The Rise Of The Mall Kiosk

May 30, 2013 in Daily Bulletin

Long derided as the tacky underbelly of the mall shopping experience, carts and kiosks are now rapidly spreading and dominating sales writes John Grossmann:

  • In an evolution from the early days, malls have adapted to better serve kiosks by installing electrical outlets and better lighting in the middle of mall walkways.
  • The kiosks have also used technology to boost sales. Tablets are used to showcase merchandise and send commands to a warehouse to ship products directly to a customer’s home.
  • Kiosks have some natural advantages over standard retail stores. By being in the very center of the mall they don’t have to draw customers in – instead customers flow by and the open nature of the kiosks means that customers are exposed to all of the products available.
  • Kiosks also pay lower rent, cost less to construct, and employ fewer people thus lowering labour costs.
  • Experts believe that some kiosk chains do over $100 million in business every year.

Read more about the rise of kiosks, stories from those who have run successful chains, and some myths about kiosk stores over here.

Source: The New York Times

Via: Marginal Revolution