How to Start a Micro Market Business - Choose the Right Equipment

The right equipment is essential to a successful micro market operation. Your on-site equipment is what your customers will interact with every day, so you must take care in making sure it is as good as it can possibly be. No matter how solid your business plan or infrastructure, a micro market with a poor kiosk, faulty fridges, or shoddy shelving will lead to an unsuccessful business. Here, we’ll cover how to choose the right equipment for your micro market.
Kiosks
A touchscreen, self-checkout kiosk is the core of your entire micro market operation. Choosing the right kiosk is an incredibly impactful decision for your micro market business. Here are some things to consider as you choose a provider:
Ease of Use - how easy is it for my customer to use my kiosk? It is imperative that it is as simple and easy as possible for your customers to purchase from you. Make sure the kiosk has features like a large screen, engaging images, and simple checkout.
Payment Options - Everyone likes to pay in different ways. Look for a kiosk that appeals to your customers by maximizing payment options. Cash, cards, virtual wallets, mobile payments - a good kiosk offers your customers flexibility.
Reliability - Your kiosk needs to stay up and running for your market to stay running. Make sure your kiosk has tools like offline functionality, responsive customer support, and high general uptime.
Sales & Management Tools - Different kiosk providers have different levels of management tools. Signs of a good kiosk give you all the tools you need to be successful. Look for inventory, routing, and servicing features. Offering promotions, rewards, and your own branding is key. Sales tools like merchandising, analytics, and space-to-sales recommendations will help you get the most money out of your locations. Powerful management tools are just as important for a micro market as the physical kiosk itself.
A Range of Options - Different locations have different needs. Your kiosk provider should have a large option optimized for bigger locations and a smaller option for smaller locations to help you maximize your return on investment. You can even go completely virtual with your kiosk at smaller locations by using an app on your customers smartphone to power purchases.
Racking, Coolers, and Freezers
Snack racks display common items like chips and candy. Your racks should be modular - meaning you can get different sizes for different locations. Plus make sure they are flexible with their displays - you likely want some mixture of pegs and racks to display product. They also need to be appealing to your customers, so keep an eye on features like product pushers, custom branding, and attractive display.
With coolers and freezers, you’re primarily looking for reliability and safety. You want to offer always-chilled, never-expired options to your customers. Features like a health lock will lock the cooler if it loses power - ensuring your customers don’t buy spoiled product. Gravity trays do an exceptional job of displaying your products for easy purchase. Keep an eye on energy-efficiency as well to show your location you care about their energy needs.
Signage, Security & More
Other items to consider in your physical micro market setup include contact information, kiosk how-to guides, and branding. Some locations will ask you for coffee machines, microwaves, or utensils, so be prepared to offer that if necessary. A secure micro market is key to success - if people steal from you, you won’t make money. Many kiosks come with security options built-in, but consider signs or external cameras to find and eliminate potential theft.
Your micro market equipment is one of the most important parts of your business. To keep your customers happy and money coming in, you need the right equipment. In particular, your kiosk and technology partner is the biggest consideration you can make for your market’s success. Now that you know what to look for, you can maximize profits with the right equipment.