Dividing sellers into sections

[The Chris McKenna]

One idea we are working on for this year is to separate the Nominoichi sellers into sub sections.

Right now every table is assigned almost randomly and if a buyer is only interested in games, (or fashion, or manga, etc..) they have to walk the entire event looking at every table to find those things.

This year we are planning to arrange sellers who want to specialize in selling a type of item into sections, so buyers who are looking for those items can find them with less difficulty.

A few points to consider:

• This will not change the price of any table.
• Sellers is any section are not limited in what they can or can't sell, (while following the global rules of the Nominoichi). Therefore, sellers in the games section would still be allowed to sell Manga, DVDS, etc...
• Likewise, sellers do NOT have to be in a specific section to sell something, you can sell game items from any table in any section at the Nominoichi.
• There will still be a large part of the Nominoichi to remain for general goods, or non-specific (a non-section)
• Sellers will have to decide what section, if any, they would like to be in. We won't assign you anywhere. The default would be the general section
• Sellers in groups of 2 or 3 tables will have to all be in or out of the same section

We are also very interested in your feedback on this idea.

Do you think it's a good or bad idea?
Do you have any further questions? (I'd assume so)

What other sections would you like to see the the Nominoichi?

[TK Gaming]

I think it's a swell idea because of course it's great to know exactly where you need to go to get the goods you want. But I think the glaring problem with that is the more popular categories are going to have significantly higher traffic than usual. It's crowded enough getting around to look at things and I think the random placement helps even things out.

[darkinsanity13]

I agree that it's a neat idea, because it does give buyers who are just looking for certain types of merchandise less ground to cover as well as sellers more targeted buyers so they're more likely to get the kind of people looking for their merchandise.

The downside to it is that I feel certain sellers might experience less traffic than what they would normally, because buyers will be less likely to go to sections they're not as interested in and therefore less likely to thoroughly browse or impulse buy. I also agree with tktowa in that certain sections may experience heavier traffic, but I think that already somewhat happens with sections positioned near the entrance(s).

In any case, I think it'd be something at least worth testing out. Just wondering though, would the category assignments be dependant on what the seller tells you - for instance, say when someone is applying for a table, they would state which section they would like to be in (or leave it blank to remain in the general section) - or would they be assigned at your discretion? I'm assuming the former rather than the latter as I feel like having to submit inventory lists for Nomi staff to look through would mean more work on your part and an extra step for sellers who may not be entirely sure of their exact inventory until the event. I suppose I kinda answered my own question there but some clarification wouldn't hurt, lol

[The Chris McKenna]

Again this is something we are thinking about experimenting with this year.

Once we have a better idea about what sections we'll want to include, then part of the signup process will allow sellers to decide what section, if any, they'd like to be put in.

We will not be asking for inventory lists as part of the sign up process. However, we do encourage sellers to post a list here once they have a table assigned. 

[Deleted]

I admire the idea, but I agree that it could detract from sales, especially for people in the "general" section. For example, let's say I have an equal number of manga and video games that I'm selling, so I don't want to be placed in either specific section. Buyers who are looking specifically for those two things would go to those two sections first, meaning they're not coming to me because they think I'm not prominently selling either, when in fact I am prominently selling both.

Also, because sellers aren't limited to selling items relevant to their specific sections, those who are in specific sections are also going to be getting more impulse buys from outside their section. "I didn't come to the video game section to buy a set of manga, but since I'm already here, it beats walking over to the manga section to look for it there".

Furthermore, if you're in a section selling specific things, you're likely going to run out of those things pretty quickly, and be left with stuff from other sections that people who aren't impulse buyers are going to gloss over. If I'm in the section for selling video games, and I run out of video games, I now have to rely on impulse buying alone to sell the rest of my stuff, because people who are looking specifically for it are going to be in the section dedicated to it.

TL;DR - Convenient for buyers to an extent, but not so much for sellers. Decent idea, but the drawbacks are pretty significant.

[kittyjordz]

It's a great idea! Unless you're me.... I tend to have a splash of each category on my table whenever I sell, what can I say I'm a diverse collector. I enjoy the idea of a general section based on that but I know there are A LOT of specialized sellers and this would certainly help them and their buyers out a lot

[Dragongoose]

so having a miscellaneous section would be a suggestion, so people with a mix of various things could be placed

[The Chris McKenna]

Feb 2, 2018 20:18:15 GMT -5 Dragongoose said:

so having a miscellaneous section would be a suggestion, so people with a mix of various things could be placed

How would this be different from a "general items" section?

