As 2021 comes to a close, it’s time to start thinking about trends, styles, and new products for next year. Market is a prime opportunity to shop from the biggest wholesalers who carry popular, best-selling brands.
You can also live sell directly from the event, either from the CommentSold booth or by booking with participating wholesalers who allow retailers to go live from their spaces.
We’ve prepared steps for going live from market for newbies, followed by a list of our recommended 2022 markets so you can start planning your travel schedule as you think about new products for your brand in the year to come.
Why You Should Attend Market
Market is essentially a wholesale trade show for attendees who are in the retail industry. It’s a prime opportunity to visit (often hundreds or even thousands) of booths from wholesalers who are in attendance to showcase and sell the newest trends and styles for the upcoming season. Boutique owners, for example, can place an order for merchandise on the spot to sell in their stores once it arrives.
The benefits of attending market are plentiful for retailers! These include:
- Seeing, feeling, and trying out merchandise in person before placing an order from a vendor.
- Building relationships with wholesalers and getting questions answered on the spot.
- Discovering new products and styles that align with your shop’s brand and target customer.
- Attending educational workshops, demonstrations, and fashion shows.
- Networking with your industry peers and celebrating your success at after-hours events.
- Getting a live demonstration of CommentSold’s e-commerce platform.
How to Go Live from Market
CommentSold attends several markets each year and offers our customers the opportunity to live sell straight from our booth. This allows attendees to live sell sample garments they’ve bought from wholesalers (via cash-and-carry), giving their customers a sneak peek into what the shop will carry in the upcoming season. It also ensures retailers make the most of their time at market.
Note: The only requirements to go live with us as market are being a CommentSold customer, getting your account set up, and adding products. You can get full access with us free for 30 days by starting a trial.
Once you’re set up, follow these steps to sell live on-site like a pro:
- Reserve your live studio
For each market CommentSold attends, we’ll have a designated scheduling page for you to reserve your live-selling slot with your favorite wholesaler or at an independent live studio. Be sure to check our events page for updates!
CommentSold Pro-Tip: Reserve your spot as far ahead of market as possible! You can do this online and select your location, time slot, and wholesaler showroom all in one go. - Connect with your chosen vendor
Expect a call or email from the wholesaler you selected. They’ll help you choose items you want to showcase during your live sale, and they’ll give you details on their expected shipping times so you can plan for order fulfillment.
CommentSold Pro-Tip: If you’re going live from an independent live studio hosted by CommentSold, be sure to arrive 30 minutes early to check-in and set up the items you’ve gathered from one or multiple wholesalers. - Promote your upcoming live sale
Start building hype among your customer base across your communication channels—share the date and time of your live sale and encourage mobile app users to turn on notifications so they can tune in and shop when you go live. - Get to your vendor’s booth on time
Arrive at your wholesaler’s booth one hour before you plan to go live if you have not yet chosen items you plan to show off during the live sale. If you’ve already selected items with your vendor in advance, you can get there 30 minutes ahead of “go time.”
CommentSold Pro-Tip: Each wholesaler showroom will be filled with clothing racks that contain sample sizes—colors on hangers coordinate with the vendor’s delivery schedule. - Load inventory into your CommentSold Dashboard
Log in to your account and add product details so your shoppers know what to comment to cart. - Download the CommentSold Broadcast app
If you haven’t already, make sure your mobile device is loaded with the CommentSold Broadcast app so you can live-stream professional-quality video across your selling channels. - Utilize the equipment provided for you
CommentSold will have a laptop, monitor, ring light, and clothing rack set up in both the participating wholesaler’s booth and the CommentSold independent live studio. You are free to use these during your live sale.
CommentSold Pro-Tip: Bring a trusted helper or two to show off different-sized items or interact with you during the live sale so you feel comfortable and natural. - Get on-site support
A dedicated CommentSold support specialist will be there, in person, to assist you before, during, and after you go live.
CommentSold Pro-Tip: If you have a larger team with you, CommentSold’s independent live studio will have plenty of space for you to stream your live sale.
Retailers specializing in clothing and accessories have several apparel-related markets to attend throughout the year, while more niche sellers have just a few to choose from. Some store owners may try to hit every market as possible, and others may pick just a few depending on the needs of their shops and customers.
CommentSold will set up live-selling stations and in-person demos at the following markets throughout 2022. We hope to see you there!
January
Jan. 5-7
Surf Expo
Orlando, FL
From surf gear to resortwear, Surf Expo is the largest and longest-running tradeshow for products and styles in the board sports and beach lifestyle industries.
