The mall kiosk is an increasingly common sight in our daily lives, and it has been attracting more and more sellers. It’s a way to open a low-cost, highly flexible point of sale in a high-traffic area full of customers from the right segment.
In this article, you’ll understand why so many businesses are relying on kiosks as part of their sales strategy. Then you’ll learn how they can be used to deliver different experiences and spark shoppers’ curiosity. Keep reading!
Why invest in a mall kiosk?
Low cost of entry
The initial investment in a kiosk is a small fraction of what an in-line store requires. Recurring labor and rent expenses are also much lower. On top of that, there’s flexibility: it’s easy to move the unit to another floor or even another mall, which is very different from the fixtures of a traditional point of sale.
Multiple locations
For entrepreneurs looking to grow their business, the mall kiosk is an ace up the sleeve. Since retail real estate and extra staff are very expensive, more managers have been placing kiosks in strategic locations, such as neighborhoods or cities other than where they usually sell their products.
Greater visibility
The best spots for in-line stores in a mall are usually already taken by big chains and brands. A kiosk offers a way around this problem, letting you set up in the areas with the highest foot traffic.
Thanks to this visibility, products and services can become well known in a short time. It’s no wonder that major retail chains also use kiosks, even in malls where they already have stores. And you probably know McDonald’s famous ice cream kiosks, usually on a different floor from the restaurant.
Better customer service
In an in-line store, salespeople and customers can go unnoticed by each other, especially if the space is large. At a kiosk, on the other hand, the contact between brand and shoppers is closer. Your team can approach interested customers more easily and, through these conversations, learn a lot about their expectations and needs. Well-trained staff can delight customers more easily.
More customization
You can’t choose the shape of your store; you take it or leave it based on what the mall offers. Changing the storefront, window display, and layout can be quite costly, and every change has to be planned so it doesn’t take up too much room and sacrifice precious square footage. A kiosk, however, can easily take on whatever look you want. Need decorations for Festa Junina or Christmas? Or are you going to use the kiosk for a product launch? It’s done in a snap.
How can you deliver relevant experiences at a mall kiosk?
Choose the right spot
Just like in real estate, location is everything when it comes to kiosks. The choice starts with the mall itself. Is the crowd that shops there the right fit for your products? Once you’ve answered that question, it’s time to decide on the floor and the neighbors, as far as the mall’s rules allow.
A good tip is to set up near stores with a similar profile. A point of sale for T-shirts and products featuring fictional characters, for example, could be on the same floor as the movie theaters. Phone cases should be close to the wireless carriers’ stores, and so on.
Check the kiosk’s structure
The design and location of the spot should let you make the most of it: lighting, outlets, space for customers all the way around the kiosk, etc. If it’s a food-prep kiosk (pretzels, for example), it needs a proper area for that, as well as trash cans. Kiosks with a large product selection can use cubbies to multiply their footprint and increase exposure.
Incorporate technology
Video displays, LED lights, a sound system playing good music, and other eye-catching items help draw in customers. A candy kiosk can have a transparent display case showing chocolate flowing. More complex products that require customer education can benefit from short videos shown on a loop on a TV or monitor.
Offer interactivity
Because it’s so close to the customer, the kiosk delivers a better shopping experience by offering interactive activities. A simple mirror alone gets great results at sunglasses kiosks, for example.
Ice cream and snack stands can greatly increase their customer base by handing out small free samples — “have a little taste” has closed plenty of sales. Your team should also be ready to help. For example, anyone selling phone cases should know how to “dress” the customer’s phone.
Invest in customer service
If customer service is already important in physical stores, it’s even more crucial at kiosks. The relationship between customers and the sales team is very close, and the product becomes the hook — the main topic of conversation between them.
Your salespeople should know how to serve every type of customer and be prepared to answer every question. Instead of following a predetermined script, they need to talk more naturally, like someone chatting at the mall with an acquaintance they haven’t seen in a while.
Make it look great
A successful kiosk is colorful, interactive, attractive, and unique (in other words, different from the others). It allows for plenty of creativity: it can have wheels, wings, flags, characters, and whatever else the imagination can come up with. At the same time, the best look is simple, so the products stand out too. Another tip is to try to engage all five senses in the design: the best mall kiosks, especially food kiosks, have a mouthwatering smell.
In an era when customers shop with more and more information and demand more from brands, the mall kiosk provides a shopping experience that’s hard to achieve consistently in physical stores. With a good location, an eye-catching look, and a team ready to answer any question, kiosks have been multiplying across Brazil because they sell a lot at a low cost.
Were these recommendations helpful to you? Get in touch with us, and let’s talk about how kiosks can boost your company’s sales.
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