There are three basic aspects of retailing:
Design - the premises (your booth and its basic structures)
Merchandising - what you put in the premises (your display)
Operations - what staff do (you and anyone who might be helping you at craft shows)

While these retailing concepts are traditionally applied to retail stores, they apply to your craft show display too.

All three aspects of retailing are inter-related. That means that a change to one aspect impacts the other two factors. A cost savings measure in one area may cost you elsewhere. So, when you are designing your craft booth, it’s helpful to think through the ways that a change to one factor may impact the other factors.

For example, the design of your booth impacts merchandising because your basic booth design determines the amount of space you’ll have to display products and the level of flexibility you’ll have to change your booth based on varied conditions at different craft shows. Also, the basic configuration of your booth will impact operations because it will influence where you tend to stand or sit and how you tend to interact with customers.

Imagine, for example, you decide to take away space from your checkout area (which is tempting when you have limited space) to create more space for display. At your next show, you may discover that your check out area is inefficient and checking out customers has become much slower and awkward. If you are at a busy show, the extra time spent checking out customers may easily result in lost customers. If you miss opportunities to talk with potential customers because you are dealing with an inefficient checkout process, you can easily lose sales. In this case, you would have been better off displaying slightly less product while allowing yourself the space you need to deal with customers seamlessly and efficiently.

There are plenty of ways that the three aspects of retailing, design, merchandinsing and operations interact with each other to either improve or hurt your sales; this is just one simple example. When you design or make changes to your craft show booth, be sure to think through the ways that decisions about all three factors will impact each other.

I recently finished reading Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping by Paco Underhill. His company has studied the behavior of thousands of customers in many different settings, so I was hoping to find some new and interesting tidbits that could be applied to a craft business.

There are some books that are great to own, and there are others that are good to get on loan from the library. While there is interesting and useful information in Why We Buy, I’d say this book is a good book to borrow, and not necessarily a book you must have in your own library.

Here are a few quick tidbits that are described in more detail in the book:

What do shoppers love?
Touch
Mirrors
Discovery
Talking (stores that attract groups do well)
Recognition (being known and remembered by staff)
Bargains

What do shoppers hate?
Too many mirrors
Lines
Having to Ask Dumb Questions
Goods out of Stock
Obscure Price Tags
Poor Service

Among the interesting research findings presented in the book that you might apply to your craft displays are the following:

People slow down when they see a reflective surface.

People naturally reach right, so a good way to introduce a new product is to place it to the right of an established item.

If shoppers perceive an interesting item at the back of your store when they are standing at the front of your store (or booth) they will make their way back to the interesting item. Don’t make the back wall a “dead zone”; getting shoppers off the aisles and into your booth should be a big goal in your craft booth design.

Shoppers want to experience merchandise before they buy. Let them try and touch as much as possible. Money lost to damaged product that has been sampled or handled will be minimal compared with increased sales you’ll make as a result of letting customers experience your products.

It’s easier to sell up when products can be sampled. If a customer can feel the difference between your luxury body lotion and your basic body lotion, they can compare on factors other than price, and you’ll sell more of the luxury lotion.

A great display booth can have a huge impact on your business.

Once you’ve put all of your efforts, skills and creativity into creating a product that is unique and highly appealing to your target market, you might feel that you’re ready to hit the art and craft shows.

Not quite.

Your display booth can make a huge impact on your success. The difference between a mediocre craft show booth and a great craft booth can mean the difference between whether customers actually enter your booth to see your fantastic products or whether they walk on past. It can also mean the difference between whether you are even accepted into the best shows. When you apply to many of the most competitive art and craft shows, you’ll be required to submit a photo of your booth. If your display booth does not meet the standards of professionalism that are required by the show organizers, you may not be accepted into the best shows.

Developing a great craft show display requires good research so you understand what resources are available for creating your booth, what industry standards and expectations your display will need to meet, and what it takes to stand out among your competitors.

Smart planning will help you to ensure your booth is efficient and easily portable. If, for example, your booth must fit in a vehicle that has a seven foot long interior, using an eight foot long pole that’s not retractable as a part of your display just won’t do. A modular booth design will allow you to fit your craft show booth into a variety of configurations. Although 10×10 spaces are fairly standard, they are definitely not universal, so you’ll want a display that can change with your changing needs.

Understanding the expectations of your target customers will help you to create a booth that draws in customers. Consider what message and image you want to portray and how you will portray that message in your booth.

Having your trade show booth professionally designed may be well worth the money spent; it really depends on your goals for your business, your available cash, the types shows you are targeting, and your skills related to creating your own display. While it’s not the right solution for everyone, a professional design may be the most cost effective solution in the long run. You can save time and money by avoiding a lot of trial and error in your booth design, and you may bring in more customers and get into better shows with an exceptional booth.

Don’t underestimate the value of a well planned, well designed display booth. While a remarkable product should be the cornerstone of your craft business, an excellent presentation of that product can go a long way to building your success.

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