Faire Market Manual 3: Range building for your product brand
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It's week 3 of the Market Manual. Last week we started the chat on product, so it would be rude not to continue it.
This week we are looking at range building. This was a term that we had never used before we hired a merchandiser. We were completely new to this field of expertise but we hired this merchandiser to upskill us and teach us the mighty ways! Tell you what it's been a game changer.
Range building is what buyers and merchandisers look at within huge businesses. It's the industry's way of talking about what products are coming out next. When we started to look at our own brand as a larger company and how we'd operate as one, range building became part of the rhythm and we haven't looked back.
So how should you range build for Faire?
- Start with the season, not the product. Buyers at Summer Market are buying for Autumn/Winter and Christmas, so your range needs to reflect gifting, colder weather and peak retail moments.
- Build a range, not just a list of products. It’s not about how many SKUs you have (although larger catalogs do win on Faire), it’s about how they work together and how easy it is for a buyer to understand what you sell.
- Anchor your range with hero products. These are your bestsellers or strongest designs. They build trust, drive most of your revenue and should be the easiest thing for a buyer to say yes to.
- Layer in supporting products. Once you have your heroes, build around them with variations, styles and themes so buyers can build a meaningful order.
- Think like a retailer, not a maker. Ask yourself if your products make sense on a shelf, as a display and as part of a wider store offering.
- Design for order building. Your goal isn’t one product, it’s a basket. Make it easy for buyers to say “I’ll take a few of these, a few of those and try this too.”
- Group products into clear collections or themes. This helps buyers quickly understand what’s new, what’s seasonal and what fits together.
- Plan your range ahead of the market. The biggest mistake is rushing this last minute. A strong range feels intentional, not reactive. We decided on Bare Kind's Christmas range in January, but there is still time for you to make meaningful decisions now.
Action for this week: Define your core range for Summer Market. Identify your hero products, supporting SKUs and how they group into clear collections.
“Working with Andy and the team feels like serious magic. We’re excited to hand over the demanding parts of the business — especially Faire — to passionate experts, so we can get back to what we love: creating content, building our brand, and being out at shows.”
— Khara Koffel, Co-Owner Serious Lip Balms
— Khara Koffel, Co-Owner Serious Lip Balms
If you need some magic worked on your account, we might be the perfect fit for you. We are passionate about building product brands and we are experts on growing through Faire. If our services aren't right for you we will tell you up front. Get in touch today.
Complementary reading
Chapter 7 is all about product merchandising in our brand new book 'How to Get More Sales on Faire'. You can download your free copy here. If you've never heard of merchandising and want to know how it could help grow your business (and save cash flow!) I recommend you take a look at this chapter.
See you in the market!
Lucy