Anyone else noticing a downturn in sales?

[new2woodwrk]

I only sell at our Saturday craft fair event but I am noticing a significant drop off in sales.

March was a great month and April started out great but we got rained out 3 out 4 Saturday's!

However, now that May is here I'm noticing a significant drop off in sales. It's now taking 2 event days to make the same amount of avg sales for previous weekends.

Anyone else?

Having another craft event tomorrow and if it's like the last 2, something is happening and I'm willing to bet it's the US failing economy

Thanks in advance

Edited May 8, 2021 by new2woodwrk

[kmmcrafts]

I haven't noticed anything yet, but that said I think it's looming ahead because of the failing economy and the inflation that has been happening and will continue to happen for the next couple years I think. I've been expecting a decline in business and thankfully don't spend all my money and always try to be prepared for slumps.. I started my craft selling as a side gig during the 2007-8 recession.. Gotta say it's tough to sell a decoration to someone that doesn't really need it, LOL. Be a lot easier to sell commodity things like handmade soaps or something where it's easier to gain repeat customers, LOL

I've been just the opposite of what I've been expecting.. last year was my best year ever and I said then that I'll never outdo it.. but the way things are going right now.. I might outdo it this year. I have people wanting laser work done where I could be busy running the laser for a week or more straight just to get the current wants / needs met.. I've been putting the customers off saying I haven't set up my laser yet as the coolant ( water ) is still a possibility of a freeze.. truth be told I'm busy with scroll work and if I really wanted to fire the laser up I have a fish tank heater to keep it from freezing.. I really haven't set it up because I'm busy with scroll work and wanting to learn / work the CNC.. I'm afraid in the next couple weeks I'm going to have to work the laser.. Perfect timing too because my youngest kid has no job yet and graduates high school in a couple weeks.. I might hire my first employee, Hahaha   He is good with graphics and computer skills.. he'd be good to hire.. however to ask them to help the old man out is like asking them to unclog the toilet full of poop without a plunger,  Yet they'd go do it with a smile on their face at a friends house.

[edward]

I did a show a couple weeks ago, and sales weren't good, that's why I don't like doing spring shows as they were never good for me. The fall shows were 100% better. Just my opinion.  

[Puzzleguy]

What sales ?

[ike]

Spring sales are always low for me I don't do many spring sales for that reason . The sales are always low and the prometor doesnd't give a break for the sping low sales  The last one I did fro her I just barely made table didn't  even make cost of product.IKE

[Rockytime]

19 hours ago, new2woodwrk said:

I only sell at our Saturday craft fair event but I am noticing a significant drop off in sales.

March was a great month and April started out great but we got rained out 3 out 4 Saturday's!

However, now that May is here I'm noticing a significant drop off in sales. It's now taking 2 event days to make the same amount of avg sales for previous weekends.

Anyone else?

Having another craft event tomorrow and if it's like the last 2, something is happening and I'm willing to bet it's the US failing economy

Thanks in advance

Be careful who you blame the economy on. Just saying. 

[new2woodwrk]

3 hours ago, Rockytime said:

Be careful who you blame the economy on. Just saying. 

I haven't blamed it on anyone yet - but I know who I will

[new2woodwrk]

Update:

Had a decent day at our weekly event. Not a great day, but decent enough to think it was an odd day the few prior days.

In our area, we have lots of event type days/weekends. The ones I was originally posting about was called "Thunder Beach".

Lots of motorcycles etc.

I don't really have any cycle related items. We had tons of looky Loos, and I figure they have limited space to take items home (even though we advertise we ship all over the US)

There's another event coming up next weekend, actually a dual event so we'll see if the sales remain constant

Thanks as always in advance

[BadBob]

I track my stats in a spreadsheet for trend analysis and monitoring how things are affected by social media posts etc. All of the stats I track but three are decreasing and have been for weeks. About two weeks ago, the trend lines all tilted down but one in four.

 

What didn't go down?

• Sales are up 20% over last year. 
• Revenue is up 78% over last year. 
• Direct views are up by 97%.

 

Everything else is in steady decline and has been for weeks.

 

Edited May 9, 2021 by BadBob

[WayneMahler]

Like Babbob I track things through a spreadsheet. Mine compares this year from last year. Given all the problems with covid last year and things getting shut down left and right. I won't have accurate numbers.    So far this year we have done decent. Lower sales but still doing decent. I do believe that a lot of it depends what people are looking for . One that has stood out, the people coming out are fewer in numbers and less prone to impulse purchasing something.  I do believe things will improve the more we get out of the covid crap. Also seeing a lot more shows advertising and looking for venders a lot are hand crafted only. 

