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.

Or was there something wrong with your space? In which case, you may need to adjust your products, display, sales techniques, etc.

This article will help you narrow down if you’ve chosen the wrong craft show, or if you need to improve things on your side.

7 signs the event is the problem

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.

 

7 signs your booth is the problem

1 – People see your booth, but don’t stop

Sometimes a vendor space is on a weird corner or tucked away from the flow of traffic, making it harder for shoppers to notice.

You don’t want to stare down shoppers when they’re in the aisle, but try to subtly get an idea if they’re noticing your booth.

If they’re walking by and keeping their distance as they glance at your table, chances are your display or products in your booth are deterring shoppers from stopping.

 

2 – People set items back down after they see the price

It may be that shoppers are stopping at your table, but they’re not buying. In which case, pay close attention to their actions.

Are they looking at price signs and then walking away?

Are they showing interest in a product (picking it up, showing it to friends, asking how much) then setting it back down once they learn the price?

It may be that the quality of your work doesn’t match the price points.

You should never lower your prices just to make sales (10 Reasons NOT to Lower the Prices of your Handmade Goods)

But you can improve your branding, packaging, and craftsmanship to make your products feel more valuable. Or you can lower your costs and then lower your prices.

>> 10 Ways to Lower your Prices (without lowering profits)

 

3 – You get a lot of “Did you make this?” or “What is this?”

If shoppers are questioning how much handwork actually went into your products, or they don’t understand the purpose of your products, they likely won’t buy.

Craft show shoppers are looking for handmade items. If the amount of handmade that’s in your work is minimal, they may not buy.

When shoppers don’t understand the purpose of an item, or perhaps if it’s actually for sale or just for decoration, you’re starting from behind the 8-ball.

Your message should be clear.

 

4 – You hear “so and so can make this”

As insulting as “I know someone who can make this” or “I can buy it for cheaper at ____” is, they’re clear indications that the work you’re presenting doesn’t feel unique enough to spend money on it.

If anyone who knits can find the same color yarn, stitch the same pattern, and knit a very similar scarf to the one in front of them at a craft show, it makes that item feel less valuable.

To get craft show shoppers to see the value in your products, they should require above-entry-level skills to make.

Everyone starts somewhere, but if you’re buying charms and chains on Amazon and using a jump ring to attach the charms to the chains, your products may not appeal to experienced craft show shoppers.

It may be better to try smaller events (e.g. craft shows put on by your church, community hall, local school, etc.) until you advance your skills.

 

5 – No interaction

If shoppers are at your booth but they’re not responding to your efforts to interact with them (e.g. they just smile and nod), they may be avoiding interaction because they don’t want to give any signs that they’re interested in buying.

On the other hand, if you’re letting people shop in silence and aren’t attempting to educate them on your products, your sales skills may be the problem.

You do need to put in an effort if you want to make sales.

 

6 – Your prices are low, but still…people don’t buy

It’s easy to think: “It’s only $5! There’s no reason not to buy.”

But people don’t buy for the sake of buying. No one wants to spend money on items they don’t want, need, or love.

Sometimes lower price points can be an incentive to buy (“I love this! And it’s only $5?! Win!”). But if shoppers are noticing your lower price points and still not buying, it’s a sign you need to tweak your products.

 

7 – No one takes a business card

I’ve stopped by lots of craft show booths, loved their work, but just wasn’t ready to buy that day. But I’ll take a business card or ask where I can find them after a show, so that I can buy when I’m ready.

If you have a stack of business cards on the end of your table, or a QR code so people can follow you on social media, and lots of people stop by to check out your work, but they don’t buy and don’t take a card, it may be a sign you need to tweak your offering.

 

8 – This is your second, third, fourth…unsuccessful event

If you’ve attended several events with little to no success, chances are…something in your booth is the problem.

That doesn’t mean you should give up.

But sometimes we have to put our guards down and admit the problem is on our end, so we’re open to change.

No business hits it out of the ballpark on the first attempt. And most craft show vendors don’t find smashing success at their first event.

So if you’re passionate about what you’re doing and really want to succeed, keep trying.

Take some time off craft shows so you can research successful craft show vendors and start comparing your products, display, prices, etc., to theirs and find areas that need improving.

 

It’s neither you nor the event

In some cases, an event may be top-notch, as is your work. But the sales just aren’t there.

Which may be due to:

Different target markets

It’s important to determine if the market the craft show is targeting (through their vendors, branding, location, etc.) is a match for your target market.

For example, if you’re selling high-end art at a mom & tots craft show, your products, display, pricing, etc. may be on-point, but just not a fit for the audience the craft show attracted.

Level of vendors

You may be setting up among vendors who are more or less advanced than you, which can make your products seem out of place.

Think of an artist just learning to paint setting up a booth at a high-end art show. The new artist’s work may be great (for their level). But when set among fine art, it may negatively impact their sales.

On the other hand, a fine artist setting up at a local craft show may feel out of place.

Pricing

An event may be full of shoppers ready to spend money, but if a vendor’s products are in the higher price range, it doesn’t matter how amazing they are, shoppers just might not be prepared to spend higher amounts of money (especially when there are lower-priced products to choose from).