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 big mistake; it’s lost because of tiny doubts stacking up.

 

1 – Mismatch = doubt

There should be cohesion from one element of your booth to the next.

For example:

• If your prices are “premium”, your products, packaging, price tags, etc., should be “premium” too
• If your product are “modern”, your display should have “modern” elements too
• If your brand is “sophisticated”, you should give a “sophisticated” vibe too.

You can’t send mixed messages to shoppers; it will raise red flags.

Define the message you want to send to shoppers (e.g. high-quality) and make sure every aspect of your craft show space sends that message.

 

2 – Too many roles = less trust

If I want good Italian food, I’m going to choose the Italian restaurant over the something-for-everyone restaurant with 10 types of cuisine on the menu.

You’ll automatically trust the restaurant that specializes in a cuisine over the one that has no clear direction.

The same idea applies to a craft show booth.

If a shopper is drawn over to my booth because they see a bag they like, but then the other bags on my table are completely different, and I’m also selling candles and art, their trust in me to be a good bag maker will be gone.

Craft show shoppers don’t want to buy experiments; they want tested and trusted products.

So if your craft show booth looks like you’re trying to fulfill too many roles (a bag maker, a candle maker, and an artist), they may lose trust and decide not to buy.

 

3 – Friction = inconvenience

We all have short attention spans these days…and we’re used to getting things fast. So we can become impatient with:

• long lines
• lack of information or unclear benefits (i.e. why should I buy from you?)
• inconvenient payment options (e.g. cash only, so they must run to the ATM)

Make it as easy as possible for craft show shoppers to:

• Browse your products – create a layout that flows so people buying aren’t standing in front of your bestsellers. Choose fixtures that allow you to spread out your products, make items easy to see, and allow shoppers to easily pick items up and put them back down (without things falling over).
• Find important information – if a shopper must ask how much an item is, they probably won’t and will walk away without buying instead. If they’re thinking about buying, but aren’t sure if you accept credit cards, and you’re busy with another shopper, they may decide to come back later (but likely won’t). You can also use signs to share key features and benefits so you don’t have to say them to every shopper. 
• Buy – streamline your checkout process (here’s how: 8 Ways to Streamline your Craft Show Checkout Process) so that you don’t have shoppers hovering around your table waiting to pay, blocking others from shopping, and creating wait times that deter others from buying.

 

4 – No guidance

If you’ve built your craft show table well (i.e. full of products your target market loves…here’s more info on how to do that), then a shopper may have a hard time deciding on what to buy.

If they love everything, you don’t want them to have decision fatigue.

That can lead to “I need to think about it…I’ll come back later,” and they often won’t.

So make sure your craft show display, signage, and sales pitch help shoppers make decisions.

• Point out your bestsellers so they know where to start
• Create pricing sections so they can choose within their budget
• Bundle products together at a slight discount so it makes it easier to buy more than one item

You should also be sharing key benefits your target market cares most about.

Again, don’t overwhelm them with too much information on how products are made, where you source your materials, etc.

Think about what you would care about if you were buying an item.

>> How long it takes to make the item? Most consumers don’t care…how does that affect them?

>> It will last a lifetime…that’s beneficial to customers because it means they’ll save money

 

5 – Mismatched energy

You, the seller, are an important part of your craft show display. You alone can make or break a sale.

If a shopper is engaged and interested in your business but you’re reading a book behind the table, they’ll feel ignored and unvalued and will likely leave without buying…even if they love your work.

On the other hand, if they feel uncomfortable because you’re hovering as they shop and throwing sales pitch after sales pitch at them, that can also make a shopper leave quickly.

>> Here’s a non-sales pitch way to sell at craft shows

It’s important to find your style of selling, but to also match a shopper’s energy.

Take cues from them if they want more information and are interested in chatting, or if they just want to read signs and shop in silence.