[ajthecollector]

Given how chaotic the Nomi has normally gotten, how often I've found myself forgetting to pick up certain reserved items, and my habit of organizing my purchases by type into particular bags, I think this clip expresses perfectly how I feel about this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_X7X-L3n0E

I look forward to seeing how this new plan benefits the Nomi!

[Dragongoose]

Feb 4, 2018 16:30:12 GMT -5 ajthecollector said:

Given how chaotic the Nomi has normally gotten, how often I've found myself forgetting to pick up certain reserved items, and my habit of organizing my purchases by type into particular bags, I think this clip expresses perfectly how I feel about this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_X7X-L3n0E

I look forward to seeing how this new plan benefits the Nomi!

point taken 


I have a different suggestion, The convention should supply signs for each table, or something to hang the sign from, so its not easily blocked by foot traffic around each table, if there also could be a way string the signs above each table or something like that, it would decreases people trying to barge through other people to find the right table they are looking for. 

[straywind]

I'm not 100% sure how I stand on this suggestion. I've actually been trying to think of a reply for a few days, but I'm just not sure. I think dividing sellers can be a great thing because I know it can get super chaotic especially in the first hour or so as people are coming in who have reservations to pick up or people who are just trying to find the best deals as the event starts. I know for last year, I had a table well away from the main entrance and I found it to rarely be super busy on my end, but that's just the roll of the dice for table placement. It made keeping an eye on my table easier, anyway, and I still sold fairly well.

I definitely wonder, like Dragongoose mentioned, how will sections be advertised when people come in to the Nomi? I mean signs on easels on the floor or hanging signs? I know table signs have always been a point of confusion for sellers and customers. For my table last year we had a big sign on a pole, which worked great, although it didn't quite stand up properly all the time because our rig wasn't perfect.

Another question I have is regarding the policy to allow sellers to request to have their table beside another seller's table. If tables are sectioned off, would that policy be discontinued? If you're selling predominately figures, but your friend is mostly selling Manga would that mean you can't have your tables together?

Personally I sell quite a variety of goods so I'm not sure where my table would stand in terms of sections. I guess I would be in a general section which is no different from the usual table situation so sectioning things off is not something that I have a strong opinion on.

I do remember that that the clothing tables used to have their own section which was probably convenient for people who are into that category. I had a table beside a mostly clothing focused table last year and they had a non-conventional setup with a small table they brought and a clothing rack after their standard table was removed. It was just a bit awkward for spacing between our tables. I suppose that has no bearing on this topic. It was just an observation for sellers in the clothing category. Putting those kinds of tables together, though, might make sense based on the non-conventional setup.

Not sure if I shed any light on this topic, but those are my suggestions and observations.

[The Chris McKenna]

If people want to be in a group of 2 or more tables they still can. However, if any member wants to be in a specific section, then all the members of that group must also be in the same section. We can’t accommodate requests to put one table in this section, one table in another section, and have both tables next to each other.

We will continue to reccomend that sellers make their own signs. Flags and banners are also welcome, as long as they are not in the way.

[redstars]

I love the idea of sections for sellers, but so many of the tables I see are varied that I feel like they'd end up in the "General" section anyway. From past years, my best guess would be that "manga/DVD" would be a viable section on it's own, maybe gaming, and then a smaller general section for those with other items/mixed tables.


Other suggestions - I'd really like to have table numbers be a little more visible. I don't think AN needs to have every table number visible upon entry, but it'd be nice to have signs at each aisle end with something like "N###-N###". It would make it much easier to navigate, especially for those of us that end up doing multiple pickups from many tables.

I know the room Nomi is held in is huge now, but last year it was so hot and it stunk. It felt humid. I mean, I know it's gotten to be a huge event but it was far worse than dealers has ever been. I have no idea if you guys can crank the AC, throw in some fans or something but it was not pleasant to be in there and this was only 30 minutes after it opened.

[The Chris McKenna]

The AC was on maximum. There is only so much we can do about the heat and humidity.

[ajthecollector]

Honestly, I think last year the heat and humidity was a lot less terrible than it had been before. The hall it was in last year should definitely be where it is this year, IMO.