Do you own a kiosk but don’t know what product to sell / business to start? If YES, here are 50 best business ideas for a kiosk in a mall / storefront.
Those little carts you see everywhere can account for 10 percent of the entire mall’s sales. Over the years, this Business model has continued to quietly and steadily rise. A Mall kiosk is a small retail outlet usually like a booth or a cart located in the aisle of a shopping mall.
Basically, a person who has some stuff to sell but cannot afford to rent a shop in a shopping mall would approach the mall authorities for a small space in the shopping mall where they can use to display their wares. If you are still wondering what kind of products you could sell in your mall kiosk, here are fifty mall kiosk business ideas for you-:
Best Business ideas for a Mall Kiosk / Storefront
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Fast Foods and Edibles Sales
The most popular products for these types of kiosks and carts are familiar staples: popcorn, peanuts, ice cream, hot dogs, pretzels and gourmet donuts or coffee. With the fresh aroma of the tasty treats wafting through high-traffic areas, customers have a hard time walking past your kiosk without stopping for a treat.
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Candy Store
Candy sales kiosks are popping up in every mall across North America, and why not? Starting a business that retails candy is very straightforward and the biggest challenge to overcome is selecting the right operating location for the business.
Ideally, a candy shop should be in a very busy area of a community so it can take advantage of foot traffic, as well as impulse buying by consumers.
Also consider offering customers a free delivery service to expand the potential market to include customers who want to send candies to relatives in the hospital, loved ones at holiday time, and business owners seeking to reward clients or employees with their favorite box of chocolates or candies.
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Paint and Wallpaper Store
Starting a retail paint and wallpaper store is a relatively stable retail business venture to star, as there is no real threat from the Internet sales of these products. However, the big threat comes in the form of big box retailers, so business location is of critical importance to the success which is why this business is ideal for a mall kiosk, and survival of this kind of retailing venture.
To increase sales and profits beyond just selling paint and wallpaper, also provide customers with unique services, such as after-hours instruction classes in various home decorating mediums and other products and services, such as equipment rentals for do-it-yourself painters.
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Movie Poster Sales
Movie posters can often be purchased for less than $1 each from video stores and movie theaters. Once framed, these valuable pieces of art can be resold at flea markets, mall kiosks and to interior designers for terrific profits. Older movie posters are also in high demand as collector items and this side of the business is best suited for internet sales.
You can develop your own website for a small investment and start marketing collectible movie posters. There are guides available that list the value of collectible movie posters depending on condition. These guides will be an invaluable source of information if you intend to offer collectible movie posters for sale.
Heading into the new millennium, specialization is the buzzword for retail ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses, and opening a lingerie shop fits the bill perfectly.
Get started by selecting a highly visible store location for your business. Kiosk Malls and strip malls are a good choice (though you’ll want to make sure there are no “big name” competitors) and you will only require less than 1,000 square feet, so the rent should be reasonable.
Next you will want to establish accounts with lingerie manufacturers and distributors. Harness the power of the Internet to locate these companies. The rest is pretty straightforward; you stock your store and sell your products.
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Electronic Sales
You could sell electronic gadgets and computer items in your mall kiosk. For instance, you can sell small mp3 players, fancy torch lights, bedside lamps, small radios, cd players, portable DVD players, game consoles and other small electronic gadgets. You will not need huge capital for set up but you can expand in the future from your kiosk.
A lot of people go into malls and gift shops without the faintest idea of what to buy. You can start a gift selling and packaging business in your mall kiosk. You would stock and display a variety of gift items that people could buy. You can also add a delivery service to your business.
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Artworks
If you are an artist with your own collection, you can sell your works through a mall kiosk. Even if you are not an artist, you can get art works from other artists at discounted prices and sell on their behalf.
9. Customization
You can run a kind of business where you help people customize and imprint their names, nicknames, logos or whatever they wish to inscribe on items they buy from the mall.
10. Hand Made Products
A mall kiosk is a perfect place to sell that item you make at home. Do you make soaps, candles, jewelries, bags, shoes, knitwear or other home-made products? You could easily sell those products in a mall kiosk.
