In-person trade shows aren’t as popular these days because you know why… However, for some businesses trade shows can be a turbo booster to sales, sometimes they can even 10x sales… Therefore it is worth talking about it.
After analyzing 181 e-commerce founder interviews, here are two situations when trade shows can be great.
Attend trade shows if people need to understand how your product works
This was the case for Twisted Boards ($1k/mo), a company selling dry erase boards, and Ice Shaker ($250k/mo), an insulated protein shaker bottle.
Both these brands sell products that need to be demonstrated before people understand how they work.
In both cases, trade shows helped them put their products in front of customers and influencers, and gain traction in the market.
Connect with influencers or magazines in your industry:
For example:
- Fridays Off Fabric Shop ($10k/mo), a Canadian business selling fabric online, met the editor of a major Canadian interior design magazine at a trade show. This assured them an article in the magazine that grew their sales by 600%.
- FEAT Socks 10x’ed their sales: This brand sells custom feet socks, and a trade show helped them land an influencer deal with an Olympian gymnast that brought their sales from $20k per month to $200k per month.
