsletter at a Craft Show (Plus free printable forms)
Craft Show Mistake #4: Ignoring the numbers
Craft shows AREN’T profitable for many vendors. They require many hours to prepare for, sell at, and pack up from and there are many expenses associated with them.
I used to count my money at the end of an event, subtract my booth fees from that total, and if I had money left over, I considered the event a success.
There were many expenses and wages I wasn’t accounting for and I’m sure I lost money on most craft shows before I started treating it like a business.
If you’re selling at craft shows for fun, you may not be worried about your conversion rates, revenue, profit, etc.
But if you’re selling at craft shows to grow your business and profits, you’ll want to track your numbers and adjust accordingly.
>> Here are 7 stats to track at craft shows (to improve sales)
Although it can be harder to track numbers at a craft show than online, it’s beneficial to make notes throughout the show to gather information that can help you make improvements.
If you find that lots of people are visiting your table but very few buy, low sales may be due to product selection, product quality, product prices, your sales technique, etc.
On the other hand, if you find most people who stop at your table buy, but not many of the shoppers at an event do end up stopping, your display may need improving to grab the attention of more shoppers and get them to stop.
If you don’t track numbers so you can calculate conversion rates, profits, expenses, etc. you won’t know where you need to make improvements and how you can reduce costs and increase profits.
How to fix
Some of the stats you may want to gather are:
- Number of people who attend the event (the organizer should be able to give you an estimate of this number)
- Number of people who stop at your table
- How many sales you make – this number will help you calculate your sales conversion rate; how many people who stop at your table buy?
- Which items you sell the most of and which you sell the least of – you don’t want to spend time making products people don’t buy. Tracking the specifics of each sale can help you find patterns in your business (types of products that tend to sell the best, price points that are the most popular, etc.).
- How many items you sell in each transaction – this will allow you to calculate your units per transaction and can help you improve your product line. When you offer items that are used by the same type of customer, for similar scenarios, or are typically used together, more people will buy more than one item.
- Hours spent prepping for, setting up, selling at, and packing up from the event
- Money spent on craft show-related expenses (here are several to consider)
Here are 7 stats to track plus free printable spreadsheets to help you do so.
When you gather averages (e.g. your average sales conversion rate at craft shows) you have a benchmark to compare future shows to.
When you sell at a new craft show, is your sales conversion rate higher or lower than your average? This will tell you if it’s worth it to sell at that event, or type of event, again.
Tracking your numbers also helps you be more mindful with your spending and time.
If you notice, like I did, that you’re putting in way more hours preparing for a craft show than you’re paid for (through the sales at that event), you can find ways to be more efficient with your time.
Or you may realize that as flattering as it is to be invited to a craft show outside your city, the cost to travel to it, stay at a hotel, pay for meals and parking, etc. may leave you without profits.
Start tracking your numbers so you can find ways to be more profitable when selling at craft shows.
Craft Show Mistake #5: Ignoring what surrounds your products
Your products should be the focal point, but what surrounds them is just as important.
Craft show fixtures, props, signs, images, and even your outfit will either increase or decrease the value shoppers place on your products.
Imagine being served a filet mignon on a paper plate in a dirty, noisy, run-down restaurant. The meat may be worth $20+ but you’re not willing to pay more than $5 based on the surroundings.
Make sure each element surrounding your products in your craft show booth add to their value, not detract from it. From your tablecloth to your price tags, no detail is too small to put effort into.
If the space isn’t designed properly, you’ll have a hard time attracting shoppers and keeping them around long enough to buy.
You need your space to be shoppable and encourage people to pick up items. If shoppers don’t feel comfortable touching because a fixture looks like it might fall over, or your products look too precious to touch, they won’t buy.
How to fix
Made Urban is full of advice for improving your craft show display. Here are a few of the top articles to explore if your display could use some improvement:
- Want to Stand Out at a Craft Show? Try these Display Tricks
- Craft Show Table Layout Tips
- 5 Odd Display Tricks I Always Use
You can also join my free email challenge: 5 DAYS TO A STANDOUT CRAFT SHOW DISPLAY
BONUS TIP
This tip is one I learned while working as a visual merchandiser for major retailers.
