Utilizing Markets to Support Your E-Comm Store: What to Know

Discover how market stalls can support your e-commerce store, reach new audiences, and boost sales with minimal costs. Learn the essentials to start now!

According to IBIS World, there are almost 97,000 online shopping businesses in Australia.

For most owners, these e-commerce sites provide an excellent opportunity to reach a wide audience, potentially even nationally or abroad.

However, often, this occurs at the expense of the local community, which is why it is a good idea to also run a brick-and-mortar store.

That said, physical shops can be quite expensive to operate, what with rent, stock, staff wages, shop fittings and utilities being just some of the many costs you would have to cover.

So, for this reason, you should consider running a market stall as an additional sales channel.

Operating at the local level like this can be an excellent way to make extra money in an inexpensive way. It can also enable you to try out new products and gain feedback directly from people. Best of all, it is relatively easy to set up.

If this sounds like something you would like to tap into, here is what you need to know.

1. Know What You Are Going to Sell

While selling at markets will help you to adopt a multi-channel selling approach, it is important to know what you are going to sell at your stall.

In some parts, this will depend on where you will set it up (more on that shortly). But you should be aware that you will have limited space.

For this reason, you should have a deep think about which items in your product range you will sell at the market.

You may well need to do some testing over the course of a few weeks until you settle upon your final selection because what people buy from you in this selling environment might be completely different to what they purchase from you online.

2. Find the Right Market

On any given day there are hundreds of markets operating through Australia. Therefore, it is vital to do some research to establish which will be the most appropriate for you to sell at.

You’ll want to pick somewhere that is well-established, easy to get to, and receives plenty of visitors. Additionally, it is a good idea to ensure it is relevant to what you will be offering. For instance, selling sports equipment at a predominantly fruit and vegetable market might not be the right fit.

One of the best ways to establish which market you should trade at is to visit a few of them yourself. You will soon get a feel for what they are like and how popular they are. You will also get an understanding of what costs are involved and whether your target customer base attends them.

3. Obtain the Required Licenses and Permits

Depending on what you sell and where you will be doing that, you might need to obtain a specific set of licences and permits. Doing this will ensure you comply with local regulations and laws.

Food vendors are one obvious group who will need to procure health and safety certifications.

It is advisable to make the effort to get them, as failure to do so could result in fines or other legal issues.

4. Set Up Your Stall

Once you have decided which market(s) to sell at and acquired the necessary paperwork, you can start to set up your stall.

In the same way as you invest lots of time and effort in the look and feel of your e-commerce store, you should do the same with your market stall.

First impressions count, so try to ensure your section has a real ‘WOW’ factor to it by investing in tables, shelving, cabinets and signage that will create an appealing visual display.

5. Decide on Payment Methods

If you are used to selling online, you probably have a payment system that automatically processes customer transactions for you. However, at a market stall, you will have to consider how you will process payments.

It’s likely that some people will want to pay with cash, given the nature of what a market is all about. However, you should also consider getting a payment method that can do it for you when you are at your remote location.

In Australia, Smartpay offers some of the cheapest EFTPOS machine solutions for small business. As you can process contactless payments through their mobile systems, they are tailor-made for markets.

6. Promote Your Stall

You have no doubt spent a lot of time, effort and your marketing budget on promoting your e-commerce store. Well, if you want your market stalls to be successful, it is a good idea to do the same for them.

Delivering a well-considered marketing strategy is one of the critical success factors of any business venture. So, make sure you get the word out about your new stall.

Your social media channels are a good starting point, and you can post plenty of photos and videos to showcase your presence in your chosen market.

However, you should also advertise it on your website, email newsletter and other marketing activities that target those who live within a 50 km radius of your market stall location.