⭐ Never Select Software at a Tradeshow – Here is Why

You work for a retail or hospitality group and have been tasked with finding a retail audit, task management or store communication software solution. “The tradeshow will have what I need, right?”. Yes, and no. Here is why.

What is tradeshow software?

You have seen it in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Las Vegas and wherever retail tradeshows are held. Tradeshow software is software you see at retail and hospitality tradeshows. It’s hard to miss. Friendly people are at the booth, and they all wear the same branded t-shirt. They give away pens and keychains!

Unfortunately, you can’t really see this software, touch or use it. You go to the vendor’s website and don’t see pricing either. Sure, there is a pricing page, but it says, “Contact us”. At this point, you still don’t know what it does exactly or how much it costs but you do have a pen.

You can’t use this software and can’t vet it until you contact the vendor. What it lacks in detail, tradeshow software makes up in promises. [Solution X] is the single best thing since sliced bread; ROI is 4,000%; it is god’s gift to your business. Sounds familiar?

Why do some software vendors sell almost exclusively at tradeshows?

Some software companies haven’t in fact invested in “productizing” their offering. They have a codebase, sure, but to make that codebase work for you, they need to perform “integration” which means lengthy and costly consulting hours. Why can Salesforce.com and Google Apps offer web-configurable products and yet some software vendors insist on billing for consulting work to do the same?

Hiding details is also an effective way of hiding shortcomings. Perhaps it’s hard to configure, or use. Making promises and delivering value statements is a lot safer than incurring the scrutiny of users trying and vetting your product, in the field.

Another reason some vendors do it is because, frankly, it may just work. This is how. Pick a trade show and purchase a nice booth. Hand out goodies. Meet tons of well-intentioned buyers and make a lot of promises. Don’t show much. Next thing you know, you’re selling software to those who never looked elsewhere.

Be Alert (and Defensive)

Judging a vendor by the size of its booth at a retail trade show is perhaps the worst “metric” you can use. Here is why.

While there is nothing wrong with trade shows per se, a trade show is hardly indicative of what a technology vendor, particularly a software vendor, is capable of. Bits and bytes and “tradeshow booth” go together like ketchup and peanut butter.

If your technology vendor can’t demonstrate they are nimble and quick-to-market, skip them.

If you can’t see and try a product in a matter of hours, move on.

If integration costs real money, it means the offering isn’t productized; keep looking.

If your technology vendor could do these things any other way, they would.

Buying from the tradeshow-ware vendor could mean you are buying the worst of the software lot, buyer beware.

Tradeshow software is almost always materially more expensive too. It costs a lot of money to exhibit at a tradeshow, vendors who do this must charge more. Do you like paying 75% more on software licensing costs?

What to do instead

When buying software for your retail and hospitality business, talk to your peers and do some unbiased research with your favorite search or AI engine. You will most likely come across Bindy. Bindy not only has a 4.9 review rating on Capterra, it is priced by usage, not users, and has predictable and competitive pricing. Tradeshows are great, just not for software. You won’t find Bindy at a tradeshow but you can and should try it for 14 days!

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Top brands in United States use Bindy for audits, tasks and communication across their retail and hospitality network.