11. Sporting Equipment
Another item you could sell is sporting equipment and gym or exercise equipment like tennis, rackets, ball, sportswear, water bottles, and protein powders to mention few.
12. Promotional and Clearance Sales
Mall kiosks are also great for selling clearance items. Perhaps you have a bigger store in the mall and you are running a sales promotion or offering some goods on sale, a mall kiosk would make your products more visible.
13. Flower Sales and Delivery
For ages, flowers have been in huge demand due to their beauty and appeal. They are used as gifts during birthdays, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, or just to express certain feelings, such as “I love you” or “I am very sorry.” Flowers are also used for weddings, home decorations, funerals, as wreaths, etc.
The high demand for flowers isn’t likely to tank anytime soon, since people will never stop trying to please their loved ones. If you have been looking to start a business that requires low startup capital and no technical know-how, then you should consider starting a flower delivery business.
14. Pawnshop
Pawnbrokers sometimes get a bad rap, and unfortunately it only takes a few bad apples dealing in stolen merchandise to give the industry a bad name for all operators of pawnshops. However, like any business venture, eventually the bad business operators will disappear and the good operators will flourish.
Starting a pawnshop business is a good choice as a business start-up for a few reasons, such as no special business skill requirements, relatively low initial investment, and excellent profit potential. Furthermore, utilizing used product pricing or value guides such as the Blue Book take away any guesswork in terms of the wholesale and retail value of products
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Used CD sales
If you love music, consider starting a used CD shop. The business can be established in a storefront location or alternately in a sales kiosk located within a busy mall or public market.
To initially establish an inventory of CDs for the business, place classified advertisements in the local community newspaper offering to purchase whole or partial CD collections. Currently, secondhand music CDs are retailing for $5 to $12 each, and as rule of thumb, owners of secondhand CD shops mark up all products by 100 percent for retailing purposes.
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Eye wears Sales
Sunglasses and other types of ornamental eyewear are almost universally-loved products which do well in a kiosk or cart. These items appeal to both low- and high-income shoppers, and so do well in mainstream as well as upscale retail centers.
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Cosmetics Retailing
Beauty products have traditionally been avoided by retailers at high-end shopping centers but are finding more in-roads as merchants realize their value. They’re great testing grounds for new products or ideas, and consumers are accustomed to kiosk merchants selling unusual or newer products. This market is almost exclusively female and visual appeal is the key to success.
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Informational Displays
Not all kiosks sell products. Many are simply informational booths, in the hopes that the passersby will buy the real product or service later on.
Some more common businesses taking advantage of the traffic and interest kiosks generate include time-shares, dealerships, and leisure-living businesses. Due to the nature of the eventual wares sold, higher-end venues are the best locations for these kiosks.
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Custom Goods
Offering something that passerby can’t get at other mall stores can be one way of increasing your profit. Do this by selling custom goods such as rhinestone t-shirts spelling out people’s names, custom namesake bookmarks or mugs, t-shirts and other wares on which you can print customers’ pictures.
If you make jewelry, allow the customer to pick out what color beads or cord she wants. Engaging your customer in the process of what she’s paying for, such as choosing specific colors or giving you her name, may bring more business your way.
What else do students do other than read books? So, the reason is obvious why textbooks and notebooks sell well in environments dominated by college and university students. If you want to start a very profitable business that caters to students, then you should consider opening a bookstore.
Rhinestone shirts are a hot product at any sales location. The sparkle factor of a beautiful rhinestone shirt will catch everyone’s eye as they walk by. It is natural to turn and look at a flash of light. Take advantage of this fact and you could be making a lot of easy money not only during the holiday season, but for the entire year!
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Phone Casing and Cover
People like to change the cases and covers of their smart phones, e-readers, personal organizers, etc. from time to time. So, these items generally sell well all year round. They are usually very cheap and can be sold for huge profits even at flea markets. So, if your locality abounds with tech savvy folks who use phones and other personal items, consider this option.
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Sell Sunglasses
Although they used to sell well only during the summer, fashion trends have made wearing sunglasses an all-year-round thing. So, they now sell during both summer and winter. You can sell cheap generic sunglasses, legal knock-offs, or both. However, your choice of what to sell should boil down to what sells best in your locality.
