321 | The Changing Landscape of Wholesale Trade Shows with Store Owner Audrey Woollen, Urbanic
It’s no secret that wholesale buying patterns and in-person trade shows have shifted substantially over the last few years. Where buyers were once placing fewer, but larger orders a couple of times a year - oftentimes at trade shows - they are now placing more frequent, smaller orders throughout the year both online and at in-person markets.
As someone who talks to both wholesale brands and buyers every single day, I have a unique viewpoint that lets me see some of these industry shifts at scale. I believe that it is really important for all of the wholesale brands in our community to hear from different buyers so that you can make informed decisions for your business, which leads me to share today’s guest for the podcast.
Today’s guest is shop owner Audrey Woollen of Urbanic. She is the founder and creative director of Urbanic is a nationally and internationally recognized stationery and gift brand and independent boutique in Los Angeles.
In this episode, Audrey shares her thoughts on in-person trade shows, the rise of Faire as a digital marketplace, and its effects on how she does business as a brick-and-mortar retail shop. She shares her appreciation for email marketing efforts of wholesale brands and also advice she would give her past self now that she’s been in business for 17 years.
This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us on a consistent basis, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.
If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails. And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.
The Growth of Urbanic
With 17 years of establishment, Urbanic has developed collaborative signature lines with some of the nation’s top designers, as well as the development of an Urbanic brand.
Audrey has been a board advisor at the National Stationery Show, a judge for the Louie Awards, a trends curator for Top Drawer London, and is on the editorial board of Stationery Trends Magazine, as well as consulting for the pitch programs for the Noted Trade show and Paper Fest London. Audrey is considered an industry leader within the stationery and design community.
She first joined us on the Proof to Product podcast in episode 104, where we talked about turning a hobby into a business.
I was so excited to have her back on the show to talk about trade shows and how they are changing. She also gives her insight on how to stand out at a trade show. We talk about Faire, buying patterns, surrounding yourself with people to support you, and so much more!
The Changing Landscape of Trade Shows
Audrey & I started by delving into the decline of trade shows over the past few years. Trade shows have become expensive investments for brands and, with the rise of online buying, have impacted exhibitors' decisions to attend.
There has also been a rise in smaller shows for more indie brands. As Audrey stated, it is an evolution we are seeing in the product world, and it is not necessarily a bad thing, just something we all need to grow and adapt to.
Because the shows are getting smaller and some of the bigger brands are skipping out on shows, smaller brands are getting noticed. Audrey talked about how much she loves finding new talent at shows because she is always looking for something that is new, fresh, and different.
She also mentioned that she likes finding new brands at trade shows because, for her, it communicates that these brands are serious and invested. If a brand takes the time, effort, and finances to be at the show, it tells buyers that the brands are working hard to make their business successful.
How to Stand Out at a Trade Show
We also discussed what makes a brand stand out at a trade show, focusing on aesthetics just as you would in a storefront. When buyers come in, you want it to feel welcoming and comforting.
You don’t want to bombard buyers with information about your brand, a slew of marketing materials, or make them feel unwelcome by being on your phone.
It is a fine balance between smothering the buyers with attention and not giving them any acknowledgment at all.
One thing Audrey did mention was to be mindful of being on your phone. Buyers understand that sometimes you need to do something on your phone, but if you spend more time on your phone than engaging with buyers, you are sending a message that you are not interested.
Audrey provided valuable advice for exhibitors to:
keep their energy consistent
maintain a light, personable approach
create a welcoming environment for buyers
Ask if a buyer wants to know more about your brand before launching into info about it
Remember that this is not a time to pitch. If a buyer wants a pitch, they will ask for it
Faire as a Tool for Buyers
Audrey shared her experience with Faire and that she actually prefers it to other ordering methods because:
Ability to circle back and take a closer look at a brand after the show
All orders are kept in one place
Keeps track of past orders, which makes reorders easier
She stated that many stores prefer to place orders this way and that she will often give the order to the brand and ask them to upload it to Faire.
However, she also understands that a platform like Faire may be more work than it is worth for international brands. Audrey is happy to work with brands and even talked about how she is on your side. She wants your business to thrive just like she hopes you would want her business to thrive.
If a brand doesn’t want to use Faire, she is willing to work with them but reminds us that it should be a win-win for all involved. If going with Faire doesn’t benefit your business, she’s happy not to, but if it is going to be an inconvenience for her, she hopes that the brand will consider an incentive for going outside of it.
