Can you bring too many pens to a show?

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Jjartwood

Jjartwood

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Joined
Jan 30, 2011
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Location
Chicopee,Ma
This is my 3rd year of shows and I'm thinking about the number of pens to display.
My inventory runs about 250 to 300 ranging from $40 to $300,I can't help thinking that too many choices in a given price range causes the" I have to think about it " syndrome and as a result while their thinking about it they(the customer) either stand in the tent for a long time or leave and won't get back to get their pen.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,I am also trying to give my tent/both a little more of an upscale look (and no that does not mean I will stand outside) and I'm wondering if too many pens are possible.
Thanks
Mark
 
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It's accourding to how they are displayed. When I did shows I had 6 displays that would hold 44 pens each but I displayed the pens in every other slot so as not to look "overwhelming" and one tall case that I put my highest end pens in and it had 12-16 pens in it , so I showed at the most 148 pens at a time, I had the same number of pens as back stock so I always carried 300 pens to each show.
 
We normally take 1,000-1,500 items to a show unless we are doing two shows on the same weekend, then we take 500-750 to each show.

Depending on the show set up we display 300-400 items, restocking the display area as needed. I believe that puts us on the high end of the "how many items should be on display" advice that you will receive here, but it is about average for the 4-5 direct competitors that we see most often at shows.

There is a difference between full and cluttered. Our experience is that a full display with merchandise laid out in a variety of methods, will ultimately bring in more sales than a more spare display. I would not argue that a more limited display is more classy, more elegant, and more upscale. But we don't go to shows to win best booth awards, we go to sell.

As always, your experience may vary.
 
Mark; I agree with Rick. You can never take to many pens to a show. But I think you can have to many pens on display. In my show last week I had 300+ items on my table. Every so often I get out in front of my display, and look it over to see if any thing could be changed. I know all the pens that are out there, but it still would take me a long time to look at each and every one, much more if I looked for the details of each one. I think you need different levels of elevation, some props to hold special pens, proper lighting to highlite grain and texture, a little signage, and the Cobra helps draw people to the table as well. If there are younger children present, a little candy spread around never hurts. After looking at my display and Dean's ( Alphageek ) I think that less is more, but I was showing, not there to sell. And as Rick said, if someone asks for something other than what is on your display, it's always nice to be able to pull it out of a case from under the table. Jim S
 
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I display less than 100. I have seen another display that I really favor, just have not had time to execute. But it will have about 12-16 pens displays in a glass case and and drawer underneath with similar pens in it. I would have 4-6 setup like this.

Phil
 
As several have said, I think you can display too many... I don't do near as many pens as I once did, concentrating on other turnings now, but I still have a pretty good pen display, plus I'm selling a friend's pens on consignment... his inventory runs close to 150-170 pens and I have about 20 or 30.... I have a display rack that holds about 50 pens... I only display what the rack will hold, varying the display each week (I do a weekly market in downtown Knoxville, and have a lot of the same crowd every week so it's good to have the change up)... same with my bowls, pepper mills and wine glasses.... I don't display all of them, so as to keep the displays from being too cluttered and to vary the merchandise from weekend to weekend.
 
Ever been car shopping? You go to the "big" guy and he has 100s of the SAME car with only minor differences in "extra equipment". It can get overwhelming for the buyer... I want this color, with the options on the other color, but different wheels, AND the bigger motor. THEN, after looking at ALL of the different configurations, they DON'T have exactly the configuration that you know MUST BE AVAILABLE, but you have to order it. That can get frustrating.

OR, go the the little guy who has a few cars in all of the colors with the options that most people want. You say "I like the blue one, but I want it with a different motor". The dealer says, yes, "when do you want it". He then goes into the dealer network and gets you car from another dealer. You've seen the blue one and test drive the bigger motor.

I usually buy from the "little guy", but that's just me. I know what I want, the dealer knows where to get it. I don't have to look at ALL of the cars that appear just alike.

I LIKE having fewer choices to "sort through", but I like the ability to get exactly what I want without all the looking.

I try to approach pens the same way. Fewer choices, but the ability to deliver exactly what the customer wants.....quickly. I found that THESE BUYERS count for a VERY BIG SHARE of my repeat business customers.

Respectfully submitted....and your business model may be different.
 
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