Jan. 11-14
Dallas Apparel & Accessories Market
Dallas, TX
Discover the latest trends in women’s fashion and accessories from thousands of established and emerging retail brands.
Jan. 12-16
Atlanta Market – Home & Gift
Atlanta, GA
This is your one-stop-shop for gift products and home decor across all categories, including seasonal, gourmet, tabletop, outdoor, and more.
February
Feb. 2-4
Atlanta Apparel
Atlanta, GA
The first of eight yearly tradeshows, the February Atlanta Apparel market is the place to go for the latest spring and summer contemporary merchandise.
Feb. 14-16
MAGIC
Las Vegas, NV
Shop a diverse selection of women’s and men’s clothing in the presence of other retailers, from big-box to boutique, along with influencers, media, and industry thought leaders.
Feb. 27-Mar. 1
MAGIC
New York, NY
The New York MAGIC event is the East Coast home for women’s young contemporary fashions, as well as sportswear, footwear, accessories, and more.
March
March 22-25
Dallas Apparel & Accessories
Dallas, TX
The second Dallas market is where you can discover the latest styles in apparel and accessories, along with gifts, gourmet, and houseware products.
April
April 12-14
Quilt Market
Salt Lake City, UT
The International Quilt Market is the only wholesale trade show for the quilting, textile, and soft crafts industry. This is the premier event for browsing exhibitors offering fabrics, quilting tools and supplies, patterns, finished goods, and more.
April 13-15
Atlanta Apparel
Atlanta, GA
The second Atlanta Apparel market of the year will feature categories ranging from ready-to-wear and young contemporary to jewelry, shoes, and accessories.
May
May 16-17
MAGIC
Nashville, TN
The spirit of MAGIC will come to Nashville in spring. The high-energy event will feature vendors specializing in women’s trends and young contemporary styles.
June
June 8-10
Atlanta Apparel
Atlanta, GA
The June Atlanta Apparel market presents an opportunity to wrap up buying fall/winter seasonal clothing or pick up summer immediates and specialty game-day apparel.
June 14-17
Dallas Apparel & Accessories
Dallas, TX
Shop from thousands of wholesale women’s apparel, fashion accessories, footwear, beauty, and wellness product lines across dozens of categories.
July
July 12-18
Atlanta Market – Home & Gift
Atlanta, GA
Shop housewares and gift products from temporary exhibitors and showrooms alike. Mingle with influencers, retail experts, store owners, designers, media, and manufacturers.
August
Aug. 2-6
Atlanta Apparel
Atlanta, GA
Check out holiday, resort, winter, and immediates for women’s apparel, as well as spring/summer children’s styles at the August Atlanta Apparel market.
Aug. 8-10
MAGIC
Las Vegas, NV
MAGIC helps buyers and brands form relationships on-site while also experiencing learning, networking, and opportunities for conducting new business. The show will return to the Las Vegas Convention Center in August.
Aug. 23-26
Dallas Apparel & Accessories
Dallas, TX
Dallas market continues to be the premier resource for retailers to find the latest in young contemporary, contemporary, western, children’s, and more.
September
Sept. 8-10
Surf Expo
Orlando, FL
Surf Expo Summer will feature products from the watersports and coastal life industries, including surf, wake, paddle, skate, swim, boutique, resort, coastal gift, and footwear.
Sept. 18-20
MAGIC
New York, NY
This is your last chance to check out the women’s East Coast MAGIC market event in 2022. It will feature trend, young contemporary, sportswear, footwear, accessories, and children’s categories, spanning accessible to moderate price points.
October
Oct. 12-14
Atlanta Apparel
Atlanta, GA
The October Atlanta Apparel market will introduce spring and resort trends for women’s apparel, as well as holiday and winter immediate.
Oct. 25-28
Dallas Apparel
Dallas, TX
The last of the five Dallas Apparel & Accessories markets for the year will be a key resource for retailers to find the latest in young contemporary, contemporary, Western/English, men’s, children’s, and more.
Oct. 28-31
Quilt Market
Houston, TX
Heading to Houston for the fall/winter season, Quilt Market will bring 500 exhibitor companies in more than 1,000 booths. Attendees should plan out what they are open to buying for at least the next four to six months in the textiles, crafts, and quilt supply and product categories.
Learn How to Buy from Wholesalers
Now that you know the ins and outs of attending and hosting a live sale from market, we’ve prepared a guide to introduce you to 20 trusted vendors you can meet and shop with at the events! Download your copy here!
