The New Year marks the beginning of many things: a fresh start, the chance to reset your quarterly goals, and the kickoff of another trade show season.
Trade shows are crucial for seeking out new business, showcasing new products, and reconnecting with current customers. Whether you love them or hate them, trade shows are a necessary addition to your wholesale strategy and should be treated as a string of opportunities to boost your bottom line.
There’s more that goes into a trade show than money, time and showing up. Follow these trade show do’s and don’ts to ensure you have a successful market season:
Trade Show Do's
Prepare to be collaborative and flexible with your pitch
Go in understanding your retailers' customer profiles and price sensitivities, your margin builders and mark-down allowance, and specific marketing support you can provide to boost sell-through.
Know your product segments like the back of your hand
Which products are ideal for eye-catching “window pieces” or digital campaigns? Must-have staples? Entry-level SKUs for new accounts? Segmentation is one of the keys to a successful show.
Impress buyers with a flawless ordering flow
No one likes playing cat-and-mouse. Book meetings ahead of time and tease your line with custom catalog previews. Collect paperless orders and follow-up on the spot with detailed photos and notes.
Trade Show Don'ts
Don't let buyers walk away with all the meeting notes
It'll be difficult to follow-up effectively if the buyer leaves with all the notes. Instead, use a collaborative tool that can track notes and tie to specific items, delivery dates, stores/channels, etc.
Don't assume all buyers want similar assortments
Brands must proactively match product to customer preferences. Use every tool possible to personalize your offer, even considering custom products, private labeling, exclusives and/or special co-ops.
Don't forget the power of historical data and relationships
Repeat customers spend 67% more than new ones, and bread-and-butter products are a goldmine: best-sellers are evergreen. Show which previous buys have moved well to capture more reorders.
To learn how NuORDER can improve your trade show experience, request a demo or reach out to your account manager today.
