SHOP - FAQ

You may take part in the online Holiday Boutique SHOP if you participating in any of the following events:

I’m already in the physical show. Why would I need to be in your online store?

The online store doesn’t take the place of the face-to-face show. It augments the audience and the sales you will receive. Approximately 1 out of every 3 online shoppers is not known to the show. They are not in our database or an online ticket purchaser. This means that the online opportunity gives you an even bigger audience, and we are promoting the holiday shop to our enthusiasts and to the online shopping community, including with a paid advertising campaign on social media. The shopping site will be live from August 2023 through January 2024, so the online store also extends your opportunity to sell.

This year we are expanding the Holiday Boutique SHOP! You are receiving additional reach by being able to sell to consumers in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Cleveland, Des Moines, Denver, Indianapolis, Overland Park, Pennsylvania, and Tacoma. You are getting promotion in ALL markets known for our popular holiday events.

How much is this going to cost me to sign up?

There is no cost for taking part in the online store. No setup fees, no onboarding fees, and you will receive instructions and customer service to walk you through each step.

The fee is 20% commission + .30¢ payment deducted per sale made through the platform, which is deducted at point of sale. This amount is standard for an enthusiast audience. There are no hidden costs. If you do not sell anything, there is no cost to display your products.

I’ve already paid for an enhanced listing. How is this different?

In lieu of a live event in 2020, exhibitor listings were enhanced, and a Virtual Storefront was created to promote our exhibitors. The Virtual Storefront was well received on social media and by our email subscribers, however there was demand for the ability to shop the show online.

In 2021, we launched the multi-vendor marketplace to allow customers to shop all their favorite exhibitors at once serving three events. The brand of each show brought additional awareness and extended the reach of our audience. Your enhanced listing on the show website will continue but you will now have the additional opportunity to sell product in the online store.

Now in 2023, we are offering this opportunity to all vendors booked in a holiday show produced by Marketplace Events.

How do I get my money?

When you set up your store within our shopping site, you also need a Stripe account. If you already have one, that’s great. If you need to set one up, our platform provider ShowShoppa will help you with that. Then, when customers buy through the store, you will be sent the revenue, minus the fee, and each week, you will receive a financial statement showing all transactions and your total revenue.

Who is ShowShoppa?

ShowShoppa has partnered with Marketplace Events to help design and manage the holiday multivendor marketplace. ShowShoppa will be providing onboarding support for all exhibitors through a welcome pack, weekly webinars, online tutorials, and helpdesk. Sales that happen in the holiday show marketplace are directly between the Exhibitor and the Customer. ShowShoppa will be assisting with providing customer service to both exhibitors and customers.

How do I know this is a site that will professionally represent my products?

Our show shopping site is built using Shopify. More than 1.7 million businesses around the world have made more than $200 billion in sales using Shopify. It’s a proven platform. Additionally, we are using our learnings from the virtual showrooms from holiday 2020 to bring what consumers most want – the ability to shop directly on the holiday show site and check out with one cart from many of their favorite holiday vendors. We are using the brand of the show to promote you and your products.

Can I easily import my products from another store?

YES. ShowShoppa will create a multivendor marketplace on the Shopify platform. If you already have an eCommerce store on Shopfiy, you may easily migrate your products over to the holiday show marketplace. If you are using another eCommerce platform (Etsy, Wix, WooCommerce), ShowShoppa will assist you to export product details and set up your products. You will be provided access to a store management page and will have full control over pricing, discounting/promotions, and shipping rates for your store within the holiday show marketplace.

Watch the webinar on how to create your account and load your products:

I’ve never sold online. It seems like a lot to do to get started. What if I don’t understand how to do each step?

That’s the benefit of starting with the holiday show shopping site – We are giving you customer service and support along the way. Our partner ShowShoppa will provide you with a Welcome Pack along with tutorial videos and a customer service contact and provide insight and help on everything from Stripe (for your credit card setup) to shipping decisions (as you can set shipping costs through Shopify). This assistance and consultation are at no cost to you. 

Can I only sell products I’m selling at the show?

You may sell any products you wish in the online store however we suggest they are holiday/gift related.

Are there any exceptions to the products I can sell?

Yes, we do not allow the sale of alcohol, CBD or other cannabis related products above the legal THC percentage to sell and ship online, weapons, or any products which use logos or images that may fall under trademark infringement laws. There is no age limit to shop on our site, therefore age restricted products are not allowed.

I can’t ship products, how do I participate?

At this time, as the Holiday Boutique SHOP will be representing different markets and events throughout the USA, shipping is the recommended delivery method.

How many products am I able to sell? What if I have limited inventory?

There are no limits on the number of products you may sell in the Holiday Shop. When setting up your store, you may place availability limits on each product to manage inventory quantities.

I take part in more than one Holiday show, do I need to enter products for each?

I’m in. How do I get started!

You will receive a contract to sign containing an agreement between Marketplace Events and ShowShoppa. This covers all regulations for returns and refunds, Shopify and Stripe payment processing, privacy policy, and terms of service.