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Selling at Farmers, Food & Christmas Markets
Don’t stall! Here’s Our Top 5 Tips for Selling at Farmers, Food, and Christmas Markets
If you’re fresh-faced in your bakery business or your confectionery career, you may feel a little stumped as to how to go from piggy banks and friends and family to business accounts and flocks of paying customers. And while market stalls aren’t necessarily a fast track to printing money, they’re definitely a good start in getting your name (and sweet treats!) out there.
by Michael Rodber
29 November 2024
T’is the season where folks up and down the country don their hats and scarves, and brave the elements to attend their local Christmas markets. Punters are desperate to get their mittens on a Yorkshire pudding wrap, washed down with a hot mulled wine, and a cookie, waffle, or brownie to finish off – maybe even a chocolate bar for the sleigh ride home. And who better to satisfy the public’s collective sweet tooth than you, a local artisan bakery/patisserie/confectioner, ready to make your mark and grow your business?
While it may be a little too late to apply for this year’s city and town centre markets, there’s still time to apply for local ones (think pubs, garden centres, villages, National Trust sites, etc.). Or even get your applications ready for spring/summer 2025! Either way, in this article, we’re going to give you our top 5 tips on making the most of your time running a market stall, and why you should consider ‘pitching up’ if you’re looking to grow your business! It’s important to note that while we won’t be covering the likes of stallholder prices, legalities, paperwork, or insurance, these things are crucial to know about and should be researched well before deciding to run your stall.
Finding Out What’s Under The Tree
Just like your own business, different markets have their own demographics; the local artisan food and craft beer festival will bring in a vastly different audience than the Santa’s grotto and market down the road. They’ll also vary from town town, pub to pub, city to city – so that begs the question: how do you know if a market is right for you?
Well, there is an obvious answer here – do the research! If a market you’re interested in is recurring, go along and scope it out. Is there a high footfall? Are people spending, or looking around? What stalls are popular? Are there already too many businesses like yours? What is the demographic, is it families, couples, groups? These are all critical factors to consider when assessing the viability of a market to your business.
That’s the obvious answer – but if you really want to boost your chances of market stall success, consider delving even deeper into your research. Reach out to the organisers and find out if businesses like yours have found success previously (though be mindful that this is neither a guarantee nor is it necessarily 100% accurate), read reviews online, or tap in to the online chatter surrounding the market using the likes of X, local forums, or Facebook groups – become The World’s Greatest Detective – in the local market scene, at least.
Research is good, but what is true in the markets is also true in life; sometimes, you just can’t predict what will be a success, and what will be a flop. Some markets you’re a perfect fit for on paper, yet you’ll return home with your baked goods uneaten. Others, you’re certain a market isn’t for you, until you head home wishing you’d doubled the amount of bakes you brought. What we’re saying is, sometimes you have to throw yourself in at the deep end and see what sticks!
What’s in Santa’s Sack?
If you’ve never sold your bakes at a market before, you might be paralysed with uncertainty of what to stock at your first market, and how many to bring with you. There’s a few things to bear in mind with this one. First off, shelf life. If you’re able to correctly store your goods at the market, try bringing with you longer shelf life items for your first few. That way, you have the opportunity to sell this stock at a later date should things not go as planned.
Secondly, budget for expendable stock. The siren song to hungry bellies – free samples! Not only are free samples a great way to get customers to experience just how delicious your products are and encourage sales, through social proof, the crowd you attract will continue to attract others and further boost your sales! If you’re willing to give this a try, be sure to plan out just how many items you’re willing to give away throughout the day – and remember to plan for damaged, dropped, and spilled products in your budget.
If you’re more established as a business and gain regular custom through a store or web shop, it might be worth considering selling exclusive items at your market stall. This gives people reason to buy from you there and then, and makes the customers who manage to get a taste of an item no one else can feel all the more special.
Finally, be opportunistic in what you stock. If you’re at a Christmas market, Christmas cookies and themed bakes are great, but you could try something a little more novel. Why not create ‘secret Santa’ gift boxes or stocking fillers? If you’re at a summer market, perhaps a picnic basket and refreshing drink combo? The world really is your oyster when it comes to how you sell your products!
Deck the Halls!
First impressions are everything, and for selling at markets, this has never been truer. You’re selling your brand, and an experience, just as much as you are a tasty product – so take the time and consideration to craft an unforgettable stall that your customers will be in a hurry to return to. This could be with decorations, props, and themes. Is your brand rustic and cosy? Is it bold and bubbly? The choice is yours, but make sure it’s consistent, and make sure you’ve fully bought into it. Because if you don’t believe in your brand, how can you expect your customers to?
This idea of branding also extends to your packaging – it’s how your customers will remember you when they take your product home, and it’s how recipients of your product as a gift will know where they can order a second delivery from. So, consider investing in some personalised packaging! At Keylink, we offer a whole host of packaging solutions for you to explore, many of which can be customised with our hot foil blocking system, or take a look at our new personalised ribbon selection!
The public love convenience – one stop shops, if you will. So for Christmas markets in particular, you might want to look into stocking gift wrap and packaging at point-of-sale as a premium. This’ll be especially important as we edge closer to the big day – those last-minute buys could prove to be a real money maker!
A Christmas Card for You and Your Kin!
There is some debate as to just how effective markets can be at promoting your business and gaining customers outside of your marketing stall. We think it depends how you go about it! As we mentioned previously, packaging plays a big role in advertising after the market, but business cards are still a tried-and-tested way of extending the customer lifecycle, especially if your business offers events or custom services.
Many businesses find their people online, so why not you, too? Markets are a great way of building your online presence, though customers may need to be incentivised. You could build QR codes into your stall decor that link to your social media, you could offer a free cookie to anyone that signs up to your mailing list, you could even promote a ‘win a cake’ competition for anyone who subscribes to your social channels. Get creative, get your name out there!
Let’s Wrap Things Up!
Our final tip for you is to consider that every market you attend is a learning opportunity, and a chance to improve for the next one. It’s crucial to look back on your day and reflect on what went right, and what could have been improved. ‘Did my method of pushing my brand and online presence work as much as I would have liked? Did customers take to my branding and my stall? What were my biggest sellers and why?’ All of these things are vital to growing a business, but remember, you don’t learn without making mistakes, so don’t beat yourself up about the things that didn’t go your way. Some days will be successful, others failures, but as you learn, the overarching trend should hopefully be a positive one!
Michael is a Marketing Executive with a penchant for punk rock, cheese, and indoor bouldering.
His favourite chocolate is Valrhona Tanariva.
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