As we approach the holidays, now is the time to evaluate your flea market or swap meet business technology to make sure your process is optimized for the new season. For many merchants, stepping up booth practices means utilizing additional technology for a faster and more informative selling experience.
Credit Card Processors
If you haven’t started accepting debit or credit cards at your booth or stall, there is no time like the present to start. The holiday season attracts a variety of shoppers, including those who might not be accustomed to carrying cash. It is true that many markets offer ATMs. However, sending customers away to take out cash with hopes they will come back is a risk you shouldn’t have to take.
There are many affordable card processors that work right off of your smartphone. The processing fees are often minimal – especially compared to losing the sale altogether. If the fees are a concern, you can factor those costs into the price of your products, and offer a discount for those paying cash. Many customers are more comfortable paying with plastic, and tend to spend more when doing so. It’s likely you will find the fees inconsequential.
Offering as many payments options as possible makes buying easy for shoppers, and therefore more profitable for you.
Email Collection
Digitizing your transaction process can also help keep better records. Offering to send email receipts, having email entry as a prerequisite to swiping their credit card, and having a sign-up for opt-in newsletters are all fairly straightforward ways of collecting emails. Having customer’s email addresses allows you to keep in contact and keep your business in the back of their minds. Many shoppers follow specific markets, however there is no reason you can’t build a following as an individual vendor. Informing customers of new products, sales, and which markets or fairs your will be selling at can help keep steady traffic throughout the holiday season and beyond.
Instagram Connection
Similar to sending out emails, creating an Instagram account for your business is an easy way to stay on the minds of your customers. Since flea market shopping is largely a visual and sentimental experience, Instagram is one of the best social media platforms to utilize for your business. Many customers follow favorite brands to view their products, news, and the lifestyle that the brand promotes. Flea markets are also successfully utilizing Instagram to draw in same-day shoppers. As long as you have the dedication to keep up with the account, setting up an Instagram account and advertising it at your booth and on your business card can help transform casual shoppers into regular fans.
It may seem like the holidays are a lifetime away, but starting preparations early helps ease the financial stress, allows for trial and error, and ensures enough time for clear thinking and follow-through.