Building a Great Shopping Experience

Post by Jerry Reynolds

Every single show I seem to ask myself the same question, “how do I create the best buying experience possible?”  It is human nature to initially judge products based on how they are displayed, the packaging the product comes in, and the person representing those products.

When building your display, it can be challenging to pair ease of setup with the aesthetic that meets your brand.  However, there are a few things that we can do to provide a great buying experience without needing several people to set up or breaking the bank.

Attention

Getting people into your booth should be the number 1 focus.  My display happens to be built with Barnwood and farmhouse decor.  Others have simpler displays, but the real key is to use your display as a way to attract people to you.

One way to accomplish that goal is by making sure everything coordinates.  What we are trying to avoid is communicating that we showed up to the show without putting any thought into our storefront.  

So whether it's elaborate or simple and cute, use your display as a way to catch people's eyes.  Give them a reason to pause when they walk by and wonder what interesting treasures they might find.

Accessibility

We want to make our display accessible.  We can think about this as lakefront property.  The more access we have to the water, the more endless the possibilities.  

Because we are limited in our space, striving to create a display that gives more people the opportunity to shop at one time is best.  This means creating flow.  If people walk into your booth, having a barrier like a table across the front turns people away.  So using the perimeter space inside your booth opens up flow for people to easily get in and out without feeling trapped.  

Having walls is also a great way to control the buying experience.  Even if we are only displaying items on the front portion of our display, having walls allows you to set your display back from the edge of your booth.  It differentiates from the booths next to you to create your own little environment that feels more intimate. It also helps to clearly define your products and your brand from your neighbors which are often vastly different from your own.

Layers

One of the most important things to avoid is piles of stuff on tables or so many things hanging on the outside edge of your display that people can’t see all the great stuff inside.

This is where layers in your display become incredibly useful.  Your space may only be 10x10 but you can nearly triple your usable space by also displaying items vertically by having 3 shelves or levels of product for example.  We are not going for uniformity necessarily but finding ways to better organize products that give you a better chance to showcase each item is a fantastic way to appeal to someone's visual and spacial senses.

Ultimately, shows and holiday markets are about putting our best foot forward.  We work so hard creating our products, so finding fun ways to show them off is a great goal.  

When it comes to our display, not everything needs to be fancy.  Not everything needs to be new.  The goal should simply be to make it appear as if we have thought about the customer experience.  It is a very useful tool in marketing.  

When 1000’s of people come to a show looking for reasons to spend their money on handmade crafts, having a great display gives them a fantastic reason to come explore what you have to offer.