Advice on buttons, please?

[RavenMoon]

For those of you who sell buttons, I'd really like your input.

I absolutely love the mini-buttons (they're freakin adorable) and am now the proud owner of my own press!  My designs which I'm currently using for t-shirts and stickers translate really well to this format.

However, I currently don't have any items for sale at my booth under $6.  I can't decide if adding $1 buttons will take away from sales of my current merchandise, or if it will bring in more of the con-goers who want something small and quick.  What's your experience?  Am I going to be cutting into my other merchandise by adding buttons, or do you find it's two separate types of shoppers?

Do the larger 3" buttons do well at all?  It seems all I see are the mini ones...

Thanks!

[Chrislea]

Sometimes people who wouldn't spend anything at your table will buy a button just because of the low price.  I don't know if it hurts large-item sales or not, but it certainly does bring in a few small ones. 

[Spizzy]

personally, buttons I think have taken away from my other sales. I used to mostly sell badges, but the second I make a button of anything that's on a badge, they buy the button instead and I only sell badges when the buttons have run out. Since you don't actually sell pictures like paper artists do (same image on a print and a bookmark and abadge and a sticker and a button etc) I don't think it would really take away from yours,since you make 3-d stuff and it could even be a give away sort of thing for people that make higher purchases like your paws or larger fuzumi (since I know you raised their prices recently). and of course you know I'd happily help you with button things and designing

as for the big buttons (2.5" +) meauho's do really well, but they're also friggin HILARIOUS, totally dirty dirty, and only a dollar. I think large buttons are better for phrases or epic artwork that people don't have on any other format, I think your mascot fluffballs would be better on 1.25" ish size

[RavenMoon]

Yeah, I was thinking to make one composite multi-critter stylized design for the bigger ones to try it out.... and maybe mess around with the colors to have a few different ones, but same artwork, iono.

WAIT......I'll have to check with my servants, *ahem* extremely helpful HELPERS (yes, I'm incredibly grateful for all the small odds and ends they give me a hand with...like running fleece through the die-cut, etc, though feel incredibly badly for depending on them so much at times) to see if they have time to assist with assembly....CUZ IT"S NOT LIKE I HAVE ANY FREAKING TIME!!!!

Spizzy- thanks soooooo very much for the offer.  I might even have to take you up on that!

[meauho]

Our buttons are doing stupid/ crazy.  For us, selling buttons doesn't take away from our other products - we'll sell approximately 1/2 our buttons on Sunday when people are down to their last dollar.  With us, however, most of our products are in the $30 - $60 range (some lower, some higher), so a $1 or $5 sale rarely affects customers buying our other products.

[electriksunshine]

mine are the same way. i had $5-$60 items at my table, and the people who bought buttons were people who didn't seem interested in my other stuff. one girl was like YOU HAVE BUTTONZ, I MUST HAZ! and didn't even look at anything but the buttons. :/

[Ladre]

one girl was like YOU HAVE BUTTONZ, I MUST HAZ! and didn't even look at anything but the buttons. :/

Yeaah that's my experience too. People (and by people, I mean female people) make a beeline to the button display, order some buttons and then walk away without looking at anything else. So, either they're only interested in buttons, and they wouldn't have visited my table at all were it not for buttons, or the buttons just narrowed their focus and once they had bought their buttons, they didn't want to look at anything else. I think some people visit every table once and try to find 1-2 things to buy from each table, so once they've found that 1-2 things, they move on never to return. And if that's your strategy as a customer, little $1 things are very appealing.

My assumption is that buttons *do* take away from my other sales, but I can't be totally sure about it. Next weekend might be the first time I go to a con without bringing my buttons, I shall either be very happy or very regretful that I didn't bring them...

Interestingly, I did have several people at San Japan do this: They would come by my table in the evening/afternoon or at the end of the con, and be like "Ohh I don't recognize this stuff, have we been here before? I don't think so... OH BUTTONS! Oh yeah I remember these! I bought this one and this one and this one." The fact that they recognized the buttons but couldn't even remember if they had been to my table until they saw the buttons, makes me think they probably ignored everything else at the table in favor of buttons =P

[Starrydance]

I think they do take away from other sales, but since almost EVERYONE EVER at my table buys $5 worth of buttons and my cost is so low on them, I cant exactly cry about it.

People tend to spend $5 at my table anyway, two badges, or 6 buttons, or whatever. Ill occasionally get people but 'a' button - but only a few times someone has looked at a print or more expensive item and someone went OH, I could get (insert how many buttons) HERE for THAT.

So for me, yeah sure they tend to gravitate towards the buttons but as they are my biggest profit margin, easiest to replenish, easiest to store AND display - Im rather happy with that.

Now, I do sell all three 'major' sizes - 1", 1.25", and 2.25". I find overall the biggest buttons only sell to those that would tend to buy prints - so those totally do prolly take away from print/larger item sales.  Ive found the 1.25" to be surprisingly popular.

[RavenMoon]

Thanks everyone for all your VERY helpful advice!!!  'preciate all of ya!