Nov 15, 2017

Why you can’t afford to miss Niche Fair

Coming to Cleveland on February 23-24, Niche Fair is a game-changer. It’s a new frontier in the world of maker-focused wholesale gift shows. But since we don’t expect you to just take our word for it, here are five reasons forward-thinking shopkeepers can’t afford to miss Niche Fair:

1. Consumers crave handmade, artisan products

As part of its $10 million Nicollet Mall store renovation, Target chose to focus on 11 local producers with its “Made in MN” shop-in-shop. The Bon-Ton Group has seen big returns placing handmade products by local artisans in its stores through the “Close to Home” initiative. These big box retailers are on the scent of a trend main street shopkeepers have known about for years: people want more than mass-produced merchandise.

2. Buyers pay more for local products

According to Consumer Reports, “Almost 8 in 10 American consumers say they would rather buy an American-made product than an imported one.” Even better? “More than 60 percent say they’re willing to pay 10 percent more for it.”

3. Products with stories sell

Marla Sandford, owner of the retail shops Yellow Dog Marketplace in Goodrich, MI and Little Yellow Dog in Holly, MI, is one shopkeeper who plans to attend Niche Fair.

Here’s why: “As a shopkeeper in this day and age of Amazon, you have to give customers an experience. If I can tell someone why I’m carrying a product, why it’s here, and what its story is, I’ve got a better shot at making the sale.” Long story, short: Buyers want locally-made, artisan products with a story attached.

You can find them at Niche Fair.

4. Niche Fair is the only gift show focused on independent makers and small-batch manufacturers

From the start, we knew Niche Fair had to do more than just pay lip service to independent makers. You won’t find aisles crowded with rep groups and importers here. Instead, we’re focusing entirely on a select, curated group of small batch manufacturers we believe the world deserves to see. Seventy-five percent of the merchants at Niche Fair don’t go to the big shows. Niche Fair is literally your only opportunity to connect with them (and with the competitive advantage their products provide).

5. Niche Fair offers world-class training opportunities for buyers and wholesalers

McKinsey data suggests that “US retail growth over the next five years will average 3 to 4 percent annually, well below the 5 to 7 percent yearly growth seen in the decade prior to the recession.” Smart retailers know that remaining competitive requires continually investing in their personal and professional growth. And since Niche Fair is committed to the success of all our attendees, we’re thrilled to present our series of affordably-priced training seminars, called The Spark.

Before the show opens Saturday, we’ll be joined by world-class trainers from Zingerman’s ZingTrain, Brandtabulous and SnapRetail, who will give you the branding, marketing and customer service tools needed to make 2018 your best year yet.

Early bird tickets to The Spark are available now at a discounted rate of $29.99. Along with the discounted $25 Early Bird Buyer Pass fee, it’s a small investment in exchange for the massive value of connecting with high-level industry experts and never-before-seen makers.

You simply can’t afford to miss Niche Fair, and we can’t wait to see you there! Reserve your Buyer Pass Now!.