Holiday Shopping Fun at Fort Knox Bazaar!

[ChefShalon]

I am doing a Holiday Bazaar the first weekend in November. It is a huge event on Fort Knox with around 3000 in attendence. My plan so far is to offer free shipping to me, free gift wrap on $60 or more purchases, and 50% off direct shipping. I am just going to make the weekend a party and then when I get all the products have everyone pick the items up at the PX on post on a given date. Do you think people will take me up on that offer? Now as part of the event I do have to have Cash and Carry. So I have a good amount of products for that. But of course my main plan is to get bookings for before christmas by telling people "Image all the free products you will get and then you can give those away as christmas gifts!" I am also going to offer $20 in extra products free if they book their show within the next month and have atleast 450 in sales. Any other ideas? Should I make up some gift baskets? maybe have gift wraping there also on cash and carry items?

 

[NooraK]

Definitely have some gift ideas available. If you can have ready-to-go gifts, I would imagine those would go well. Are you doing the booth by yourself? If so, gift wrapping might take too much time, but having gift bags and tissue available that you could package the items in might work. I would definitely offer the "Pick up at the PX" offer. I've done that with a bazaar before (for a subdivision, pick up at the clubhouse where the event was), and that worked well. I've also done deliveries, but in my area customers can be kind of far flung. I don't know how on-Post deliveries would work though.

 

[wadesgirl]

Personally I don't offer anything special for events like this and people still order. Try to keep it as simple as possible - the items you may put together for cash and carry as a basket may not be the items they want to purchase.If you want to give away something, offer them a certain product or dollar amount for booking a party since that is really what you are looking for rather than free shipping for just placing an order.

 

[Dotty]

I don't think free shipping is an incentive to buy, just a nice thing if you are going to buy anyhow. So, I'd look for other kinds of incentives if you are looking to get people to make purchases. Maybe have a stack of season's best books and offer one to anyone who makes a catalog purchase over $60. If you have them out and have several season's to choose from, it will encourage people to browse over them and convince themselves to place an order for the products they want.

 

[ChefShalon]

Are you doing the booth by yourself? If so, gift wrapping might take too much time, but having gift bags and tissue available that you could package the items in might work.

I am having two people help me out. I always hate doing a booth and have too many people for me to handle then lose customers. The free gift wrap is for when people order. Then they can pick it up from me, I'm not doing any wrapping for cash and carry it would take to much time.

Dotty that sounds like a great idea with the free seasons best.