<\/p>\n

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First off, let\u2019s review the basics of exhibiting. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to get adventurous with your display to generate a bit of a buzz, as long as the use of colours and props does not compete with your jewellery, and the end result is uniquely reflective of your style. You can test this by stepping as far away from your mock-up display as possible and noting what stands out. Make sure your jewellery is properly lit and consider bringing additional cabled lights (and possibly battery-powered backup lights) in case the standard lighting supplied with your stand does not do it justice. Your jewellery selection should be freshly cleaned and polished, and completely representative of your brand.<\/p>\n

Consistency creates trust. Retailers are looking for repeatable quality. If your stand\u2019s branding and overall look does not correspond with your online presence, your business card or your packaging, they may get the subconscious impression that you\u2019re not consistent in your work either. Make sure you\u2019ve got enough printed materials like business cards at the ready, and that all digital platforms have been updated accordingly \u2013 they will most certainly research potential suppliers online.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s dig into some tips around how to maximise your chances of landing that ideal retail client:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Assuming you\u2019ve already had a good look at your profit margins and efficiencies and concluded that venturing into wholesale would be a good fit for your business, the first step is deciding which retailers you\u2019d love to supply. Are you willing to make-to-order for middle-of-the-road tastes or are you holding out for a retailer that will totally understand your art and buy the designs that you\u2019re most passionate about making? Select a few of your designs that fit these brands and that you know you can produce quickly and in bulk.<\/p>\n

Research these stores as well as the jewellery brands they already stock. What do you have in common with these competitors? What could you offer that they don\u2019t? Have a short introductory sentence prepared to quickly summarise why your brand would be a great product to stock, and then contact each retailer to see if they\u2019ll be attending Jewellex and whether they\u2019d be willing to schedule a specific meeting time with you.<\/p>\n

Consider all aspects of working with these stores – would you prefer your pieces be sold in your own packaging or in their branded packaging? Do you have order forms ready to go, or can you create these very quickly? It\u2019s advisable to have your professional product shots on a white background for these. Have you considered how you would allocate responsibility for shipping fees, damaged goods, exchanges or refunds?<\/p>\n

During the expo:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\n
• If you\u2019d rather not display prices on your items, you should at least be able to immediately state what each piece would cost (at a variety of wholesale quantities) when chatting to a potential retail client, and have a minimum viable order in mind. Retailers need to know that you\u2019ve diligently crunched your numbers and that you know what you can confidently deliver on their bulk orders at lower prices than you\u2019d normally sell an individual item for.<\/li>\n
• Ask fellow exhibitors if they\u2019d be willing to chat to you about their experience with retailers, even if it\u2019s just to give you a ballpark figure on how much time you can expect to spend on communication and admin related tasks for them.<\/li>\n
• If you get a definite no from a retailer at the expo, ask if they\u2019d be willing to let you know why they don\u2019t consider you a good fit for their store. Listen with an open mind and thank them for their time.<\/li>\n
• If you\u2019re an introvert, or accustomed to working alone from your bench, you\u2019ll probably need to be more outgoing than usual. We\u2019re not suggesting you get loud or pushy, but this is your opportunity to make connections with potential buyers and the constant interaction during the day may require more energy than you normally spend. Try to ensure you have before- and after-show downtime scheduled so that you\u2019re at your best every day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

   <\/p>\n

  <\/p>\n

  Best of luck landing your dream retailer and enjoying that valuable exposure, validation and consistent income! The hard work really starts once you\u2019ve secured that order, so make sure you have all the resources in place. If this article helped you, we\u2019d love to <\/strong>hear about it<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[329],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4025"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4025"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4034,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4025\/revisions\/4034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}