[new2woodwrk]

6 hours ago, WayneMahler said:

Like Babbob I track things through a spreadsheet. Mine compares this year from last year. Given all the problems with covid last year and things getting shut down left and right. I won't have accurate numbers.    So far this year we have done decent. Lower sales but still doing decent. I do believe that a lot of it depends what people are looking for . One that has stood out, the people coming out are fewer in numbers and less prone to impulse purchasing something.  I do believe things will improve the more we get out of the covid crap. Also seeing a lot more shows advertising and looking for venders a lot are hand crafted only. 

Our state has been open since August of last year and we started this whole she-bang in October every Saturday, weather permitting

Crowds have not been a problem for us at all. We get plenty of traffic with minimal advertising/social media exposure.

I believe, at least for my area it has a lot to do with these on going events as well as the weather.

I'm thinking (and others have pointed out), we had terrible weekend weather during April - raining 3 out of 4 weekends and then we had a good one and that was the start of the down turn. I think people just wanted to be out and go to the beach etc.

In addition, we tried a new event last Thursday evening. It was the first of its kind - again we got a lot of looky loos, but also a lot of intoxicated people walking off dinner and drinks LOL

I won't be doing that event again LOL

Edited May 9, 2021 by new2woodwrk

[BadBob]

I only sell online so I'm guessing that rainy weekends are good for my sales and nice weather is bad.

[kmmcrafts]

Sales stats are a funny thing that is really hard to gage sometimes.. I see people that sell online complain about a low sales days.. Some will say they haven't had a sale at all for that day and are worried to death that they are doing something wrong or something. Worrying about one day is funny to me I guess because it's only a days worth of stats. 

I've had times where I didn't get a single sale for a month or two, and I was beginning to think it was going to be a bad "year" which is what I try to focus on.. not a day or a month.. Yeah I get worried if it's slow for several months in a row.. That one year happen to turn out pretty well for me.. I like a steady busy but that year was just weird and I thought it was going to be a very bad year.. hardly any sales throughout the whole year.. Until Nov. and December came and I was so busy I was complaining.. Those two months made my year surpass all the previous years.

I pretty much barely make it in the green ink month to month and sometimes only in the red a few months even.. Until August or September that's usually when I start actually turning a profit and well into the green each month until Feb hits.. then it's barely green or even red again for a few months.   

Edited May 10, 2021 by kmmcrafts

[ike]

I have only had a couple sales so far this year and I am $750 in the read and with a couple of sales I will be in the black. at 82 I don't plan on many slses this year I will do a  farmers market or 2 this year I don't have much more to do so If I do fair at them that's ok. I got a couple church sales and a hollyfair this year and If I don't do very good that's ok. tjos os a hobby and if it keeps me off the Streets and out of the Bars that's good.

IKE 

[Puzzleguy]

Yes , that's true - But at least were out their !

i think things are losening up , and people are feeling more comfortable-betting things will be better

in a few weeks !

[lawson56]

I notice it toward the end of the mth, No one seems to buy. No money I guess.

[Jim Finn]

Sales were terrible in  2020  but up to about 1/2  of 2018 in 2021. Barely worth the effort any more.. Less shoppers and a lot fewer  buyers.

 

[BadBob]

Orders are down -11% compared to last year.

Revenue is up 31% over last year.

Custom orders made up most of the revenue increase.

 

[kmmcrafts]

On Etsy

Orders are up for me by 5%

Revenue is up by 11%

Amazon doesn't make easy to understand stats for year over year.. and I've been too busy to really  sit at calculate. I can say the orders are way up.. no idea on revenue.. 

My website orders are down and so is revenue.. How much? I also don't really know but it's quite a bit for both.. Mainly because I was quite busy this summer and haven't been pushing ads and trying to get sales very hard this year and it shows.. Overall I think I'll do as good or close to it as I did last year.. I expected a big drop this year because last year was awesome with business.. I figured because of the lockdowns etc. people shopped online.. they're coming back this year from what the ecommerce news is saying.. Brother inlaw went Black Friday shopping and he said it was pretty dead out there in the stores.. no lines to get inside etc.. Local news was saying that people were shopping local small business's more than the big box stores.. 

[new2woodwrk]

Past 2 weeks, unit sales are up by 20%, Revenue up by 30% over last year! Remember, we're not locked down and wide open for business and it shows!

Turning out to be a very good year!

Will be taking off (not doing any events) from 12-19-21 through 1-7-22 then going on a well deserved vacation at the end of January 2022!

Merry Christmas to all1

Edited December 2, 2021 by new2woodwrk