Start a small retail business with multiple sales channels

Starting a small business with multiple sales channels maximizes your chances of success

In those tender first years after starting your small business, every sale is significant. It is unfortunate that many entrepreneurs attribute a small initial budget to a single point of sale. In the past, this may have been true. Few entrepreneurs had enough capital to even open a store. Two or three stores in different neighborhoods far outnumbered most budding entrepreneurs. Today, the different sales avenues available to start-up retailers are endless, despite limited budgets.

Channel one: start a small retail business with a mall kiosk

Don’t let the high cost of starting a brick-and-mortar store keep you from selling to real customers. You can buy an attractive kiosk for less than a decent used car. Utility and maintenance costs are also inexpensive. Mobility is an added bonus. If a place is fading, you can always pick it up and move in.

Internet options can be less expensive to start, but they also take much longer to notice. Depending on your experience, they also take much longer to build. A well-located kiosk can be fully operational and generate revenue the moment you open it.

Channel Two: Start a Small Retail Business with an Ecommerce Site

Once you have your kiosk in place, you will find yourself with plenty of free time between customers. You could spend this time talking to your neighbors or reading the newspaper. You can also increase your sales potential in the future by starting an online store.

Ecommerce sites can be created quickly, but they take time to set up. Once you’ve sorted out all the errors, it may take a while before many customers start to notice your small retail business. There is no reason why you can’t run an e-commerce site from a laptop at your kiosk.

If you just started an ecommerce site, you would have to wait months for your site to get noticed or pay for expensive ads. Instead of sitting in your basement, frantically going through your server log, you could just sit at your kiosk with a chance to talk face-to-face about your products and hopefully sell some of them.

Not only can you keep making money while starting your ecommerce site, you also have the opportunity to promote it at virtually no additional cost. Stamp your small business website address on your kiosk, shopping bags, and receipts. Be sure to mention the site to everyone who passes your kiosk. Even offer the opportunity to explore, or beta test, your ecommerce site from your laptop.

Channel Three: Start a Small Retail Business That Sells Products on E-bay

E-bay and Pay-Pal take out a large chunk of your profit margin, but E-bay still has some redeeming qualities. Almost any product you place on your website will be noticed. Also, once you have completed several successful transactions, your seller profile will indicate that you can be trusted. It takes a long time to build trust in your ecommerce site. Like your kiosk, you can advertise your e-commerce site for free.

Unlike your kiosk and online store, your products can be sold on eBay with virtually no upfront cost. Additionally, there are many experienced internet shoppers who transact online exclusively through auctions. By opening this third channel, your potential customer base skyrockets!