5 Steps to Find Your Niche in Craft Shows

To make your craft business and your booth stand out, it’s important to choose a niche and stay in your lane. 

When you apply to a craft show with aprons, then show up with some aprons and a bunch of bags, organizers won’t be happy. 

And when shoppers browse your booth and find aprons, bags, and soap, they’re unlikely to:

  • remember your business
  • view it as high-end or your products as expertly made
  • buy more than one item

Here’s an easy 6-step process to your niche at craft shows so you stand out to organizer and shoppers and make lots of sales.

 

STEP 1 – Choose your Category

In the majority of cases, you should not sell products under more than one category.

Selling under more than one category (e.g. Accessories and home décor) causes chaos for you and your shoppers:

  • Confusion for a small brand – you need a clear vision; who are you, what do you sell, and what are you the best at making?
  • Inconsistent work – when selling handmade, your work must be top-notch and high quality; creating a wide variety of products makes it hard to keep up the quality of each.
  • Lack of time – you must be able to streamline your creation process. Creating cannot be what you spend the majority of your time on if you want to run a successful business. A big chunk of your time should go towards branding, marketing, setting up and maintaining sales channels, etc.

However, there are always exceptions to every rule.

A small business may be successful selling products that fall under several categories if all of its products follow a theme and/or target the same customer.

For example, a business may sell products for female entrepreneurs. They may apply their female-focused art to mugs, t-shirts, bags, mousepads, stickers, notepads, etc. 

Because all of their products follow the same theme and target the same market (female entrepreneurs), there is still cohesion across their product line. 

 

STEP 2 – Choose a Subcategory

Get specific with what you sell. Anytime we shop, we shop for something specific.

We don’t shop for a “home”; we look for a certain type of home (e.g. condo, duplex, detached, etc.) and get more specific to narrow our search. Say you’re looking for a detached home; you may specifically look for a 2 story, split level, or bungalow.

The same applies when we shop for something like accessories. We don’t go on the hunt for “accessories”; we might look for jewelry. But again, we don’t simply say “I need new jewelry”. We typically shop for a specific type of jewelry (e.g. bohemian style jewelry or waterproof jewelry).

Subcategories simply define the specific purpose of your product and give a very clear idea of what your product is.

You may need to go a couple of levels deep with your subcategory or choose multiple subcategories to find a good niche.

Let’s look at some common craft show categories and what some of their subcategories might be.

  • Category: Bath & Body
    • Subcategory: Skincare
      • Sub-Subcategory: Facial Skincare (e.g. facial cleanser, toner, moisturizer, eye cream
    • Subcategory: Bath products (e.g. bath bombs, bubble bath, bath salts)
  • Category: Jewelry
    • Subcategory: Necklaces, Earrings, Bracelets, and Rings
    • Subcategory: Body Jewelry
  • Category: Bags & Purses
    • Subcategory: School Bags (e.g. backpacks, lunch bags, pencil cases)
    • Subcategory: Travel Bags (e.g. duffel bags, packing cubes, toiletry cases)

 

STEP 3 – Define your Target Market

In my opinion, it’s more important to choose a target market based on a psychographic (e.g. hobby, interest, belief, lifestyle, values, etc.) than it is to choose based on demographics (e.g. age, sex, income, etc.).

Let me show you how I might find different niches based on psychographics:

  • Category: Bath & Body
    • Subcategory: Skincare
      • Target Market based on a hobby: Yogis

I might create a line of skincare that targets people who practice hot yoga. Skincare that can be used on the go after a session (e.g. facial wipes or micellar water) and gentle ingredients that don’t irritate skin after a hot session and when pores are open.

  • Category: Bags & Purses
    • Subcategory: Schoolbags
      • Target Market based on lifestyle: College student

A line of school bags targeting college students versus elementary students will be much different. I would focus on more sophisticated styles that can handle the weight of heavy textbooks.

  • Category: Jewelry
    • Subcategories: Necklaces, Rings, and Bracelets
      • Target Market based on beliefs: Christian

A line of jewelry with bible verses engraved into each piece.

One of the easiest ways to find a good target market is to focus on common interests. Specifically, ones that bring people together in groups you can market and sell to.

Don’t get caught up on the word “interest”.

For example, being a bride isn’t necessarily an interest, but “brides” make a great target market and their interest of planning a wedding is what draws them to magazines, blogs, influencers, Pinterest boards, events, bridal boutiques, etc. 

Those are all great ways to market and/or sell your products.

You’ll find more about finding your target market and diving into psychographics (which are more important to define than demographics) in these articles:

STEP 4 – Define your “Why”

This is another step to drill down your niche and get into the important details.

You may even be going into a sub-sub-subcategory with this step.

What’s important to define is the element that drives purchasing.

For example, when someone is in the market for a new skincare line, they’re not just going to buy any skincare product. They’re going to buy based on what they need from their skincare (or why they’re buying new skincare). 

The “why” will depend on your chosen target market.

One target market may choose a skincare line because it’s environmentally friendly, while another target market may choose a skincare line because its ingredients are ideal for their sensitive skin.

Consider your product and your target market and what matters most when they’re buying your products. 

 

STEP 5 – Define Key Product Feature(s)

The variety of product features you offer should be kept to a minimum, and keep your target market and your “why” in mind. 

When you try to change too many product features and offer too many options, you water down your offering, your target market, 

Imagine you’re shopping at a store and there are dozens of tops that appeal to your style. You’re going to fall in love with the brand and become a loyal customer who comes back to buy again and again.

Now imagine that store has some tops that appeal to your style and many that would appeal to your mother’s, grandmother’s, and daughter’s or niece’s style. 

That business won’t stand out as much to you and they don’t make you feel like get your style. And you probably don’t want to be shopping in the same store as someone half your age.

Break down your product’s features.

For example, if I’m making school bags, the common product features might be:

  • Style (e.g. modern, feminine, bohemian)
  • Material (e.g. canvas, leather)
  • Colors (e.g. earthtones, primary, pastels)
  • Shape (e.g. boxy)
  • Type of closure (e.g. zippers, snaps, ties)

Define which ones you’ll keep consistent among all your products and how.

For example, all of my school bags may follow a bohemian style. Or, for more cohesion and to develop a style I become known for, I may follow a bohemian style, use corduroy fabric for all my bags, and stick to earthtone colors.

 

Once you define the above 5 areas, you should have a niche that will help set your business apart and attract loyal customers.  

5 Steps to Find your Niche in Craft Shows