Merchandising Makes a Good Fair Great!

Think of your Book Fair as a small bookstore. How can you use retail "tricks of the trade" to encourage browsing and buying?

The five biggest considerations are:

• Easy access to products
• Good traffic flow
• Eye-catching displays
• Welcoming atmosphere
• Friendly customer service

Secure the largest space you can. Your ideal area will allow for a large number of shoppers, as well as staff working the Fair. Test your traffic pattern by walking through the space.

Set Yourself Up for Success
Students can set you up for success. Take advantage of their energy and muscle to make your Fair set up faster and easier. With your direction, they can move cases and tables, unbox products, and arrange displays to capture the attention of shoppers. Throughout the Fair, students can also keep products organized and restocked.

Here are a few pointers for a smooth and satisfying set up:

• Position cases in a horseshoe pattern around the perimeter of the space you've designated for the Fair.
• Position tables in the center of the Fair with plenty of room around them.
• Cover tables with plastic table covers or fabric to add color. To create more display space and add visual appeal, place an empty box in the center of the table.
• Pull a few books from the bottom of the shelves and place them on cardboard book stands on top of the cases to make them more visible.
• Place shelf-talkers on the lips of cases to attract attention to titles. Shoppers will appreciate easy access to award winners and AR titles identified for them with custom-made tags.
• Create tags or signs (PDF Form 64KB) highlighting "Teacher Picks," "Student Picks," and "Crew Picks."

Scholastic Student Exchange Set Up Videos

Introduction (RealVideo)
Step 1: Place Bookcases (RealVideo)
Step 2: Table Placement (RealVideo)
Step 3: Sort Boxes (RealVideo)
Step 4: Create Table Displays (RealVideo)
Step 5: Showcase Titles (RealVideo)
Step 6: Cashier Table (RealVideo)
Step 7: Display Posters (RealVideo)
Step 8: Partnership in Reading (RealVideo)
Step 9: Packing Up (RealVideo)

Keep Your Fair Friendly
Here are a few easy-to-execute ideas from schools that focused on making their Fair environment student-friendly.

• Set shopping hours which are convenient for student, teacher, and parent shoppers.
• Set the mood with background music.
• Display signage in Spanish and ask bilingual students to assist Spanish-speaking shoppers.
• To up the "cool quotient," incorporate items such as props, color wheels, light ropes, and fiber optics.
• Keep in mind that posters don't have to go on walls – they can hang from the ceiling and be displayed on simple A-frames.

Adding Creative Flair to Your Fair
The heart of the Exchange is to celebrate creative expression. And this creativity is not limited to books.

Student art can be wonderfully diverse, expressive, and impressive. Original work by students makes a real connection and strengthens a sense of community.

Make your Fair a showcase for the visual, the colorful, and the personal. Not only will students appreciate this attention, parents and teachers gain an additional reason to visit the Fair.

Invite expression. Ask studio arts teachers to display the works of student artists. Encourage English and language arts teachers to share student writing. Schedule performances by student singers and musicians.
PDF Form
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