Hanging on
Last weekend I blogged, it was a catch-up and also talking about events that I had coming up, I’ve had two of those now, and I’ve spent the weekend thinking about one of them in particular.
You can’t stop change, there are always things beyond your control, things that are driven by circumstances, situations that you cannot even influence, so what happens when you wait and wait for change to happen, how long is enough?
I didn’t sell anything on Saturday at the Monthly Market, John sold one card, I’m sure that it doesn’t take a genius to work out that we didn’t break even.
We share a table to minimise the risk, and Saturday was our seventh market, and only three of the seven times have I sold enough to cover the cost of the table. There have now been two times when combined we have not covered the cost. I’m not moaning, I’m trying to decide what we and I should be doing, if doing a regular market is the right thing, or if we are flogging a dead horse?
My question is, where do you want to buy designer/maker handmade items? Do you want to buy online, or at a regular event, or do you rather visit independent shops and galleries?
Also, do you feel that items such as mine should be seen in an environment where they are not diluted by mass-produced items? So many questions, you can see why I’ve been pondering this! I know that I have not looked after my online stores as I should have, and I have to make time for them. Time is now becoming part of this, when you spend a day ‘out’ and sell nothing, you aren’t just losing the cost of the stand, you are losing much more.
Any feedback would be much appreciated!
Jo
7th May 2018 @ 7:30 pm
It’s a tough market and frustrating when you make a high quality individual product and there are no sales. It takes a lot of resilience to keep at it. I often find that the people who go to a market such as yours are the people who enjoy making things themselves and are being nosey at what is out there. Their thought might be , I can make that, rather than I will buy that. If I were looking for a gift, and you work would make a good gift, my thought would probably to come to a market or a gallery shop. I rarely buy that sort of thing online, I like to handle it first. I don’t really know much about your range, other than the purses you make. There would only be a limited number of times a year that I might purchase one for a friend. I think your range is stylish and good to see it as gender neutral. Hope that makes sense, . Cheers. Jo
Linda Hasking
14th May 2018 @ 8:40 am
The stall that you and John share looks beautiful and is full of delightful things. I think Jo makes some good points about whether people are at a market for inspiration or to buy. I also think that a market would be seen as a ‘destination shopping experience’. We are told this is the way that retail is heading and that even high street shops need to have a great shopping experience to attract people back from the internet. I fear that people come to these events for the experience, and not specifically to shop. They are on an outing and cake and coffee may be top of the agenda.
Those stallholders that sell items that are needed daily, or weekly, like foodstuffs, and clothing, especially if low cost, are still doing well. Those that attract collectors also seem to thrive, as they have repeat customers. Gift buying is occasional and those who look for lovely handmade gifts like yours are often looking to change it up on a regular basis, so may buy from you once and then look for something equally lovely, but quite different another time.
This means that if one is selling to a small part of the audience at each event, and not repeat selling, needing to be seen by far more people than one can hope to at a single market perhaps, to make sustainable levels of sales. I guess a bigger mix of events could be the solution then. The internet brings this, of course, if the platform is right.
I think self-gifting is a little different though and if you can attract shoppers who are treating themselves and build loyalty to your brand that may well be the way forwards. I’ve seen this in action with other small, but growing, businesses and most effectively when there is a themed collection. You have that potential, I know, but where to find your loyal buyer. That’s another question.