Sales associates had to follow a simple rule to boost sales:
As soon as there were more than 2 people in line to pay, an associate had to open a register and get that line moving faster.
>> The longer the lineup, the more reason people had NOT to buy.
>> The quicker the line moves, the more sales can be made per hour.
Even if you don’t have a lineup of people waiting to pay, your customers don’t want to stand around waiting for you to find your credit card machine, search for change, or rummage through boxes to find your tissue paper.
The longer you take to complete a transaction and wrap the purchase, the less time you have for other customers.
Keep everything you need for making a sale in one area and if possible, prep bags beforehand by pre-stuffing them with tissue paper and business cards.
Which mistakes do you see vendors make most often at craft shows? Share in the comments!
Finally understand why your hard work isn't resulting in more sales
Join over 18,000 others and sign up for the
Made Urban newsletter
Hey, I’m Erin 🙂 I write about small business and craft show techniques I’ve learned from being a small business owner for almost 2 decades, selling at dozens of craft shows, and earning a diploma in Visual Communication Design. I hope you find my advice helpful!
Boy, I wished that you could give this lesson to the Annual Festival we have here in our town. Vendors act as if they are part of the inventory and just sit there an never even say “hello”. I am so fed up I stopped attending. I stood at one booth with the product in my hand to purchase and the seller never open their mouth. I put the item back. My money comes with a price: Be nice to me and I will release it, act snobbish and it will never be yours!
I absolutely agree with you!!! When I would attend Festivals, people would just sit behind their booths and not greet me. Even when I would intentionally look around at their items to see if they would even notice me, some would never speak and I would leave. When I participated in a pop up a few months ago (I sell body butters, soaps, etc.) I greeted every individual that came to my booth and I would never stay seated when someone was at my booth. Here’s one of my pickup lines for shoppers to stop and look, ” Hey there!! I see you looking! We have body butters that will keep your skin soft and silky! We even have items for men too!” It worked every time! I had almost as many sales from men as I did for women! Just being nice and friendly got me plenty of sales.
Ive just booked my first stall and its for a Christmas Market.
these 5 pointers are so valuable…you have given me an amazing idea with number 4.
So excited and nervous at the same time, this all helps.
Cheers
Hi. I have my first craft fayre tomorrow! How did yours turn out in the end? Jenny x
I felt the same way, excited but oh as nervous, before my first show a free months ago. I was pleasantly surprised by how it all went so well. Preparation is the key, engagement with your customers and have fun, enjoy it!! I also didn’t expect other vendors to be so helpful and how willing they were to share ideas and upcoming show listings and locations. That was great
Thank you for thr 5 tips. Really good advice.
Thank you so much Toni, glad you found it helpful! There are also some other inspiration ideas in this article for treating your booth like a store window: https://www.madeurban.com/News/want_to_stand_out_at_a_craft_show_try_these_displa/4217
and some other thoughts to consider for your set up here: https://www.madeurban.com/News/why_youre_looking_at_your_craft_show_setup_wrong/4203
Have an amazing event!! Everyone is nervous at their first few events but craft shows are always fun once you settle in 🙂
Thank you so much for this article. You will never know how much it has helped me get ready for a show.
That’s so amazing to hear Joy! Thanks so much for reading and good luck at your next event!
Thank you so much for the wonderful tips. I have done two Craft Fairs before but my main product that I want to focus on didn’t do that we’ll. I know now why. Because I had too much other stock. I am going to change that starting today. Thank so much for the great advice. Ina-Jean
Thanks for reading Ina-Jean! So glad you found the article helpful. Please keep us posted on how future craft shows go with your narrowed focus 🙂
Erin
Thank you for the wonderful tips. I’m about to do my first Christmas fair and your tips are very helpful. I’m excited and nervous.
