Visual Merchandising for your Market Stall Display.
How you display your products at a market is SO important! It’s the main thing (along with what you’re selling) that will grab shopper’s attention and bring them to your stand over someone else’s! So think bold signage, different levels and heights to your display and a well stocked range of products.
The images above are of my very first and my most recent market and I am pleased to inform you that my stand has had a much needed glow up. So here are some of my top tips for making your stand, STAND OUT.
1. Create a Strong First Impression
When it comes to markets, first impressions really do count. So a bold sign that highlights either your brand name, logo or what you’re selling is vital. If it’s possible, try and have it displayed high enough so that people can see it across the market.
The next thing that makes the biggest impression is YOU! The face behind the brand so it’s really important to put your best foot forward and be friendly and approachable. Greet people warmly, and be ready to talk about your work without being too pushy.
Spotlight your bestsellers or new products. Place them front and centre, ideally at eye-level so that they are the first thing that people are drawn to. As you can see, when possible I will have my fun hand-painted sign in a high position to grab the shoppers attention and bring them over. It also lists what i’m selling so your target audience can see you in a crowded space.
Salad Days Market at Battersea Power Station - March 2025
If you’ve ever eyed up my name banner and thought '“I need one of those”. Yes you do, the amaaaazzzing Tara Collette made mine and I LOVE it!
Name banner handmade by Tara Collette.
2. Tell a Visual Story
Making your stand look and feel like your products is key to creating a cohesive and put together feeling to your stand. Group items by category, colour, or usage to guide the customer’s eye naturally. I try and use colours that I often use in my art prints, when it comes to choosing a table cloth, the colour I paint my display boxes and my signs. This means that my stand instantly feels like me and my brand.
3. Use Vertical Space
Incorporate shelves, risers, or hanging displays to create interesting height variation. Height not only helps to spread out your display, giving each product more room to breathe but it can be a great tool if you’ve got limited stall space by drawing the eye up as well as across.
Having certain products higher up can also be handy if you need to keep tiny hands at bay. Children do love to grab colourful things when they see them so I tend to keep my ceramics slightly out of reach for this reason!
Vertical space will also help your stand to look less cluttered. You want to have a nice, well-stocked stand but you also want to avoid it looking overloaded and messy. Moving things upwards and standing them on boxes or crates will really help with this issue.
Bath Christmas Market - December 2023
4. Keep It Accessible and Interactive
You want it to be as easy as possible for customers to browse and buy so make sure that your products are easy to get to, pick up and handle. If your customer can’t get to something they want to look at they are very unlikely to buy it, so this is very important! When displaying your items, avoid overcrowding you stand, people don’t like to make a fuss so you want to allow them to browse without messing up the stand or knocking something over.
A range of price points helps to diversify your customer and it will often mean that you make more sales because you are more accessible to a broader range of people.
Market stalls that I think nailed it with their displays
1.) Hayle + Shine
So as a takeaway, the first thing I would make sure you have before your first market is some really good signage - to grab attention and to make sure people know who you are and what you sell!