I was at the mall today to buy a pair of jeans. As I was walking along I heard the most annoying thing, the sound of an embroidery machine. Okay I’m just joking, really, we all love the sound–it’s the sound of money being made after all. They had a nice large kiosk at a pretty decent location with plenty of traffic.
They embroidered stock designs with names and/or messages. Offerings include towels, aprons, children’s clothing, hats/caps, throws, blankies, bibs, and even maternity clothes. The ones I’ve listed are just the visible ones on display, I’m sure they had more products under the counter.
The embroidery operator who is also the owner seemed friendly so I approached him, introduced myself and told him that I’m in the embroidery business, and asked him if he would share some of his experiences with me with regards to his venture. Being the friendly person that he is, he said he would be happy to exchange information. So if you’re thinking of getting a kiosk at your local mall, here are some things to consider.
- Make it a point to show off your commercial embroidery machine to draw in a crowd. This is a good idea. People are naturally curious when they see something they don’t get to see everyday and when they take a closer look, it’s a good time for a sales pitch.
- Display samples of your embroidered goods so that they can be seen from a good distance.
- Have a very visible banner or sign to make it clear that you offer “personalized” stuff. This is very important. You’re whole selling point is having the ability to personalize goods on the spot, and not merely just selling goods with embroidery on it. Don’t assume people walking by know what you’re doing.
- Have a catalogue with samples of embroidered designs, names, messages, and combinations of the three. You may already have displays of samples, but it’s always good to have more, and maybe you don’t have enough space to display them all.