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Sell Posters and Wallpapers
Large images that drive people crazy or stir their emotions are always good sellers. For example, if you live in a locality where the people are soccer-crazy, posters and wallpapers showing popular soccer teams and players will definitely be a great seller.
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Sell Baseball Caps
If you live in a locality where baseball caps are common, then you have another flea market business idea. Most individuals have many baseball caps in their wardrobes, and they will continue to buy more. So, if you can find a good supply source and have a good market, you can start selling baseball and sports caps.
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Sell Cheap Toys
Children’s toys are one of the highest selling products because there is always huge global demand for them. If you are looking to start a profitable business that requires little or no capital and technical know-how, then you should consider buying and selling children’s toys.
Most toys made for babies and toddlers cost between one to two dollars. And they’re even cheaper at flea markets. If there is a good market in your locality for children’s toys.
Handcrafted and stylish costume jewelries sell all year round. If you make your own beads or other type of jewelry, focus on making pieces that will fascinate people in your locality.
For example, you can make pieces that are similar to popular high-priced jewelry, and sell to people who cannot afford those but will settle for yours. Your mall is the perfect location to start this business by renting a small space and smiling to the bank
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Sell DVD Movies
Children’s movies, classic movies, and old blockbusters are usually good sellers, especially when they sell for cheap. However, if you are opting for this business, make sure you deal with reputable wholesalers, and beware of pirates.
As people become more aware of the health benefits of exercising regularly to keep fit, the demand for running shoes, dumbbells, etc. is on the increase. And these items—new or used—now sell well all year round. If you live in a locality where many people exercise regularly, then you can sell these items at your local flea market and your mall kiosk.
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Perfume and Cologne Sales
Retailing of perfumes from different designers is yet another profitable retailing business venture that a college student can successfully be considered in a college town. This type of business is simple to start and it is also easy to manage.
What you need to do is to ensure that you have perfumes from different perfume designers and then move from hostel to hostel to market the perfumes to students. Everyone want to look and smell good, most especially students, this is one of the reasons why you have got to adopt a great marketing strategy in other to get a whole lot of people to buy stuff from you.
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Beddings and Pillow Sales
As an entrepreneur in a town with a big mall who is looking towards making extra money on campus you should consider retailing bed sheets, duvets and pillows et al. It is a thriving and profitable retailing business that any passionate individual can conveniently carry out and make a living out of. You can easily visit mall within the town to situate your kiosk for bed sheets, duvets and pillows et al.
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Shoes, Belts, Sandals and Slippers Retailing
Another profitable and highly thriving business that can be ventured into in a mall kiosk or wants to horn his or her entrepreneurial skills should consider starting is to start retailing male and female shoes, sandals, slippers, and belts et al. It is a simple business that needs just the ability to combine one plus one.
Just like any other retailing business in a mall, you don’t need necessarily need to rent a big shop; all you need to do is to look for a small space in a mall to market your wares. The market for this kind of business is also wide. Even though it looks as if the competition is stiff, but truth remains that profit is guaranteed.
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Chocolatier
Everyone loves chocolate, or most people love chocolate. So why not make a business out of it? But beware, despite the huge preference of people for chocolate varieties and all the glamour of being a chocolatier is some pretty stiff competition and a lot of hard work.
First, with its rising popularity, the market has become very crowded. The work also requires, (beyond just a love of chocolate) considerable knowledge, skill and the ability to handle long hours and a very repetitive production cycle for the product.
There are cake addicts all over the globe and the united states of America isn’t left out/. As a matter of fact it is one of the countries where cakes are consumed. Therefore the American market would serve a great medium for profit. Start selling cupcakes in a mall kiosk and make good money at the end of every selling day.
Ask kids what’s their favorite snacks and they are likely to mention cupcake, thereby making it a perfect choice to be in my list of small retail business ideas to start. When somebody tells you that everybody loves cupcakes, just believe it.
The value and popularity of collectible clothing has been on a steady increase for the past decade and this demand for outfits from the ’40s to the ’80s shows no signs of diminishing. Starting a business that sells vintage duds from a retail storefront or online is a fantastic venture. If you’re choosing to go online with this idea, there are various money-making options available.
