Make your market stall stand out and attract more customers by following these 9 simple tips
Have you ever wondered why some market stalls are always busy with queues of customers lining up to buy their products whilst other stalls seem to struggle?
Well, it’s usually because they have a number of important things in place to attract customers.
So how can you make your market stall stand out and attract more customers? It starts with having clear signage and a company name that is explicit in what you sell; a good presentation of how your stall looks to the outside world; and the type of product you sell.
These are probably the most important factors, however, there are a few more elements involved in attracting customers to your market stall and ultimately making sales – We will go into these in more detail in this article.
1. Clear signage
More often than not the first thing people will notice, especially from a distance, is your signage and there are a few things you can do to help your signage stand out.
- Make sure the font of your company name is clear and is in large writing so it can be read clearly.
- If you are in a row with other market stalls on either side of you, elevate your banner by using poles and tie straps so that your stall stands higher above the other stalls.
- Make use of kerbside menu boards and position them at each end of the street to grab people’s attention. Customers won’t be able to see your main signage from the side on so it’s a good way to signpost them to your stall.
2. Stall business name
There is nothing more frustrating for a customer than trying to work out what a business actually does. Most of the time people will just walk away instead of asking what you do as a business and risk feeling stupid.
It’s therefore good practice to be clear about what you sell from your stall. You can do this by having your main products or niche in the name of your business.
So for example “Bobs Bits & Pieces” is a bit vague and doesn’t really tell you what it sells. On the other hand “Bev’s Baked Goods”, shouldn’t leave you in much doubt about what sort of market stall it is.
You also want to try and keep your market stall name short and snappy, using no more than 3-4 words.
3. Products
It’s a fact of commerce that some products just sell better than others and all the marketing techniques in the world just won’t attract customers to your market stall if it’s not in demand.
This may be a hard one to resolve if you have already committed yourself to a particular brand identity around certain products.
If, however, you are at the start of creating a market stall and choosing what to sell, or in a niche that has some flexibility in the type of products you can sell then it’s probably a good idea to do some product research.
Some popular market stall items include:
- Street food
- Fruit & veg
- Baked goods (cakes & bread)
- Pet accessories
- Flowers
- Vintage clothing
- Arts & crafts
- Hot chilli sauces
4. Good presentation
If you have good signage then this will attract people to your market stall and the next thing they notice will be your overall presentation. This is where you can really make your stall stand out.
Make sure your presentation is neat and tidy and not too cluttered so that customers can distinguish what you sell. It’s good practice to have a 3-tier display shelf so your products are elevated.
Certain products are also more eye-catching than others, such as fruit and veg and cake stalls, where the color and visual appeal really help to stand out and draw people in. So make the most of this if you sell these types of products.
5. Clear pricing
It’s one thing attracting people to your stall, but your main goal is to make a sale and hence a profit. Therefore, you want to make sure your pricing is competitive and in line with what products you are selling.
You also need to make sure your pricing is clear so that people know what they will potentially pay. And it’s a good idea to make the offering more appealing by introducing things like 20% discounts & three-for-two deals on certain products.
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6. Service with a smile!
Have you ever been in a store where the staff were miserable and not very helpful? I bet you weren’t very inspired to make a purchase.
Well, nothing is more attractive than a warm and welcoming smile, especially for attracting customers, and shouldn’t be underestimated. Not only does it help your market stall stand out but it also helps to make people feel at ease and more likely to buy your products.
7. Take card payments
The old saying “cash is king” is more like “credit card is king” these days and you will often find that customers ask if you take card payments. It’s therefore good practice to give your customers the flexibility to pay by card and cash.
You can advertise this on your menu boards, by putting up a Visa/Mastercard sticker that comes with mobile payment systems.
8. Get a queue
Have you ever seen a queue at a stall or retail shop and thought what they are selling must be good so I’ll join it? well if you have you are not alone. People are social animals and like to go where others are.
So, If you can implement all of the tips we have discussed and get a queue then this will create a compound effect where people really start to notice your stall and in turn, you attract more customers. Which is the whole point of this article right?
9. Be Creative
Finally, just try and be creative, whatever that means to you. Get some ideas from other stalls that do well, or other types of businesses in your industry.
This could be emulating how other stalls layout their goods or getting design ideas from window displays from popular high street stores and incorporating them into your own set-up.
But try to be unique and offer a visual experience that no other market stall is doing.
Key takeaways
If you want to make your market stall stand out and attract more customers an easy way to look at these tips is to break them down into a 3-step process – 1. Presentation > 2. Product > Price. This is known in marketing as the “Three P’s”.
Think of your market stall as a storefront. Think about your signage, how your products are arranged, and the general presentation of your stall and how it is presented to the outside world.
If you get the presentation right, then customers will move on to the second step, the Product. This is where they come to see what you are selling and if your products are what they are looking for.
Finally, if the product is the right fit then they will look at the price. And if it’s at the right price or if you have some good discounts in place then you make the sale. It’s pretty simple really!
Author
Gavin D is the founder of Street Food Central and Tru Foo Juice Bar Co. and has worked in the mobile catering industry for over 7 years.