What Craft Show Vendors Need to Stop Doing to Make More Money
Sometimes, making more money at craft shows is less about what you need to add and more about what you need to take away. If you’re busy but not seeing the growth you expected, there’s a good chance your business doesn’t need more added to it. It needs something removed. Just like a plant needs…
Why Craft Show Shoppers Walk Away (even when they love your products)
If you’ve drawn craft show shoppers to your booth, you’re doing something right. They’ve seen your products from a distance and are interested in what you’re selling. But if you’re getting too many people walking away without buying, you may be unknowingly creating doubt in shoppers’ minds. Often, a sale isn’t lost because of one…
7 Ways to Give Craft Show Shoppers A Reason To Buy
As consumers, when we have a good reason to buy, we’re more likely to spend our money and feel good about it. If we simply think something is nice, but we don’t need it, we’re less likely to buy. So here are 7 common reasons craft show shoppers buy, so you can create products to…
Do You Have an “AND” or an “OR” Craft Show Booth?
There’s a simple mindset shift most craft show vendors need to make…especially newbies. When I started selling at craft shows, I made products to fill my table so that if a shopper stopped and they didn’t like the first product they saw, they would hopefully like the second. And if they didn’t like the second…
The Mindset Shift That Changed My Craft Show Success
So many craft show vendors identify themselves by what they sell. Jewelry Handbags Knitted goods Etc. But that’s not what shoppers are looking for when they visit a craft show. They can find jewelry, handbags, and knitted goods at hundreds of stores. So they’re not interested in rummaging through every style of bag, or jewelry,…
Unsuccessful Craft Show; Was it you or the event? 15 ways to tell
It can feel defeating, frustrating, and even embarrassing when you walk away from a craft show with little to no sales. But it’s important to learn from each event. And to learn, you need to be able to decipher if the problem was the craft show, so you can choose better for the next one….
How To Turn $5 Craft Show Sales into High-Value Customers
In my last article, I shared the importance of a gateway product and key elements to create one. You can learn more here: Every Craft Show Table Should Have a Gateway Product The purpose of offering gateway products it to make a sale (even if it’s a small one), and to warm up that lead in…
Every Craft Show Table Should Have a Gateway Product
When a consumer first comes across your business, they’re unlikely to invest in your core products; they’re considered a cold lead. Cold leads are people who have the potential to be your customer, but are unfamiliar with your business, brand, and products; they’re discovering them for the first time. You’ll come across cold leads at…
How To Make a Living Selling at Craft Shows
Craft shows aren’t always profitable, and many people don’t earn enough from them to live off of. They can require a lot of time to produce stock and then stand at the event all weekend. Not to mention, some events have high booth fees. But if you want craft shows to be your main source…
The “Boutique” Vs. “Thrift Store” Effect at Craft Shows
There’s nothing wrong with thrift stores. But consumers do tend to equate thrift stores to low prices/deals/discounts. And when you’re selling handmade, your products (in most cases) are higher than average (when compared with big box stores). So if your craft show booth looks more like a thrift store than a boutique, shoppers may be…
Busy Doesn’t Mean Profitable: What Craft Show Vendors Get Wrong
I’m a huge advocate of presenting fewer products at craft shows. I think making too many types of products and product options is one of the most common mistakes craft show vendors make (one I made for years too). And that it’s the cause of low craft show sales. But I get a lot of…
5 Mistakes To Avoid If you Want To Wholesale your Crafts
Selling your handmade products to retailers, at wholesale prices, can be a great option if you have good profit margins. It’s also ideal if you don’t love spending time marketing, selling, and shipping individual orders. You can instead, market directly to retailers, sell dozens of products with one sale, and make one shipment. If you…
Craft Show Display Trick – Line & Composition
Line and composition is a visual merchandising technique that is a little more advanced, but will elevate your craft show display. It will help your table or booth feel more balanced and subtly lead the eye from one product to the next. I like to think of line and composition as a visual game of…
How To Refocus Your Craft Business for Better Sales
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your handmade business, your sales are lacking, and you’re not getting any traction on social media or attracting repeat buyers, it may be that your business lacks focus. Most handmade businesses are run on the side. On the side of a full-time job, parenting and family time, and/or just life….
A Tricky (but effective) Way To Promote your Products at Craft Shows
Craft fair shoppers are surrounded by products. Every aisle is lined with tables, displays, and vendors hoping to catch their attention. And while shoppers may enjoy browsing, most of them have their guard up when they feel like they’re being sold to. The moment a sales pitch starts, many people instinctively: Smile politely Nod along…
The 3 Types of Shoppers Your Craft Business Must Appeal To
If you’ve ever worked a craft fair, you’ve seen it. >> The shopper who walks in, spots something, and buys within 60 seconds. >> The one who slowly scans every table before committing. >> And the one who says, “I’ll come back,” and may… or may not. Most craft business owners design their products for…
The Social Media Mistake That’s Quietly Costing You Sales
Yes, your social media accounts exist to support your business. But if every post is essentially saying “Buy this”, you’re training people to scroll right past you. One of the most common mistakes craft businesses make is turning their feed into a digital product catalog. New listing. Close-up shot. Different color. Limited edition. Shop link….
5 Mistakes That Almost Derailed My Craft Business
Successful businesses aren’t built in a straight line. They’re built through adjustments. Through wrong turns. Through admitting something isn’t working and choosing to pivot instead of quitting. If you’re currently feeling stuck, discouraged, or questioning your direction, I hope this article shows you that struggle is not a sign you’re failing. It’s often a sign…
How to Make Craft Show Shoppers’ Decision to Buy Easy
In most cases, your job as a business owner is to make customers’ lives easier. Easier to understand your product. Easier to shop. Easier to pay. Easier to feel confident in their purchase. But there’s one area where you actually want to make things more difficult. You want to make it difficult for shoppers to…
How to Build a Customer-Focused Craft Show Business (& Boost Sales)
My handmade business started the way many do — at a craft fair. I signed up for shows that fit my schedule. I made products I enjoyed creating. I built displays using baskets from around my house, and printed signs the night before. Every decision made sense to me. But here’s the problem: A successful…