Day 2 of the Sydney Gift Fair has wrapped. It’s going well. I say that as a retailer attendee and as a supplier with a stand there (my POS software company).
While the Reed organisers are disorganised in my opinion, and this is a cause for frustration as an exhibitor, the fair itself if proving to be good.
The lower attendee numbers make it a better experience. People are spending more time on the stands that interest them.
There are some new suppliers, and enough suppliers with new products to make it worth attending. Sure, there is plenty of the same old same old, but, overall, there is good product to purchase.
I’m not going to list the new suppliers that I found interesting as that’s information I’ll share privately with others, sorry. But I will not there is a strong representation of baby and kids products, which is good as they are storing categories. Oh, and a good presentation of Australian made products. And, sustainability is a big pitch, which makes sense as it is of top of mind interest to the Gen Z shopper.
There are too many candle suppliers in my opinion and too much in the way of mediocre China made gifts. Plenty in the gift space have moved on from this.
The best part of the fair has been the opportunity to speak face to face with people, to hear their stories and talk retail. Covid was a topic, but not much. Oh, and in terms of discussion around wanting things to go back the way they were, no only said they wanted that, all were focussed on the future and what they can make of it.
What you get walking the aisles of a fair like this you cannot get from a rep or agent visit. It’s not the same.
My POS software company was the only retail POS software company there, which is odd to me. I am surprised others in this space did not embrace the opportunity to be face to face with customers and to use the opportunity to attract new customers. It’s an opportunity lost for them.