Increase sales through your Christmas Markets
1. Are your products ‘giftable’?
Think about who might wish to buy your particular product and why. More so than at any other time of the year, visitors are shopping for gifts.
Think about your packaging – often shoppers are looking for items which are packaged nicely ready for gifting.
If you have attractive packaging, make sure this is on show as part of your display.
You may also wish to think about offering a free gift wrapping service – the addition of a simple ribbon can make all the difference.
2. Special ‘market only’ offers
While it’s important to keep your pricing consistent, special market day discounts on one or two lines can be persuasive for consumers. This is commonly done when selling cards – eg. £2.50 each or 5 for £10.
Another option may be to package up two or three products into a gift pack which includes a discount.
Make sure items are clearly priced – ambiguity can be off putting.
A ‘sample sale’ box can also be useful for drawing in customers – everyone loves a bargain!
3. Promotional codes for online sales
A market stall provides a useful opportunity for handing out business cards. This often leads to a spike in online sales after the event!
Think about getting a special batch of business cards printed with a unique discount or free postage code. This means that you can track customers who discovered your online shop via the event.
If you are concerned about giving out too many discount codes, you could limit these to customers who actually buy from your stall. This may encourage them to visit your online shop to make further purchases or to pass the code onto a friend. Consumers love to tell their friends about the amazing handmade products made by friendly artists, discovered at a local market.
4. Display a portfolio of your work
Market stalls often provide a limited amount of space for displaying products.
Focusing on ‘giftable’ items on your stall may mean that you choose not to display your full collection. If you have more to show off, think about including a portfolio of work at your stall. This can be done digitally, for example, with an ipad which flicks through images of other work. Alternatively, you could include a book with pictures for customers to look through.
If you offer commissions or personalisation, include a sign as part of your display to advertise this.
5. Tell your audience where to find you
Use your mailing list and social media channels to let your customers and followers know where they can find you during the Christmas market season. The easiest people to sell to are those who have bought your work previously and they will love receiving a personalised invitation to attend.
You could offer a discount code to those on your mailing list who pay a visit to your market stall (eg. ask them to say a specific word or phrase when making a purchase at your stall in order to qualify for the discount).
