Step-By-Step Guide To Starting A New Market Stall

When was the last time you visited a market stall at a chic open-air fair? Summertime may be the best time to take your business outside. Of course, your effort must be supported by the right infrastructure setup. It’s important to be thoroughly prepared before opening for business. In this article, you will know Step-By-Step Guide To Starting A New Market Stall.

Some time back, you may have considered putting up a stall as part of your marketing and business scaling efforts, given the current pandemic conditions. But wouldn’t it be fun to consider launching your products and brand once again face to face with consumers in the beautiful outdoors? 

Market fairs, expos, and trade exhibitions are not business concepts of the past. Rather, these opportunities remain viable options for any size of business. Whether you’re selling a professional service, homemade chocolate, or even curtains, the possibilities for increasing sales are huge. 

Here is a step-by-step guide to get you going and inspire you with ideas on how to start a new market stall. 

1. Find The Perfect Location And Get Approved

It is always ideal to be situated in the neighborhood where you conduct business the most. It makes perfect business sense to capitalize on a great networking opportunity right in your neighborhood or most viable business zone. The first step would be to register to operate a market stall in demarcated zones or with event organizers in your area. Contact your local trade information centers and make all the necessary inquiries to suss out business opportunities to have your market stall approved as a seller. 

Make sure you have all information available and choose a location that you’re confident will draw a crowd. If you’re a foodie seller, you might want to consider inquiring about upcoming food fairs, concerts, trade shows, and even local demarcated zones to sell in residential areas or places that host weekend bazaars. Understand what the legal requirements are as well as the hygiene rules to ensure compliance when trading in public. The last thing you need is to run into any trouble with local authorities.

2. Make A List Of All The Requirements 

Have you decided what food from your menu you plan to sell at the market stall or what list of ingredients, equipment, and displays you need to draw a crowd? What about the infrastructure you have to set up outside to ensure a barricaded section, at the very least, for your staff and customers? There are several burning questions you have to consider and answer. So ensure to create a thorough list of all the requirements you need to satisfy to run a successful market stall. 

If you’ve already decided on the ideal size of your market stall, the next step would be to choose the perfect marquee. Maybe for the first run, you might want to rent a marquee or see long-term value in buying one as a fixed asset for your business. This is when you can have some fun shopping around for marquees or assessing whether to buy or rent, make an effort to understand this market, and learn more about all the finer details, like how to set up a marquee to facilitate trading from your own market stall. 

You will also learn that a marquee is safe with gazebo weights. The last thing you would want is for your marquee to fall on top of everyone or come crashing down in the event of a strong wind suddenly making landfall in the middle of a trade show. If anything, your marquee will offer great shelter if the weather suddenly takes a turn. It’s also great to have weights in place to ensure a sturdy setup from the get-go. This will give you greater confidence. 

3. Get Through The Basics First

Before you even get to planning your marketing outline and content material to promote your market stall, it’s important to finish drawing up the list of essential items. Apart from the outside infrastructure support, you must also have in place all the little details necessary to facilitate real sales and make your customers’ experience pleasurable and convenient. After all, selling your products in a market stall is not the same experience or concept as selling in a store. There are some elements of fun you can bring to the experience without destroying the convenience of technology available in stores.

If you’re selling pies, for example, you can consider running a little pie-eating competition with all the bells and whistles in place. This is without a doubt a big crowd puller and loads of fun. Another great idea would be to have a little pie making, like how to do it at home class. While this is going on, your staff could walk around offering a taste to the audience inviting them to make a purchase or two. 

Even while all the fun and tasting are taking place, make sure you don’t spoil these by not facilitating payment, for example, with the convenience of technology. Being patrons of the information and technology age means convenient options should be in place to facilitate payment, like having a tap-and-go credit card reader for credit and debit card payments. Cash should also be an acceptable payment choice as well as using apps, like Google Play. 

To not disappoint anyone who visits your market stall, remember to also stock up. Have someone on standby to stock up as soon as the number of ingredients or finished products starts dwindling. 

Conclusion

Perhaps the best part of having a market stall is to attract new customers while enlarging your networking opportunities with all stakeholders in your local neighborhood. Make sure you run a great marketing drive on social media and all other available marketing mediums in the run-up to market day. 

Publicity to drive awareness to your products and services is always a great way to amplify the visibility of your brand. You can print brochures to hand out to people who visit your stall and put up some great banners, too, where necessary. Finally, once you’ve covered all the bases, embrace the buzz of making new sales, meeting new people, and turning your hustle for sales into a memorable day for everyone concerned.