It’s important to remember that these relationships are very much about give and take. Check out our recent two-part series where we talked about the state of independent retail with two shopkeepers.
Shifts in Wholesale Buying Patterns
Wholesale buying patterns have shifted, with buyers now placing more frequent and smaller orders throughout the year, both online and at in-person markets.
Previously, buyers were buying at the two big shows each year and buying as far out as possible to cover as many seasons as possible. Audrey really liked this strategy because it was less time-consuming on the ordering front.
The downside to that method, though, was that if brands came out with new products after the show, she often did not have the dollars to invest in those new products.
The shift in wholesale buying patterns is creating a cycle that is causing more trouble for both buyers and sellers.
Brands are skipping out on shows because of the cost & because they are old buyers will buy online. So then, we see fewer exhibitors going to the show. When brands do go to a show, they are told orders will come through online. This leads exhibitors to say, “well, maybe I won’t do the show.”
This shift underscores the need for exhibitors to adapt their strategies to accommodate this changing landscape.
Importance of Email Marketing
Audrey stressed how important email marketing is. As a buyer, she is always grateful when vendors send out emails with their new products.
Especially when the emails are retailer-focused. She talked about the importance of thinking on behalf of the retailer by sending them products that are tied to what they need to buy at a specific time.
Basically, what I say all the time is we want to make it easy for shops to buy from you!
When you reach out to them, you can give a little snippet about your brand and what you sell. But you want to focus more of the email on the benefits to them specifically. Some things you can include in your email to retailers are:
List the products you have in stock & that are ready to ship
Mention the low opening order amount
Let them know how many SKUs they have to choose in order to hit that opening order amount
Think about what information you can share with them to make it an easy yes.
Adapting to the Changes in the Industry
My conversation with Audrey provided valuable perspectives on the changing landscape of wholesale trade shows.
The biggest take away from this conversation for me, was the importance of adaptability, give and take between buyers and brands, and the importance of emailing your stores frequently.
As the industry evolves, it's clear that a collaborative and innovative approach is essential for both exhibitors and retailers to thrive in the digital retail landscape.
Quick Links
Here is a quick recap of links to other helpful blogs and podcasts shared in this post.
Join us in our next round of Paper Camp- all focused on wholesale
142 | The Hourly Rate of Exhibiting at a Trade Show with Katie Hunt
104 | Turning a Hobby Business Into a Thriving Retail Shop with Audrey Woollen, Urbanic
230 | You May Want to Turn Off Zip Code Protection on Faire with Genesis Duncan | Graphic Anthology
316 | The State of Independent Retail with Jen Palacio & Katie Wilson [Part 1]
317 | The State of Independent Retail with Jen Palacio & Katie Wilson [Part 2]
191 | Why Your Email List Is More Important Than Any Social Media Platform with Meera Kothand
Did you know that 49% of your customers want to hear from you on a consistent basis? Yet only a small percentage of product makers are actively sending monthly emails to their direct-to-consumer and wholesale customers.
When I asked our community why they don't send more emails, they said they weren't sure what to say or how often to send those emails, and their biggest pain point was perception. Nobody wanted to come off as salesy or pushy. They didn't want to bother anyone, so I kindly reminded them that if people don't know about your product line, they are not going to purchase it.
Email marketing is hands down one of the best ways to create long-standing strong connections with our customers. So, sending consistent nurture emails, leads to repeat orders and it leads to larger orders. But sitting in front of a blank screen can feel really intimidating.
If you have struggled with what to say or when to send those emails, how to plan out your email marketing strategy, I want you to grab our free email marketing guide that has helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year's worth of emails.
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MEET audrey
Audrey Woollen is the founder and creative director of Urbanic a nationally and internationally recognized stationery and gift brand and boutique in Los Angeles. With 17 years of establishment Urbanic has attracted a great deal of press, a large social media following and has developed collaborative signature lines with some of the nation’s top designers as well as the development of an Urbanic brand. Audrey has been a board advisor at the National Stationery Show, a judge for the Louie Awards, a trends curator for Top Drawer London and is on the editorial board of Stationery Trends Magazine, as well as consulting for the pitch programs for the Noted Trade show and Paper Fest London. She's a brand consultant for emerging and established stationery lines, and in addition to the development of the Urbanic brand, Audrey has given dozens of talks and seminars both nationally and in Europe and is considered an industry leader within the stationery and design community.
CONNECT WITH audrey
WEBSITE: urbanicpaper.com | INSTAGRAM: @urbanic
Connect with Katie Hunt
Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.
Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct
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