Now I know that I have to decide what particular item will be the focal point. Thank you Bellatrix
Hi Bellatrix! Good luck at your upcoming event. I hope the tips help you have a great show!
This is a very helpful advise. It’s really not appealing for customers if you show no interest or not interacting with them. It makes them feel unimportant. You’re wright about “variety” as well, too much of it can only lead to confusion although the more options the better 🙂
http://www.cybergenic.net/
If you need a service provider for your data processing and customer services need and more. Thank you!
I’ve been selling hand-painted canvases and chalkboards at craft shows for the past few years but I don’t have a branded business. Should I still hand out business cards? -Henri, St. Louis MO
Hi Henri!
I think it’s important to start branding your business. It’s not just about a logo. A brand creates an experience for your customers so they know what to expect from your business, why to choose you over another and to keep them thinking of you and purchasing in the future. Good branding may seem like a “nice to have” but it will help you sell more.
Even if you don’t have a strong brand established yet, it’s important to let shoppers know where to find you after a craft fair. Most people don’t purchase on the first encounter so if they can’t find you when they think of your products a few days later or next month when they need a gift, you’re losing sales.
A business card can still be used to hand out your email address, website or social media pages.
Hope that helps!
Erin
I am about to venture into doing my first craft show, I found find your focal point very intriguing. Keep it simple was awesome, would have went to far to the elaborate side. This article was very inspiring thanks.
Jewel
Glad you enjoyed it Jewel!
Trying to offer something for everyone who stops by your table is a very common mistake and so easy to do.
I’m definitely guilty of going overboard at my first craft fair. I split a table with a friend who sold photography and also wanted me to help him with an idea he had for pillow cases using vintage t-shirts. I made flannel pyjama bottoms with matching heating bags so our table had: photography, pillows and pillow cases, pyjamas, rice heating bags and a few other knick-knacks. Talk about a mixed bag 😉
Keeping it simple and having a strong, clear message is key 🙂
~Erin
Umber 1 was definitely me and I kept adding and then my daughter became my partner and she is OCD so I drover her crazy. I decided to take my best seller and add a special for the month so I have 2 items and this makes life so much easier
Thanks for these tips
Margaret
Good article . . . however, I must disagree with #1. You CAN offer a lot of different type items if you set your booth up correctly. Have sections, each featuring like items. You may need more than one booth space to accomplish this. I normally get two spaces, and at a few shows . . three.
I sell a LOT of different items . . . from Christmas ornaments to jewelry to Pebble Art to Halloween decor, to t-shirts (and a bunch of other stuff, in between). My booth is ALWAYS busy. I attribute that to the fact that I sell a wide variety of products, therefore attracting a wider variety of buyers than those that sell a single type of item.
So, I don’t think having the capability to make and display a lot of types of crafts should be viewed as a “mistake”.
Thanks for reading Deb!
If selling and displaying a wide variety of products works for you, then keep up the good work.
I stand behind my advice for handmade businesses to narrow their selection. I started with a craft show table full of everything from pj’s and rice heating bags to aprons, mittens and purses.
When I realized the majority of my sales were coming from a few select products, I focused on those, cut back my selection and saw my profits, sales, sales per transaction, repeat customers, productivity, etc. increase.
It was the best thing I did for my business and cut out a lot of work creating product I only sold a couple of and had to mark down at the end of a season.
I’m extremely nervous but excited about my first craft show. I think your article is just what I needed to help put me at ease so that I can focus on what I should do to have a successful show. Thank you so much. I signed up for the 5 day challenge so that I can prepare myself for the best show I can possibly do.
Thank you for the great advice and information! Much appreciated!
I am just about to do my 3rd market and I am still learning and trying new things!
I have tried to be as unique and possible, selling products/items that have no or little competition with other vendors… Just have to find it and sample it to the customer…. engage your demographic targets..
Really appreciate this article from you! Been doing crafts for over 20 years! Can always learn something new!
