While we have been on the topic of booth design, I feel the subject of effective merchandising needs to be addressed. Merchandising and booth display needs to go hand in hand.
Question 4 – What is merchandising and what are some effective merchandising techniques?
Merchandising is a common term used in the retail business. It is all about the way the merchandise is presented to maximize visibility and accessibility. Poor merchandising can wreck even the best booth displays. Some examples of poor merchandising includes piling items on top of another either in a bin or on a flat table, poor lighting, work displayed too high or low, too much visual noise, and dirty or unorganized displays. A customer, who has never seen your work before, will judge your work by the way it is displayed well before they even really look at your work. Take off the rose colored glasses and ask yourself what is going on in my booth when people enter it? If they are only staying in the booth for under thirty seconds, you may want to explore new ways of displaying your work differently.
For great merchandising to occur, there are two basic elements to follow: simplicity and organization/neatness. Look in print ads or even specialty gift shops and you'll see these elements. Simplicity is all about displaying one's work where the product is the only thing people see, nothing else. To achieve simplicity in a booth, some ideas include using clear acrylic risers, stacked crates, garment racks, good signage, and minimal use of furniture. If your booth requires the use of tables, raise them up to become counters. The use of clear acrylic risers, leg extenders, crates or table topper displays are very effective as well. Garment racks or waterfall grid wall displays provide a perfect way to show off knitted sweaters, scarves, even purses.
In most cases, you only have a 10x10 space – not much room for an elaborate display, so don't force it! Customers should feel as if they are in a boutique or gallery, not a flea market, when they approach your booth. Not only will a cluttered display limit the amount of customers in your booth at one time, but prevent them from wanting to touch items for fear of breakage too. You want people to touch your work. They will more likely buy it if they do. Items displayed well will encourage a touch response and, for a one-two punch, put your price labels on the bottom or back of your craft work. This will force customers to touch and notice the craftsmanship that goes into your work making for an easier way to sell your work, right?
Signage, such as simply made small signs - 3x5 index cards or smaller with short phrases, will romance a customer. Signs can include the story of the item such as materials used in making it (wood turners take note), name of the piece and price, testimonials, or reasons why people buy should buy a particular piece of art. For example, a note stating “our best seller” is very attractive to customer who cannot make up their mind.
The next question in the series will focus on lighting, flooring, and canopies – oh my. As we progress, through this series, we'll begin tackling questions focusing on product development – including pricing ones work, customer service techniques, marketing your work before, during and after art fairs, and so much more. Do you have additional questions regarding merchandising? Leave a comment or email me at mksholund@gmail.com and I will personally respond! - Michelle Sholund
