Useful Tools For Your Market Stall
Check out our checklist for all your small
business’s market stall setup needs.
Whatever product or service your small business is selling, having the right tools to help you run your market stall can be the difference between smooth selling and absolute chaos.
It pays to be prepared, but this includes everything from the essentials to the less obviously useful equipment to the tools you might not even know exist - that is where we come in.
We’ve put together a checklist of some useful tools that can help you set up your market stall. Firstly, we’ll look at some market stall setup essentials that all small businesses will need, regardless of their niche, then we’ll cover tools that help with selling at a market stall.
Market Stall Setup Essentials
- Table and/or Countertop
Every market stall needs to be able to clearly display their products for customers to peruse whilst they’re stood at your stall, so a table or counter should be the first thing you look for. - Chair(s)
If you’re manning a stall all day, it’s safe to say you’ll be feeling the burn by the end of it, especially in your feet and ankle areas. Having a chair to sit down on during quieter periods is a useful way to sneak in some sweet relief from being stuck on your feet for so long. - Gazebo
Market stalls are traditionally set up outdoors, which leaves you and your merchandise at the mercy of the weather on any given day. Investing in a gazebo or some type of waterproof and weatherproof covering will see you dripping in profits rather than just dripping wet. - Banners and Branding Materials
Existing customers need a way to find you and you should try to capture the attention of new customers with your branding, so banners are a must-have for your market stall. This also includes additional signage, business cards, posters, and anything that promotes the brand. - Outdoor Lighting
You might think outdoor lighting is only essential if you’re selling after dark, but it can actually be used for more than just illuminating dimly lit areas. You can also use lighting to highlight your product displays or to make your stall look more appealing to potential customers.
Market Stall Sales Essentials
- Product Packaging
Bags, tags, boxes, and bubble wrap are all examples of product packaging that you may want to stock up on before setting up your market stall. - Card Reader
In today’s modern age, not everyone who attends a market stall will be carrying cash, so having a card reader is a tool worth investing in. As the majority of people now use cards for payments, vendors will need to bring their own, but they’re fairly cheap for as much as $12. - Weighing Scales
Having a good pair of computing scales, like the ones sold at 1800scales.com, will allow you to easily and more accurately weigh out produce or materials for the customers at your stall which is especially useful if you’re selling food and other items that are priced by weight. - Tagging Gun
For stalls that sell clothes, having a tagging gun will help you whizz through the task of tagging every item with a price tag or label much faster. They’re not exclusively designed for clothes, however, and models like this one from BS One have a wide range of applications. - Box Cutters and/or Scissors
This one might sound obvious, but having a good pair of box cutters and/or scissors could come in handy for a number of different reasons when tending a market stall, from cutting sample materials to removing tags or packaging for customers before they leave the stall.
Final Thoughts
We hope that you’ve found this checklist helpful, or that it’s at least given you some inspiration on where to start looking for tools to help you with your market stall.
In addition to the things we’ve included in this list, it’s worth taking a trip to your local markets to see what tools other vendors have for their stalls, especially if you’re only just starting out.
Think about anything that could make selling your products an easier job and go from there. At the end of the day, anything you don’t have to begin with you can purchase later on. This could even be beneficial to you as you will have already had some experience at your stall.