What Made People Go From Walking By My Booth to Walking In?
I didn't put my Charlie Brown-inspired doll on the top shelf because I had some brilliant booth-display strategy in mind.
I put him there because he was my biggest plushie and one of the four dolls I brought with me. I wanted to display all of them together, and putting them on the top shelf just made the most sense.
Even though the shelf he was on was inside the booth, not near the entrance, he was still pretty easy to spot.
Then I started noticing something.
Kids noticed him. Adults noticed him. And more than once, someone would point him out to whoever they were with.
One little girl in particular had just walked into the booth with her mom when she put her arm straight up and pointed.
“Oh, look! There’s Charlie!”
Another person noticed him while they were standing right at the entrance, before they had even really come into the booth.
“Oh, look! There’s Charlie Brown!”
I can't tell you that Charlie was the reason every person stopped or came into the booth. I just couldn't ignore how often people noticed him. And sometimes, after noticing him, they did come in.
That got me thinking. I’d heard other market vendors talk about having a statement piece. I’d heard the idea, of course, of having something interesting or eye-catching in your display to catch people’s attention as they walk by, but honestly, I don’t think I gave it much thought. I understood the idea in theory. I just didn’t understand what that piece could actually do for a booth until I saw it happening in mine.
A lot of people walking through a market are just browsing—they’re looking from booth to booth, taking in what catches their eye, and moving on. They may not be looking for anything in particular and might give a booth a quick glance and keep walking.
Watching people react to Charlie got me thinking: if I want people to come into my booth, maybe I first need to give them a reason to stop walking.
Because once someone stops, a lot of things can happen.
They might take a step closer. They might notice something they hadn’t seen from the aisle. They might point something out to the person they’re with. And even if they decide they don’t need anything for themselves, they might suddenly remember someone else who would love one of my plushies.
There are a lot of things that can happen after someone stops.
But none of them can happen if they keep walking.
Charlie Brown didn’t sell that day, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t doing his job.
Maybe a statement piece doesn’t always have to be the thing that sells. Maybe sometimes its job is simply to catch someone’s eye, make them smile, make them curious, and give them a reason to step inside.
For my next market, I’m going to try something a little different.
I’m bringing my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-inspired plushies and putting them on that top shelf.
After seeing how people reacted to Charlie, I decided I wanted to try the turtles up there and see what happens.
They're not quite as universally recognizable as Charlie Brown. And that makes me curious.
Will people notice them?
Will someone point and say, “Oh, look! It’s the Ninja Turtles”?
Will they get people to stop and take a closer look?
Now that I’ve seen what a familiar face can do from the top shelf of my booth, I’m going to be paying close attention.
Charlie showed me that maybe that top shelf isn’t just the place to put the biggest plushies.
Maybe it should be reserved for the attention grabbers.
Quick Update
The turtles performed very well on the top shelf. Several people smiled and pointed them out.
I guess those vendors who recommend having a statement piece in your booth are on to something here.
Want to See More?
If you'd like to see more of what I've learned from my markets, you might enjoy some of my other Market Diary stories. There are always little things I notice along the way—some expected, some surprising, and some that make me rethink how I set up my booth.
And if you noticed the pink shelf or the little toy box display in the photos and are curious about the display pieces I use at my markets, you'll find them in the Market Day Essentials section of my My Maker Toolkit page.
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