A flea market is an interesting venue in that it tends to be patronized by people who are not just browsing. In other words. People go to flea markets looking to spend money. It's part of the plan. So one of the secrets to flea market success is figuring out how to make your products appeal to everyone who walks by. In essence, you will sell if you can figure out ways to stand out.
Imagine yourself as a flea market vendor. Depending on the size of the market, you might be in competition with several others selling different brands of designer sunglasses. How do you make sure your space gets noticed?
1. Present an Impeccable Space
We believe one of the best ways to stand out at a flea market is to present an impeccable space. By this we mean that all of your displays are clean and organized. Your space is not cluttered; walkways are open and easy to navigate; your space isn't filled with things unrelated to your business.
An impeccably clean and organized vendor space is hard to find at most flea markets. Presenting such a space would most certainly make your business stand out.
2. Learn to Relate to Customers
It has been our experience that dealing with customers in a flea market setting is unique from any other form of retail. You don't want to be that vendor who sits in a chair with your face glued to a screen, ignoring potential customers as they walk by. On the other hand, you also do not want to be the pushy salesperson that will not let a customer escape until he/she buys something. The best approach is to find that sweet spot.
Learning to relate to customers is all about learning how to be friendly and engaging without throwing a sales pitch. For example, a great lead-in to talking about sunglasses is discussing the weather. The weather is a topic that is completely nonthreatening and easy to talk about. And you can eventually steer the discussion to sunglasses if you realize the customer is showing some interest.
Offer Something Unusual
The appeal of the flea market to some people is the ability to find things they never see in a traditional retail setting. This suggests that standing out at the flea market involves offering something usual. For example, buy some gold or yellow sunglasses in bulk – from us, of course – and then intersperse them with the rest of your inventory. This way you'll have a splash of color throughout all of your displays.
Add in some cat eyes and a few lines of kids’ sunglasses, too. They will get the attention of families with younger kids. In a tourist area, these kinds of sunglasses do very well.
The last thing we would say is that you should never compromise on quality. Don't let your vendor space be associated with cheap goods that don't last. If people know that your designer sunglasses are every bit as good as the ones they could buy at the mall for three times the price, they are more likely to think of you next time they need a new pair.
