Display Tips for Jewelry Shows

This weekend, my family and I stopped by the St. Ann's Annual Carnival/Festival. This year, there were 2 large tents with vendors. I was amazed at the "quality" difference at the various booths with very comparable merchandise.

It is important when you do any jewelry show (festival, retail, wholesale or private trunk show) that your "booth" or "table" does NOT have a flea market(messy and unorganized) look; it will hurt your sales because people will assume it's cheap/junk and either not bother to look or think the jewelry is overpriced.

There are several different ways you can approach how you display your handcrafted jewelry art so it looks professional:

• Color group your jewelry (neutral, dark, color) so it looks like a cohesive collection
• Group your jewelry by style /technique (classic, funky, modern or wire wrap, chainmaille, simple beading)
  
• Group your jewelry by "design" (earrings, necklaces, bracelets)

Use your creative juices to come up with "creative display props" that will fit how you've approached your display. Hobby Lobby ,Garden Ridge and even the Dollar Store are fantastic places to scout out inexpensive display props. One of my favorite displays is a wooden cigar box that I decoupaged with "antique looking" scrapbook papers; I fill it with earrings in little Ziploc bags with my business card and keep it by the "checkout" area for impulse buyers. More often than not, while I'm ringing up their sale they rummage through my mini trunk and "add" to their original purchase.

Get your jewelry up and off the table. Your customers shouldn't have to bend over to examine any piece.

Lighting, lighting, lighting. Make sure your jewelry is well lit. At outdoor festivals or when no electricity is available, maximize the natural light that is available by using "lighter colored displays".

PPP. Practice. Practice. Practice. Set up your jewelry display at home before you go to a show. Yes, I know it is a lot of work but stand back take a look. Can you see all the jewelry? If not, can you vary the height of your displays so you can. Is the display balanced? If one area is "heavier with more jewelry", consider how you can spread that out so the customer's eye doesn't stop...you want them to be able to see all the jewelry clearly and to be drawn across the display.

Label. IMHO, it is important to label items clearly with information and pricing. I include the materials the design is made from, the "inspiration/story" behind the design, care and of course the price. Many customers thank me because they love a stone but can't remember the name and want to be able to tell others.

Keep in touch. Have promotional items like biz card, flyer's, biz info , etc on hand to share with anyone who stops at your booth. Also, always ask if they would like to be kept updated about new designs, sales or your trunk show schedule. Would you believe one of my best customers originally wasn't a paying customer? Julie met me at an outdoor festival and kept my card even though she didn't buy anything. At my next trunk show , she bought a $15 ring and got so many compliments that she arranged a private trunk show at her office for me. I've also been requested to hold other trunk shows and made custom jewelry as a result of her referrals!! Just keep that in mind....:)

If you also have some display tips you would like to share, please leave a comment so we all can learn!