In my experience this video points out one of the biggest differences between having daily contact with customers and not. When I had a shop and dealt directly with customers, I knew what they liked and shopped with them in mind. Booth sales are a puzzle and trying to come up with buyer personas is a good place to start. Our shop is small, so often the staff tells me a certain customer was in and bought this or that. Sometimes, I get lucky and meet them when I am fluffing the booth. This is my starting point. I had a huge number of books early on and people called me the book lady. So many early customers were readers. Then I introduced craft supplies and that attracted a different customer. Since I am the only one currently doing stickers , a teenager recently asked me if I am the sticker lady. 😊 So, I guess my current buyer personas are readers, crafters, and young people. But, that will change as my booth evolves.
Oops forgot their names 😊 My reader customer we will call Ron, retired teacher, scrutinizing the older books for first editions. Cathy Crafter, has young grandchildren and an overflowing craft room, but can’t resist a bargain. Shana, sticker collector, a bit shy let’s the sticker say what she is thinking. You can’t argue with a sticker, it just ignores you. 😊
I know Angry Mama's! :) Georgia girl here, too. Thanks for sharing your insight and knowledge with us. I can't wait to develop my personas! One of mine may be Fun Bobby. Any Friends fans remember him? He's going to be my vintage barware buyer. ;)
Thank you so much for this! I've tried using this strategy because I could see the utility of it, but couldn't really figure it out. You made it click for me. I'm so excited to have a new tool to use.
This was great. I have mostly the same 3 people. My local person has a western vibe since I live in Texas. This is really going to help me curb my desire to buy those things I love but is not something my buyer is likely to purchase.
Lonely Lola loves cats and comfort. She's single and loves buying for her friends, coworkers, nieces, nephews, and faithful feline companion. She loves buying anything that's fluffy, smells and tastes great, (especially gourmet) and entertaining. She's a thoughtful gift giver. She's all about relaxation. So blankets, books, chocolate, tea, lotions, soaps, aromatherapy, cards, candles, and anything cat related: she's on board.
Love it! This makes total sense. My vendor mall opens on November 1st, 2023 - in like 2 days! We are small with only 7 vendor spots but we also live in a small town, with several antique malls. I'm going in today to revamp my space before we open! MCM with records, barware, and figurines... Boho with macrame, baskets, colored glass, and brass, and Asian with vases, figurines, and artwork. Let's see if I can get this done in 2 days! Thanks for the great advice!
I used to work for a well-known candle retailer and we had our target customer whom we referred to as "Lisa". You have to know your market and have some sort of focus. I was never a fan of having something for everyone in one booth. Seems like an impossible feat that just ends up looking like a disorganized mess.
I think this is a great strategy, but there is no way I can replace my entire booth inventory. I feel like my booths evolve over time. Currently I can’t do anything except work through my hoard of back stock. But even that is ok because my past three months have been better than normal.
I don't know if this is something you would consider, but I am going to have a yard sale with the items that don't fit my aesthetic. I won't make as much profit, but it will clean out the items I don't want in my booth, and I won't lose a bunch of money in the process.
@@chandaharkins4418 That is a good idea. Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately I live in a condo and cannot have yard sales. Also I have over 2000 items. I don’t think it would be feasible to just take it all out at once.
Watch more of our series on starting a vintage booth: ua-cam.com/play/PLnVGroWB36PaFG-jzk1Q_iqB6X9MyJxb6.html
In my experience this video points out one of the biggest differences between having daily contact with customers and not. When I had a shop and dealt directly with customers, I knew what they liked and shopped with them in mind. Booth sales are a puzzle and trying to come up with buyer personas is a good place to start. Our shop is small, so often the staff tells me a certain customer was in and bought this or that. Sometimes, I get lucky and meet them when I am fluffing the booth. This is my starting point. I had a huge number of books early on and people called me the book lady. So many early customers were readers. Then I introduced craft supplies and that attracted a different customer. Since I am the only one currently doing stickers , a teenager recently asked me if I am the sticker lady. 😊 So, I guess my current buyer personas are readers, crafters, and young people. But, that will change as my booth evolves.
Oops forgot their names 😊 My reader customer we will call Ron, retired teacher, scrutinizing the older books for first editions. Cathy Crafter, has young grandchildren and an overflowing craft room, but can’t resist a bargain. Shana, sticker collector, a bit shy let’s the sticker say what she is thinking. You can’t argue with a sticker, it just ignores you. 😊
Yes! It’s really a guessing game, and always changing. Your experience has helped me so much!!
I know Angry Mama's! :) Georgia girl here, too. Thanks for sharing your insight and knowledge with us. I can't wait to develop my personas! One of mine may be Fun Bobby. Any Friends fans remember him? He's going to be my vintage barware buyer. ;)
FUN BOBBY!!!😆 Yes, of course. He crosses my mind way too often. Sorry, I missed your comment before.
Thank you so much for this! I've tried using this strategy because I could see the utility of it, but couldn't really figure it out. You made it click for me. I'm so excited to have a new tool to use.
This was great. I have mostly the same 3 people. My local person has a western vibe since I live in Texas. This is really going to help me curb my desire to buy those things I love but is not something my buyer is likely to purchase.
Lonely Lola loves cats and comfort. She's single and loves buying for her friends, coworkers, nieces, nephews, and faithful feline companion.
She loves buying anything that's fluffy, smells and tastes great, (especially gourmet) and entertaining.
She's a thoughtful gift giver.
She's all about relaxation.
So blankets, books, chocolate, tea, lotions, soaps, aromatherapy, cards, candles, and anything cat related: she's on board.
Love it! This makes total sense. My vendor mall opens on November 1st, 2023 - in like 2 days! We are small with only 7 vendor spots but we also live in a small town, with several antique malls. I'm going in today to revamp my space before we open! MCM with records, barware, and figurines... Boho with macrame, baskets, colored glass, and brass, and Asian with vases, figurines, and artwork. Let's see if I can get this done in 2 days! Thanks for the great advice!
I live near Fallingwater
I used to work for a well-known candle retailer and we had our target customer whom we referred to as "Lisa". You have to know your market and have some sort of focus. I was never a fan of having something for everyone in one booth. Seems like an impossible feat that just ends up looking like a disorganized mess.
I think this is a great strategy, but there is no way I can replace my entire booth inventory. I feel like my booths evolve over time. Currently I can’t do anything except work through my hoard of back stock. But even that is ok because my past three months have been better than normal.
I don't know if this is something you would consider, but I am going to have a yard sale with the items that don't fit my aesthetic. I won't make as much profit, but it will clean out the items I don't want in my booth, and I won't lose a bunch of money in the process.
@@chandaharkins4418 That is a good idea. Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately I live in a condo and cannot have yard sales. Also I have over 2000 items. I don’t think it would be feasible to just take it all out at once.