Understanding Exposure at the Market

Why This Matters at Old Town Farm & Art Market

At Old Town Farm & Art Market, exposure happens constantly. Thousands of customers move through the market each week, but exposure alone doesn’t guarantee engagement or sales. Understanding how exposure works helps vendors set realistic expectations and make smarter decisions about booth setup, positioning, and presence.

This resource focuses on how customers encounter booths as they move through the market—and how vendors can become more aware of that process.

What “Exposure” Means in a Market Setting

Exposure occurs any time a customer:

  • Passes your booth

  • Sees your signage, products, or display

  • Becomes aware that your business exists

Exposure happens before engagement, conversation, or purchase. Every vendor receives exposure simply by being present—but how that exposure registers varies widely.

Exposure Is Influenced by Movement and Flow

Customers don’t move through the market randomly. Their paths are shaped by:

  • Intentional product grouping and market layout

  • Entry points and exits

  • Crowd density

  • Music, food, and activity areas

  • Aisle width and visibility

While exposure may vary throughout the day based on timing and movement, there are no “bad” booth locations at the market. Customers regularly circulate through the entire site, and every booth benefits from consistent visibility over the course of the market.

Visibility vs. Attention

Being visible doesn’t always mean being noticed.

We often see differences between:

  • Booths that customers walk past without registering

  • Booths that consistently catch a glance

  • Booths that prompt customers to slow down or return later

Small details, such as signage placement, display height, or booth openness, can influence whether exposure turns into attention.

Setting Realistic Expectations

Not every customer who passes a booth will stop. That’s normal at a busy, multi-vendor market.

Helpful mindset shifts include:

  • Viewing exposure as cumulative over time

  • Recognizing that many purchases happen after multiple passes

  • Understanding that some customers return later or another week

Exposure builds familiarity, which often precedes engagement and sales.

Using Awareness to Improve Exposure

Rather than trying to increase foot traffic, many vendors benefit from simply observing how exposure already happens.

This may include:

  • Watching how customers approach from different directions

  • Noticing where eyes naturally land first

  • Seeing which parts of the booth are most visible from the aisle

  • Paying attention to timing patterns throughout the day

These observations often inform small, effective adjustments.

Common Challenges We See

Exposure can be limited when:

  • Booths blend into surrounding visuals

  • Signage isn’t visible from a distance

  • Displays block sightlines into the booth

  • Vendors are disengaged or hard to approach

These issues often affect awareness before a customer ever decides to stop.

Practical Ways to Think About Exposure

Vendors often strengthen exposure by:

  • Ensuring clear visibility from multiple angles

  • Keeping primary signage unobstructed

  • Making key products visible at eye level

  • Observing customer movement during different times of day

Exposure improves through awareness, not force.

(Optional resource for vendors interested in understanding how customers encounter booths and how visibility influences engagement.)