A creative approach to selling can encourage concert-goers to buy more merchandise, and as business picks up, we thought it would be interesting to take stock of merchandising sales at rock concerts. Badges, magnets and other bottle-opener key rings find their place among the posters, t-shirts!

Concerts are unique spaces, places of entertainment and meet-ups. They also offer significant opportunities for merchandising sales. People at a concert are potential customers. But rather than just setting up a table and a cash register, spend some time thinking creatively to maximise your sales. Bands are always looking to promote themselves and what better way than to press some bespoke badges to hand out at your next gig.

Showcase your products

One of the best ways to sell merchandising is to show your customers the items you have in such a way that they can imagine using it themselves. For example, if you sell clothes, ask everyone at your stand to wear the items. T-shirts, jewellery, hats, badges… By doing so, you will sell more products than if you just display them in piles, or on trays on a table. In addition, if the artist’s logo is printed on items such as t-shirts, badges, etc., wearing them is additional advertising, both at the concert and outside the venue. Choose friendly, outgoing people to wear the merchandise, so they feel comfortable talking about it.

Ongoing promotion

Take the opportunity to announce on stage that you have great products for sale on site, all at a reasonable price. A creative way to sell more merchandising is to announce that the person who buys this individual product will accompany the artist on stage for a song. To do this, you would need a simple method of tracking the number of items sold. The audience will jump at the chance, and the opportunity to get on stage, and you could be swarmed by customers. If you repeat this announcement during the during the concert, you can significantly increase the sales potential.

Suggest something new

Change the visuals at each concert to create a new experience that will motivate potential customers. Make sure your displays contain easy-to-read posters with clear pricing to make it easier for your customers to make decisions while you focus on selling. Remember that there are customers who don’t want to engage in conversation; they just want to look, find and buy. If you regularly review your sales areas, your usual customers will be encouraged to look at all your products, resulting in more sales.

Free tickets and packages

We all love small gifts. So try to give a cheaper item to anyone who buys a product, like a sticker, or a badge. You can also do product bundles, such as t-shirts and caps, advertising the price of individual items and a discounted price for the bundle. Highlight the merchandise you offer for free. Consider holding a special raffle, offering a free raffle ticket to customers who purchase merchandise and announcing the winner at the end of the concert. The prize could be a gift basket containing a combination of the products you have on sale.

Location of your sales stand

Agree with the concert venue to place your sales stand in a busy area. For example, a merchandising table set up next to the beverage vendor’s cash register can capture some sales after people have purchased refreshments.

Other interesting sales areas are those located near the entrance or exits, without of course blocking the entrance doors. If your displays are eye-catching, customers are bound to stop and take a look. You could also set up near the toilets where people are waiting. Make sure you have enough lighting on your exhibit table, even if you have to bring your own directional lighting to turn on during breaks. If people can’t see your products, you won’t make the sales!

Payment options

Set up payments so that each transaction is seamless.  The faster you can make a sale, the more you can sell. Cash sales are faster. Accepting credit cards will significantly increase your sales, so make sure you have this option available.