How do you get people to stop and shop in your booth versus walking past it or quickly browsing and moving on?
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could be a fly on the wall at your antique mall for an entire day? Imagine what you might learn about your customers by watching them and hearing what they have to say (or think)!
Visualize watching a customer enter the antique mall and walk down an aisle. They browse from left to right, checking out the booths and deciding which one they want to enter. They make their way towards your booth and walk inside. They look around a little, admiring your trendy color palette and your beautifully curated displays.
They pick up a small item, examine it, look at the price, and then put it back down. They give the booth one last look-over, and then they walk out and on to the next booth. In less than 5 minutes, your customer has come and gone, empty-handed. So, what gives?
Within less than 5 minutes, your customer has come and gone, empty handed. So, what gives?
The million dollar question here is, “What can we do to entice customers to stay in our booths and shop longer, and ultimately buy something?” Rather than philosophize with you and give you the full “retail 101” haha , I thought I’d share with you some of the most creative ideas that I have ever seen dealers do. These are 5 wonderful ideas that you can try right now—and they may be game-changers for you.
1. I saw the sign!
In one booth I visited, the dealer placed large, type-written signs throughout her booth to engage, inform, and interact with her customers. Some examples of the signs in the antique booth said:
- “Do you remember these?”
- “This is a working machine. Try me!”
- “Got questions? Need help with a treasure hunt? Find me at (social media handle)!”
She also typed up descriptions for some of the pieces to explain them as if she were there in person. She even searched online and found some of the original vintage advertisements for her items and printed them out to place them near the item!
2. How about a treasure hunt within a treasure hunt?!
People often say that going to an antique mall is like going on a treasure hunt. One booth I visited really took that idea to the next level. They had a stack of “treasure maps” for each customer to take as they browsed. Clues like, “find the oldest item” and “find something that glows” kept me entertained….and kept me in their booth for more than my typical 5-10 minutes.
Playing along with the scavenger hunt made me notice a lot of treasures that I may have ordinarily missed. Like a beautiful set of salt and pepper shakers that I couldn’t leave behind!
3. Stand in the place where you are!
That is exactly what I read on a sign taped to the floor of an antique booth. So, I stood in the footprint-shaped spot and I looked in front of me at an antique eye chart on the wall. Turns out, my vision isn’t all that great! But, my friend and I sure had fun trying!
So, the moral of my story is that if you want customers to stop and look at your booth, just tape a sign on your floor that tells them to! In this case, stopping to look at an eye chart helped me to notice a lot of other goodies that I might not have seen!
It doesn’t have to be an eye chart. It could be one of those vintage optical illusion posters where you have to relax your eyes to look “through” them (I have never been able to do those, have you?), or a “Where’s Waldo” poster. You get the idea!
4. Leave us a note!
This is a fun idea that I have seen in several antique booths. Whiteboards, chalkboards, bulletin boards, and guest books are all ways that dealers have initiated conversations with their customers.
In the antique booth business, we aren’t always around to greet our customers, answer their questions, or establish relationships with them. Notes are an effective and fun way to communicate! Here are some examples of notes I have seen from customers:
- Hello! Your booth is my favorite!
- I just bought your sofa! It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for!
- I am looking for milk glass. I’ll be back!
Of course, dealers can also leave notes for their customers, either in direct response to a note left by a customer, or to all customers in general, such as:
- These items were created by a local artist
- Thank You for supporting a small local business!
- Today, all proceeds benefit (local charity)
5. You oughta be in pictures
I was drawn to one particular booth filled with beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork. There were paintings, sculptures, and lots of small unique pieces. This booth was definitely right up my alley. But, most of the time when I see booths like this, I happily browse for a few minutes, and move on.
This time was different. Throughout the booth, near the artworks, there were photographs of the artist creating those pieces. Some of the photos were serious, some were playful-- her cheeks, hands, and clothing covered in paint splotches with a big smile on her face. I was intrigued. I felt compelled to look at every photograph, and the corresponding artwork. Of course, I had to buy one of her beautiful pieces, and I think of her every time I look at it!
So, maybe one or several of these ideas has inspired you—and you want to try them in your antique booth. OR, maybe you want to take parts of one or more of these ideas and make them your own. OR, maybe you just thought of a completely different idea while reading this. I encourage you to use your imagination and try something you’ve never tried before—and maybe you’ll see results you’ve never seen before! $$$$$
Try something you’ve never tried before—and maybe you’ll see results you’ve never seen before!
Have a question about the antique mall booth business?
Drop me a note below with your question. I'll personally respond to your question and send you other great antique booth business ideas!