Seasonal show teams up with online marketplace to help brands take orders
Autumn Fair has announced an exclusive partnership with Faire, one of Europe’s leading online wholesale marketplaces, to help brands take orders at the September show.
This collaboration is aimed at bridging online and offline wholesale for the first time in the UK and simplify the buying process for up to 20,000 independent retailers set to attend the seasonal showcase for the home, gift, greetings and fashion industries.
Exhibitors who use Faire will be featured in a new collection on its website, aimed at increasing their visibility among the marketplace’s hundreds of thousands of global retailers.
And retailer visitors to Autumn Fair, which runs over 1-4 September at Birmingham’s NEC, will receive a 50% discount as new customers, as well as gain access to Faire’s extensive global network of brands, helping them to discover unique products, streamline their buying process and benefit from 60-day payment terms available on the platform.
Jackson Szabo, Spring & Autumn Fair portfolio director, said: “This exclusive partnership with Faire allows our exhibitors access to a considerable new audience of retailers and gives independent retailers the opportunity to engage directly with suppliers and explore new products showcased at Autumn Fair on Faire’s platform.
“The partnership will empower independent retailers by offering them a broader range of unique products, fostering networking opportunities, and providing access to valuable resources and insights, ultimately helping them thrive in a competitive market while maintaining their individuality and community presence.”
A coordinated campaign will take place throughout the summer to show retailers and brands how to leverage this collaboration most effectively.
Jackson said the partnership came from a desire from retailers to experience the best of both in-person and online buying.
Trade shows like Autumn Fair offer buyers the joy of discovery, where buyers can touch and feel products, get inspired, and network but, in an increasingly digital industry, retailers are also seeking the reach and simplicity that platforms like Faire offer, allowing them to instantly connect with brands around the world, streamline their logistics, and manage their cash flow in one place.
“So much has changed since Brexit and Covid,” commented Katie Holmes from Autumn Fair exhibitor Sting In The Tail. “After 30 years of exhibiting the need for us to reassess the way we support existing customers and find new ones was urgent.
“Since joining Faire our existing customers benefit from having an easy way to browse our products, place orders and have extended credit terms, particularly welcome in the current climate.
“As a business we have found many new customers who have never attended trade shows, while we had an online presence on a large marketplace and found a way, once again, to export to the EU and beyond.
“The synergy of exhibiting in person and selling on Faire gives us a presence in both worlds. They are both vital and complementary. This partnership will encourage the online-only buyers to attend Autumn Fair and see all our products, and encourage small, online, Faire-only suppliers to exhibit. It represents a resetting of the giftware trade marketplace.”
And Charlotte Broadbent, UK country manager from Faire, added: “As the largest global online wholesale marketplace, Faire has connected almost one million independent retailers with unique products.
“We are proud to partner with Autumn Fair to demonstrate how the UK’s two leading figures in the online and offline worlds can work together for the benefit of the industry. Together, we will help brands increase their sales and streamline their business, while enabling retailers to discover their next bestsellers.”
