321 | Wholesale Trade Shows & Buying Patterns with Retailer, Audrey Woollen, Urbanic

It’s no secret that wholesale buying patterns and in-person trade shows have shifted substantially over the last few years. Where buyers were once placing fewer, but larger orders a couple of times a year - oftentimes at trade shows - they are now placing more frequent, smaller orders throughout the year both online and at in-person markets.

As someone who talks to both wholesale brands and buyers every single day, I have a unique viewpoint that lets me see some of these industry shifts at scale. I believe that it is really important for all of the wholesale brands in our community to hear from different buyers so that you can make informed decisions for your business, which leads me to share today’s guest for the podcast.

Today’s guest is shop owner Audrey Woollen of Urbanic. She is the founder and creative director of Urbanic a nationally and internationally recognized stationery and gift brand and independent boutique in Los Angeles. 

With 17 years of establishment, Urbanic has developed collaborative signature lines with some of the nation’s top designers as well as the development of an Urbanic brand. Audrey has been a board advisor at the National Stationery Show, a judge for the Louie Awards, a trends curator for Top Drawer London and is on the editorial board of Stationery Trends Magazine, as well as consulting for the pitch programs for the Noted Trade show and Paper Fest London. Audrey is considered an industry leader within the stationery and design community.

In this episode, Audrey shares her thoughts on in-person trade shows, the rise of Faire as a digital marketplace, and its effects on how she does business as a brick-and-mortar retail shop. She shares her appreciation for email marketing efforts of wholesale brands and also advice she would give her past self now that she’s been in business for 17 years.

This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us on a consistent basis, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.  

If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails.  And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.  

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You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/321 

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