7 Signs Your Low Sales are Because of a Bad Craft Show

If you’re leaving a craft show with little to no sales, it’s sometimes a sign that you need to reflect and consider what you need to improve. 

However, sometimes bad sales have nothing to do with you, your products, or your display. 

In which case, it’s important not to get discouraged (choosing a bad event happens to all of us) and to simply choose better next time. 

Here are 7 signs your low sales aren’t your fault:

 

1 – Too many non-shopping attractions

A craft show or market with lots to do; face painting, food trucks, bands, etc., may seem like one that will attract lots of shoppers. But all those attractions can actually be a deterrent for your sales.

If most people who walk past your table are being pulled by their kids (who want to get their face painted) or have their hands full of food, it’s a good sign the market’s audience is more interested in the attractions than shopping.

 

2 – People walking by most booths

If you’re not making sales, you’ll probably have plenty of time to people-watch.

Pay attention to shoppers when they’re not in front of your space.

Are they walking around the aisles, taking in most booths from a distance?

Or are they stopping at tables…just not yours?

If shoppers tend to be doing more walking by booths than stopping and browsing, it’s a sign the event failed to attract serious buyers.

Sometimes, events that charge an entry fee can deter Lookie Loos and attract more buyers.

 

3 – Not a good mix of vendors

Look around the event. If there isn’t a good mix of products from a variety of categories (e.g. jewelry, pottery, home goods, stationery, etc.), the craft show may be poorly organized.

Craft show shoppers don’t want to see booth after booth of the same product (e.g. too many jewelry vendors) or even the same style of product (e.g. minimalist gold jewelry vendors)

>> The Top Reason Shoppers Complain About A Craft Show

They’re looking for a good mix of products and vendors offering something unique.

>> 15 Things Craft Show Shoppers Love

If shoppers walk in and see there’s not much product variation between vendors, they may mentally check out and decide to browse from a distance.

 

4 – Low-quality vendors

If you look around and the majority of vendors look like they’re selling “crafts” (i.e. pre-made items they’ve patched together) or MLM products (e.g. Avon, Pampered Chef, Young Living, etc.) rather than hand-crafted goods, the event likely won’t attract high-quality shoppers.

Not to mention, those lower-quality vendors can lower the perceived value of your products.

Shoppers may check out a few vendors and decide they’ll quickly scan or breeze through the rest of the market, not giving your booth the time and attention it deserves.

 

5 – Attendance is low

Think about conversion rates. Although there aren’t very solid numbers to work with for craft shows, the average conversion rate online is 3%, and for brick and mortar, it’s around 30%.

But if we guess that craft show conversion rates are somewhere between an e-commerce store and a brick-and-mortar store, we might go for a 10% – 15% conversion rate.

That number will be impacted greatly depending on the type of shopper the event attracts, the quality of vendors, the number of vendors, etc.

Using those conversion rates as an example, you need 7 – 10 people to stop at your table for one sale.

And you must keep in mind…not every shopper who enters the event will stop at your table.

So the event must attract hundreds of shoppers for each vendor to make just one sale each.

 

6 – Foot traffic is high

Foot traffic can be great for a craft show. However, it can also create a false sense of the event attracting shoppers.

If the event is in a busy area of the city, there may be lots of people walking by or walking through to just check things out.

These people didn’t have “stop and shop at the craft show” on their schedule for the day, so they’re less likely to buy.

 

7 – Too seasonal

Seasonal or themed craft shows can be great; Christmas craft shows tend to be some of the most successful for vendors.

However, if an event’s theme is too niche or ill-timed, the theme may impact your sales.

For example, a Halloween-themed craft show on October 30th may be a tough one.

Halloween is a short holiday, so not many people will buy Halloween-themed products. They’re also not going to buy them the day before the holiday.

On the other hand, a Mother’s Day themed craft show a week or two before Mother’s Day will likely attract shoppers ready to buy Mother’s Day presents.

 

If you feel your low sales were due to choosing the wrong craft show, here are a few articles to help:

>> How To Pick Profitable Craft Shows for YOUR Business

>> 7 Types of Craft Shows to Avoid

>> What is a Juried Craft Show? (Why They’re Better)