Concerts and festivals are a great way of engaging potential customers and increasing sales. Read our blog to learn how to sell merchandise at local events
4 Tips For Selling Merchandise At Local Events
Marketing is one of the most important features of any successful enterprise. Every business should always look for ways of attracting new customers and retaining the current ones by regularly advertising their products. As an entrepreneur, there are many ways you can use to achieve get good results, which includes promotions and selling merchandise at a local event.
Apart from building your company name, selling branded items at a local event can also act as another source of revenue. Concerts, festivals, conventions, and other consumer events are ideal for such marketing strategies. Of course, you should be aware that how you plan your sales will determine the success of the whole process. This article discusses a few tips you should consider when trying to sell merchandise during the next local event.
1. Decide On The Right Merchandise To Sell
As mentioned earlier, not all products are a perfect match for every event. Before you start planning, you need to sit down and think of the expected attendees.
What merchandise are these people likely to be interested in? The items you sell should be relevant to the occasion. For example, most people attending a sports-related event will be fans of a specific team. Therefore, it would be wise to pack team jerseys, custom T-shirts, caps, and other themed sporty items that will let them show support for their favorite team.
You can also choose to sell an item that'll enhance the attendees' event experience. Drinks, food, and personal effects may be a great idea, especially if the coming event lasts for a few days. Once everything is in place, the biggest task you'll have ahead of you is making it more visible (and accessible) for your potential customers. (2)
2. Promote Your Items
No matter how good your products are, you'll always face competition during local events. The best way to overcome this is by letting people know about your products. Visual representation can go a long way in drawing the attention of the attendees.
Starting the process this early will help prepare the attendees both mentally and financially. On event day, set up booths at strategic locations where you’ll be selling your merchandise. You can put one at the entrance to capture the attention of potential buyers as soon as they get into the venue.
There are different ways to make sure the attendees will notice your presence. An effective, but affordable example is posting promotional materials via social media that'll captivate your audience and leave them yearning for what you have to offer. You can also start your marketing weeks or even a month prior to the local event.
You can also use the same channels to run contests that'll keep attendees and potential buyers interested. Send samples of your merchandise to the winners of these competitions. If you already have a contact list of confirmed attendees, you can also use that to further promote your products.
3. Decide On The Ideal Time To Sell Your Products
Another crucial factor to consider when preparing to sell merchandise is choosing when to sell your products. You can choose to start selling right away (even before the day of the event), when the event is at its peak, or even during the last days of a multi-day event.
If you posted promotional material on social media beforehand, you’re likely to attract the attention of more potential buyers even before the event starts. If that’s the case, you can take orders and promise to deliver them on the day of the event. Make sure you have stock reserved for early buyers so late claimers won’t end up empty-handed.
4. Bundle Your Item With Tickets
If you’re working with the event planner, you can use that opportunity to market your products. Have special event tickets that come bundled with your merchandise. This is a deal that many people would like to enjoy, which means there is a high chance that you’re going to make some sales from this strategy. (1)
Calculate the profits you’re targeting then see how much you can afford to cut from the actual price of your products. Once you have your math right, you can offer tickets at discounted prices for those who would like to take a ticket and merchandise as a package.
If your budget allows some more adjustments, you can plan to offer some free items for the first set of ticket buyers. Apart from enhancing the sale of tickets for the event itself, it’ll also help market your products and increase your chances of selling even more during the event.
Conclusion
Selling merchandise is one of the best ways to hype up a local event while also marketing your brand to potential customers. In addition, it can help you generate extra revenue for your business. For you to successfully implement this strategy, you’ll need to choose the right products, promote them, and decide on the right time to sell them.
References
- “5 Strategies for Selling Your Products at Fairs, Trade Shows, & Festivals”, Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/fairs-trade-shows-festivals
- “The Best Items To Sell In A Vendor Booth”, Source: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/items-sell-vendor-booth-81866.html
- “How To Use Events To Market Your Retail Store”, Source: https://smallbiztrends.com/2014/03/events-to-market-your-business-retail-store.html