You can charge people a fee to list items for sale, sell banner advertising space, participate in online auctions or, the most obvious choice, scout out collectible clothing yourself in thrift stores, yard sales, online auctions or directly from sellers, and sell it online for a profit.
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Sell Western Apparel
Like country and western music, country and western apparel is currently enjoying a rebound in terms of consumer demand and popularity. Starting a business that retails western apparel is a sensational new business venture to put into action.
In the spirit of being unique, consider opening a retail business selling the apparel in a nontraditional retail environment. Try locating the business within an established country and western theme restaurant or club, or establishing the business within a music retailer that specializes in country music sales.
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Sell Used Books
Some people think that paper books are no longer in demand because of the internet. People can now easily download e-books for a very low price. However, there are still a lot of people who prefer to read paper books. They love the smell, sight, and feel of reading a real book made of paper instead of staring at an electronic book.
Aside that, reading from an electronic screen is quite strenuous to the eyes and most people can’t read that way for long. This is why buying and selling used books in a mall kiosk would still make a good business. However, before you start your buy and sell business, you must first understand the business and industry you are about to jump into.
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Sell Flowers
If you have eyes for colors and designs, as well as have a penchant for beauty, then you may want to tinker with starting your own Flower Shop with the flower shop business plan provided below. The market for both fresh flowers and artificial flower has continued to soar from generation to generation.
This is as long as we still have weddings, burials and other special events taking place all around us. Fact remains that as insignificant as most people think flower is, it is still a major requirement for weddings (Bouquet for the brides), burial designs (wreath), love gathering and design and decoration of event centers and even worship centers.
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Sell Gadget Accessories
When there is gadget, there is always an accessory. They are like the shades and shoulder pads of Lady Gaga; they can never be separated. Because modern gadgets like tablets, cell phones, laptops and MP3 players are flooding the stores, they tend to be so generic that owners look for ways to be unique.
What else can do the job better than buying accessories? As gadgets dominate the market, selling gadgets accessories will also continue to make great revenue especially if situated in a good location.
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Sell Baby Products
They say the world is overpopulated, which means more babies coming out by the second. Selling baby equipment and products is a lucrative business especially in the Western world.
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Retail Organic Foods
The green revolution is here and this is a perfect timing to place organic food selling in a mall kiosk where it is uncommon and rare. Why?
The reason is because health buffs are now on the look for organic delicacies and products and as new diseases continue to appear. People are getting more health conscious; in fact, they are becoming cautious of what they eat. So you are assured of new customers faster than you expect it.
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Retail Beauty Products
Who does not want to be perfect, or at least close to it. Avon ladies are passé and you have your own warrior to introduce new beauty products to the world – yourself. With the right mixture of catalogues, selling will just be a breeze as you laugh all the way to the bank.
The trend is on and the demand for smart phones at an affordable rate is on the rise. Phones and tablets such as the BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, HTC, etc are now being mopped up by a tech crazy generation in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, USA, U.K, south africa, India, etc.
Now for those who are interested in making money off these technology crazy kids, you are welcome on board. Buying and selling used mobile cell phones is good business because a lot of people cannot live without phones but only a few can afford brand new mobile phones, especially the latest models and expensive brands.
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Sell Leather Fashion
Selling leather fashions is another great fashion retailing business to initiate. Worldwide there are thousands of manufacturers of leather fashions and accessories, so securing a wholesale source for products should not prove to be difficult.
In the spirit of being unique, consider retailing the leather fashions in nontraditional methods including by ways of the Internet, home shopping parties, and catalog sales apart from the base which is the mall kiosk. Like many clothing ventures, the profit potential is excellent for a business that retails leather fashions, as many items can retail for as much $1,000 each, and the same item can often be purchased wholesale for less than $500.
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Sell Children Books and Software
The name says it all. In terms of a specialty retail business, this is one of the best. The book side of the business will be of interest to traditional parents. Try to stock hard-to-find titles covering a wide range of topics revolving around children’s interaction or involvement.
On the software side, try to include software applications for children and for parents to use with children. Good topics include games, education, how-to, music, sports and family relationships. If you have the room and inclination, you can also stock toys that are licensed from book characters or children’s music and videos.