I think key is that you don’t have items out in a way that can easily be stolen. I had this happen as a rookie and it really cuts into profits a lot. I had put out too much and it was a busy sale (despite a few of us working the table we were swarmed by a group of people working together on distraction techniques to steal from the vendors). It is unfortunate that we have to take this into account so much.
While I’ve been taking cards for a few years, I’ve found that the amount of people who still pay with cash varies from show to show (sometimes it seems they all pay with cash! LOL!). So one of the best things I changed was instead of a cash box, I used a hardware apron with 2 pockets to hold my money which made it way easier to walk around and interact with people and faster to do transactions. Many people already had bags to put items in and so didn’t want another one – they just want to pay and move on! I also made a sign with my Venmo QR code on it and many people will scan and pay by the time I have their items bagged up and off they go! Because I sell custom items, I also will give people an order sheet instead of a business card (it has prices and contact info on it) if they ask about ordering – I’ve had good success with this and a sheet of paper is harder to loose.
Hello! I have my first ever craft fayre tomorrow…looking forward to it, and nervous..will be freindly…i was going to paint while there, as i persobally hate being pounced on when im browsing…but i wont now…also, im on my own…and the big thing i am really worried about is adding amounts in my head…i have a portable card machine and i will get some change for cash..but i have a real phobia with maths! I sell my paintings and have done really well…sold nearly a i make, plus commisions…i now paint stones too and have my art made into cards and prints xx @southend_beach_and_sea_art. Thank you for your very interesting article :))) bit late now…but will use it next time x
I think you can great people to engage without “pouncing”. Just a simple “hello” is often enough and then go from there. If you are using an app like Square to do credit cards you can pre-set your prices and have categories you enter prices if they very too much. It’ll to the math for you. Square also let’s you indicate if the are paying in cash or check, how much change etc so you don’t have to worry about math. Bonus is it will keep track of sales so you know what sells well. I’m sure there are other apps that can do the same. Good luck!
Thank you so much…i have the sum up machine…it was quite a success…didnt sell much, but i did sell a painting, some cards and a print :)) covered the cost of the table plus some of an order of cards i purchased. Loved it! Lookimg forward to my next one in june
Well done,a ton of very important points for anyone in selling.Everyone should read and revised your books as it so easy to loose the plot along the way. With early good plans and ideas forgotten loosing that freshness you started with. I firmly believe that it’s good practice to revisit your shop or stall and focus on what the customer ..
I have a question about seasons. I knit unique and colorful baby sweaters. Generally, the spring and summer season is not when mothers, grandmothers, family and friends purchase sweaters. How can I entice sales? Moreover, baby sweaters are not impulse purchases like jewelry, soap and scarves. No need to buy for a baby if there isn’t a baby in the horizon. Any thoughts? Thank you for your advice
Business cards are a good idea, but truthfully most of them are thrown away.
On my cards I have
“Bring this card back for 10% off your next purchase.”
Because of the discount, customers will save your card and either contact you or look for you at the next craft show.
That’s a unique idea. Thank you. However, I would like to capitalize on nice weather in May or September for outdoor Craft Fairs. Sweaters, however are not to-of-mind. Any ideas?
*THE* biggest mistake I see often at our farmers market is vendors who don’t make it easy to buy.
If your pricing is not obvious, you will loose customers who are too timid to ask “how much?”
Label your items with their price or provide a menu. If an item is sold by weight, know your pricing by heart and calculate it quickly.
Ideally, povide a variety of payment options. Cash, check, venmo, cards….whatever works for your clientele.. You’re more likely to make a sale if you make it easy for your customer to pay you. If you are cash-only POST IT conspicuously. it leaves would-be buyers with a bad impression of your business if they pick out something they love, only to be sent away because they don’t have a way to pay for it.
I’ve worked a lot of shows over the years as an assistant and as the primary seller. This is by far the most useful, actionable information I have come across for improving customer experience as well as profit/success rate. I love that it doesn’t feel sales pitch-y or scammy, but a truly authentic way to connect with people and increase sales.