Are you planning to open a booth at a nearby swap meet or flea market? Every seasoned vendor knows staging is one of the biggest keys for a successful day of sales. Use this quick checklist to make sure your booth is staged to attract your target customer, hold their attention, and keep them coming back for more.
Is Your Location Visible from Multiple Walkways?
Choosing the right spot is perhaps the single most important decision you need to make when setting up a booth at a swap meet or flea market. If shoppers cannot find you, they will not be able to buy from you. Of course, the level of concern over visibility goes hand-in-hand with the size of the event. The larger the swap meet, the more critical it is to secure a corner booth space or one near the corners. ??While it may seem like everyone will walk through each row of goods, many swapmeet-goers have their favorite vendors in mind when they arrive. They will therefore likely head straight for those spaces with a well-thought-out strategy to avoid missing out on great deals. By setting up your booth near the corners of main walkways, you can use your inviting booth vibe to cause these experienced shoppers to linger a bit and, hopefully, add you to their list of top merchants to check out with each return visit.
Are Your Items Easy to Browse?
This may seem like an odd question. But, a cluttered inventory or a space that is poorly designed can turn off customers. On the other hand, a booth that offers a clean aesthetic with a trending theme, such as an industrial look with metal display cases, racks, and shelves that has been enhanced with warm lighting is more likely to draw the customer into your space. Moreover, by having a place for everything and everything in its place so-to-speak, your customers will be able to get a clear understanding of the items you sell so they know where to find what they need in those categories both that day and going forward.
Do You Have a Way to Entice Shopper to Stay Longer?
While many customers will be on the hunt for something specific and eager to continue to the next booth after browsing your inventory, some are using this time to enjoy a day out of the house. For leisure booth visitors, setting up a checkers table with a couple of chairs or serving up a hot beverage on a cold day or a cold beverage on a warm day may be great ways to both encourage more shopping and attract more attention to your booth. Just be sure to keep an eye on your return-on-investment to see if a small fee should be charged for these extra services in the happy event your welcoming approach entices more customers to visit your booth than anticipated.
Are Your Goals Realistic?
While a sale or multiple sales per customer would be nice, don’t worry if most customers do not make a purchase as they stop by. The goal is to get more foot traffic into your booth and introduce your business name to new faces who will soon spread the word to others to visit. Also, you want to leave your guests with a lasting impression of that friendly and knowledgeable retailer who can guide them to the best products for their needs when the right time arises. This way, the first-time visitors will return next time as loyal customers and continue to tell others they know. They may even leave positive reviews on your social media channels and follow you if you leave out your Instagram Nametag or QR code to scan.
Is it Easy to Make a Purchase?
When it comes time for a customer to make a purchase, you will likely want to have any copies of the displayed items pre-packaged and ready for safe transport. Then, going beyond attractive packaging and placement in your booth, your items must also be easy to pay for, especially for those who are not carrying cash. Digital sales methods like credit and debit cards, mobile wallet apps that let one pay with a watch or cell phone, or mobile money transfer apps like PayPal and Venmo are perfect for effortless transactions. However, too many choices can prove difficult to track and manage. Try selecting up to three methods of payment for starters. You can always add more as you grow your business.