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Make and Sell Dolls
It may not seem like it, but doll making and repairs is a giant segment of the craft and toy industry. To reinforce this, simply visit an antique shop that specializes in antique dolls or a retailer of new custom “one of a kind” dolls, and you’ll soon see that the prices are out of this world. A doll-making business can be started from home on a part-time basis.
You can sell the dolls you make through retail accounts, kiosks, mail order, craft shows and the internet. This is an enterprise that requires very little in the way of startup investment, and the ongoing monthly overhead is also very small. Once you’ve sharpened your skills in doll making, you can proceed to antique doll repairs.
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Design and Sell Packing Crates
Designing and building custom made-to-order packing crates is a great business to initiate and has an almost endless supply of potential customers. Every year millions of products are manufactured and shipped in packing crates that have been specially designed and built to protect the cargo.
The easiest way to get new clients for a packing crate manufacturing business is to simply design and distribute a promotional package to all the manufacturers in your community. The information package should outline and give details about your specialty service as well as include all vital contact information.
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Take out Chicken and Wings
Starting a take-out chicken and wings restaurant is a very easy business venture to set in motion. This type of restaurant requires little experience to operate and the kitchen equipment needed can be purchased secondhand.
Like many restaurants, a take-out chicken and wings restaurant can be established in a fixed location, such as a storefront or kiosk in a mall food court. The business can also be operated on a mobile basis from an enclosed trailer or van that has been converted into a mobile restaurant.
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Shopping Mall Play Centers
Millions of parents go to shopping malls every day, usually with their children in tow. While shopping can be a terrific family outing, sometimes a break from the children while shopping can also be a pleasant experience.
Starting a shopping mall play center business can fill a couple of demands. The first, of course, gives parents a fantastic place to drop off their children while shopping, the second is that the business can be built into a successful and profitable venture, which is exactly what you want to hear if starting this type of business is a consideration for you.
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Hobby Shop
Model trains, puzzles, and games of all sorts are big business, and launching a hobby shop retail business can put you on the path to financial freedom. Hobby shops can be operated from a retail storefront, from a mall kiosk, or as an online store via your own Web site.
Why Start a Mall Kiosk?
Mall Kiosk business has always been around but became more popular as a result of the economic recession. People who found it difficult to raise money for a shop to sell their goods had to resort to mall kiosks, which are generally cheaper and offer more opportunity for sales. Mall kiosks business owners are able to make more sales due to high human traffic at shopping malls.
A lot of people who have no prior intention of buying certain things might just be pressed to purchase such items when displayed in a mall kiosk. These sets of people are called impulsive buyers and they are good targets for people interested in mall kiosk business.
Of course, you would have to pay for rentals when using a mall kiosk but the fees are generally cheaper compared to renting a shop space. Prices could be as low as $50 or $100 and as high as $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the shopping mall.
Mall kiosks and carts can be great testing grounds for products and for generating interest in a product or service. They can provide a steady stream of revenue in high-traffic areas and the only real trick is ensuring your product or service is appropriate for where your kiosk is placed. The possibilities are endless.
How to Rent a Mall Kiosk
To rent a mall kiosk, you would first have to conduct a personal research to determine what products to sell. I know you are already doing that and that is why you are reading this, but the kind of research I am talking about is a physical and personalized research.
You would pay a visit to the shopping mall you plan to rent a kiosk in and find out which products people buy more, the level of foot traffic and the category of people that come into the mall most(men, women, children, young ladies, stay-at-home mums).
This would give you a clear idea on the kinds of goods that would make more sales. Next, you should find out where to source for the products you would like to sell and decide on the right prices for them. Remember to factor in all business expenses when setting your prices. When you have done all of this, you should approach the person in charge of renting out kiosks in the mall.
It could either be a leasing officer or a real estate agent. You may be able to get one or two ideas about suitable products to sell from them.
Show them your business plan and samples of your product and inform them about your intention to rent a kiosk in their mall. You must be able to prove through your business plan that your business would contribute positively to the growth of the mall.
When you have reached an agreement with the leasing officer, you can sign a lease and pay up necessary fees; and you are ready to start your business.