What You’ll Want To Know Starting A Mall Kiosk Business
Mall Kiosk Business Overview:
As a mall kiosk owner, you can be creative and sell products and services in a high traffic area without the high cost of retail store space.
Once owned and run by individual owners who resold items they purchased wholesale, mall kiosks have been expanding as franchises around the world.
Think about Kodak alone and you can probably count the number of times you had seen kiosks in mall areas, especially during the days of dropping off film and picking up pictures.
Having a mall kiosk is often having the best of two worlds: a retail shop and sometimes franchisor backing without the initial cash outlay with other traditional brick-and-mortar establishments.
Skill Set:
- Excellent customer service
- Non pressured sales skills
- Retail management, people-skills
- Passion and knowledge of the products being sold
- Inventory management skills
- Ability to create eye-pleasing displays
- List of Common Business Skills
Employee and Job Consideration During The Start-Up Phase or In The Future:
- Manager
- Common staff positions needed to run some businesses
Approximate Daily Hours Needed:
You’re looking at 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. retail hours.
Equipment, Supplies, & Services During Start-up OR In The Future:
- Cash register or lockbox
- A merchant account for accepting credit cards
- Comfortable seating and card tables for displaying products
- Signage
- Video camera for monitoring transactions and watching for theft
- Locking showcases
- Essential Office Equipment
- See Our List of General Retail Equipment
Monthly Expenses and Operating Costs To Consider:
- Space rental
- Kiosk rental
- List of common business skills
Licenses:
See Our Page on Licenses and Permits
Approximate Minimum Startup Cost:
Starting a mall kiosk is fairly inexpensive compared to other types of retail; as low as $1,500 versus $10,000 per month for a retail store space.
Special Requirements:
You must have the ability to work long hours, be punctual, and keep accurate inventory and records.
Pros and Cons:
The Pros:
- There can be a lot of profit to be made with a mall kiosk
- Inventory can be changed easily according to consumer demand
- Stock is minimal and inventory is easier to manage than in brick-and-mortar retail
- Cheaper in overhead and the same exposure as a conventional storefront
- You have the flexibility of selling products along with services
The Cons:
- You may have to work many hours straight without a break
- There is a lot of standing while dealing with customers
- You must go to extra efforts to not appear “fly-by-night”
- Susceptibility to theft
- Products need to be removed and secured each night and put back out in the morning
