This article is for anyone who wants to turn passing browsers into buyers when exhibiting and selling jewellery and crafts.
Every so often, it may be worth taking time out (and away from creating your items) to think about creative ways of displaying your designs.
Lets be honest no craft fair is ever short of jewellers so if you have managed to make it through the shortlist (many events will have a quota regarding the maximum number of jewellery stalls they will allow) then the next challenge will be to make your stall stand out from the competition then attract and convert buyers (basically get them to spend!).
Now there’s no out of the box winning formula, as you could have the best display but unless a customer buys into “you” and what you have to say, then the sale may never take place (but putting that aside) our experience has proven time and time again that paying attention to display really does pay.
To assist you, can see some of our favourite innovative ideas on our jewellery display ideas pinterest board.
In addition to having high impact displays we’ve pulled together our Top 10 Exhibiting & Display Tips below based on our experience of exhibiting over many years at everything from school fairs to large scale exhibitions.
1.) LOCATION, LOCATION ~ When you book an event, request to be opposite the entrance as you will be directly in customers line of sight as they enter the room. Also find out who else is attending and request to be next to a non competing stall who you anticipate will be as busy or even busier than you!.
2) IT’S IN THE EYES ~ It sounds obvious but making eye contact and smiling really does make a difference. You will be amazed how many crafters attend fairs and bring a book/kindle with them and then act surprised when there are no sales! Engage with your customers non verbally and the verbal will more than likely follow.
3) THIS DISPLAY SAYS??? ~ Think about what you want your display to say and make sure it aligns with your brand values. Basically what would you like customers to think when they see your display? ours was “WOW I want that” and on many occasions that’s exactly what they said.
4) ILLUMINATION ~ Use mirrors and lighting well. Jewellery look best in natural light so try and replicate that as much as possible. Make sure that crystals are given pride of place next to lighting and displaying items on a mirror provides an interesting feature as well as a practical one.
5. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT ~ Look around the home and see if there are non traditional items you could use in your display (the cheese grater above is one of our favourites). You could also try out different fabric colours for your table covering, as whilst the traditional black shows silver particularly well, you could invest in some stylish patterned fabric that could hang to cover the table legs and sides. We used stylish black and white, vibrant purple and at Christmas, crimson coloured crushed velvet, to add another dimension to our displays.
6. ENCOURAGE BROWSING – Vary the height of your displays and try and have a combination of eye level and flat-on-the-table pieces so that customers take their time to see everything. Remember customers will make up their minds within seconds so add as much interest and variety to keep them at your stall for longer.
7. MAKING AN IMPACT ~ Make sure you have some wow factor jewellery to grab attention. This may be items that you only have 1 or 2 of but they should be high impact and represent your best work. They may also serve as a conversation starter with customers. Also don’t take for granted that customers will know what they are looking at. Have signs that clearly define your categories (i.e. earrings, bracelets, necklaces etc) and make it really clear if something is made with premium metals like sterling silver, gold or platinum.
8. WHAT’S YOUR STORY ~ Not dissimilar from buying fine art, many customers want to know about the creator even if they don’t directly ask!. Make it easy for them by including a little summary about yourself as part of your display. It might contain your sources of inspiration, how you came to make jewellery and basically anything that makes the buyer understand you and why you do what you do. You may also want to make it clear if you offer any bespoke services (we used to offer whilst you wait services such as converting pierced earrings to clip ons).
9. BE PREPARED~ We’ve attended countless events where crafters were rushing around asking to borrow pieces of fabric, light bulbs, extension leads etc. Customers do notice little details such as if your fabric does not cover all of your table, so take time to research your events and find out details such as the table size, whether you’ll have access to lighting and how long you will have to set up. Ideally you should set up at home beforehand (so you know how long it takes you) but also take some photos so you can review your display with a fresh eye and even show them to friends and family to get their opinions.
10. BE YOU ~ Above all you should try and relax and enjoy the day. Your energy and how you feel is a massive factor in whether you’ll achieve a sale. Try and listen to positive music on the way to the event and keep that positivity with you at all times especially if sales are slower than expected. Don’t invest in your display without investing in yourself too, so enjoy the day whatever the outcome.
We hope you’ve found this article useful and feel to leave a comment below regarding your own experience.
Best wishes,
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