“I drove 300 miles to get here after having worked a 14-hour shift,” said Beverly as she shopped at the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington, Texas. “Nothing could keep me from coming.” And she is one serious scrapper: Beverly is a federal prison guard who drove directly to Arlington after a long workday that included a headlining prison riot. Her total purchase at Hot Off The Press’ booth? Nearly $200.00!

Beverly was just one of the 10,000 dedicated consumers who traveled to the show for three days of shopping and cropping. The crowd also included internet groups and scrapbooking clubs who meet regularly (in person or online) then gather at the convention to socialize, scrapbook, take classes and shop!

Dedicated consumers like these are motivating independent retailers to exhibit at scrapbook shows. Sales and regional exposure are two of the pros to exhibiting—but scrapbook shows also offer unique opportunities for retailers to gain valuable market research, to network and to learn about new products.

Market Research

Each consumer convention typically brings in anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 attendees for the weekend; this kind of market research opportunity is a boon to retailers. One savvy Texas retailer made the most of this chance at a recent scrapbook show. The store organized group packages and a bus ride for nearly 50 loyal customers. Each “junior buyer” was equipped with a notepad and pencil and asked to report on the new products they’d like to see in the store. The show gave the store a chance to look for new products, and build customer loyalty!

The same is true for manufacturers such as Hot Off The Press, who exhibit at scrapbook shows around the country for market research information. Listening to scrappers‚ requests, comments and suggestions helps manufacturers with product development, marketing and advertising. Manufacturers who exhibit at consumer shows are forging a bond with the consumer to establish the company’s name, product and personality—all things that will help retailers! Exhibiting manufacturers sell in order to interact with the consumer, to gauge her reaction to a product, to answer questions and to listen to her suggestions.

“We created our Paper Pizazz® line of collage papers after the success of our Collage Papers book at a consumer show,” says Hot Off The Press President Paulette Jarvey. Hot Off The Press also created the series of “mixing” patterned paper collections based on the response to their consumer show classes on coordinating patterned papers. “Our consumer feedback taught us that scrappers were intimidated by the idea of mixing and matching patterns,” says Jarvey. “They didn’t know how to pick and choose patterns that went together. So we decided to make it easy by creating collections that did the work for them and guaranteed a color, style and pattern coordination.”

Exposure

Consumer shows generate valuable exposure for retailers. Potential customers may be just 15 minutes from your store and not know it exists—until they see your booth or pick up a flier at a show.

Scrapbook shows provide retailers with options for spreading the word about their store—even if they don’t exhibit. Show guides, given to every consumer attendee, are a prime example. Show guides typically list all the scrapbook stores (name, address, phone number and any special discounts or promotions you want to offer attendees) within a certain radius of the show’s location. Retailers also have the option of advertising in the show guide.

Great American, like many other scrapbook conventions, has a large table in the front hallway where scrappers can pick up information about area stores: fliers with store directions, class schedules and information about upcoming promotional events. You can provide consumers with coupons for 10% off if they stop in at your store on their way home from the show. Or have bags pre-printed with your store name and enjoy the free advertising when you see consumers carrying the bags around the show. Follow up on the promotion by offering your customer a discount when she brings the bag into your store. Give customers an incentive for visiting your store! (And be sure you have plenty of fliers with directions!)

New Product Information

Consumer shows are a great opportunity for both manufacturers and retailers who didn’t attend the major trade shows to meet and connect. It’s also a great opportunity for retailers to see how manufacturers merchandise their product—and find out if they offer racks, headers or other marketing assistance.

Product Testing

Thinking about bringing in a new product line to your store? Wish you could be sure it will sell before placing a large order? A show can be a great place to test-market new products. Buy wide, but don’t buy deep: purchase the minimum number of many items in the line. Then see how it goes! If it sells out, you know you’ve got a winner. If it doesn’t, consider the circumstances before you declare it a dud. Did you have it properly displayed? Was there signage, or sample projects for consumers to see? Was it tucked away in the corner of the booth? If you promoted the line as well as you could and it still didn’t sell, then you’ve saved yourself money and excess inventory!

Know Your Niche

What other products should you fill your booth with? First, know your niche. Is your store known for a great paper selection? A source for stickers? The place for embellishments? Promote your store as THE destination for this category, focusing your inventory on just a few of your key items. Retailers advise you to order stock specifically for the show rather than simply bringing your store inventory. Consumers shop the show for the newest product and they will be disappointed if your booth is stocked with the same merchandise as your store! (After all, most shows charge a $5.00-$10.00 entry fee.)

Instead, bring your larger, more expensive merchandise—cropping bags, organizers, kits, and regionally unique products. Remember, bulk papers and rolls of stickers will get handled much more during a convention than in your store!

Networking

Some store owners worry about manufacturers selling at consumer shows. Instead, choose to plan your booth inventory based on who is exhibiting at the show. By calling manufacturers beforehand, you can find out what products they’re bringing, then stock different items. If you discover that some of your favorite suppliers are not exhibiting, contact the manufacturer and negotiate to promote your store as a preferred vendor, stocking their product in your booth in exchange for signage or display items.

Don’t forget that manufacturers’ presence is a great opportunity to meet them face to face. Ask them about their best-selling items from the show. Watch the consumers shopping in the booth—what are they buying, and what product do you need to carry?

Classes

Want great new class ideas for your store? Scrapbook conventions pride themselves on offering a range of classes, usually taught by manufacturers. Hot Off The Press instructor Melanie Aust teaches five different classes at almost 20 different conventions each year, promoting the newest products and designer techniques. Sign up for Melanie’s classes for hands-on experience with Hot Off The Press’ templates, patterned paper collections, cut-outs and techniques. The projects are developed just for the convention—and we encourage you to teach them in your own store!