What is a pop-up shop? It’s always nice to find that perfect pop-up shop purchase.

The pop-up shop craze is exciting because it’s a chance to get rare products. And there are many benefits of supporting small businesses instead of big chains.

New retail business owners and experienced ECommerce entrepreneurs alike can use pop-up stores to bring their businesses up a notch.

Here are some tips to help you succeed with your pop-up shop. We’ll look at:

What is a Pop Up Shop?

A pop-up shop is a temporary store. You open it up for a limited time. For example, you can open your shop for a few months in one mall or as little as an hour at outdoor events like community festivals or street fairs.

You can use a pop-up shop to:

• Test new product lines
• Learn who your products appeal to
• Meet customers in person
• Nurture relationships with leads
• Test marketing and branding tactics

Why Start a Pop-up Shop?

Ray Ko, the senior eCommerce manager of ShopPopDisplays, believes pop-up stores have become more relevant during this pandemic.

Ko said that he could run his business without any pressure of having a long-term lease because the pop-up store is temporary.

One advantage of pop-up shops is that you can focus on your product and brand awareness while avoiding the physical hassles of a traditional storefront.

This leads us to another question for those who are new in the retail business or have been at it a while.

Should new and experienced retailers approach pop-ups differently?

“The best time to start a pop-up store is when the owner needs new customers and wants to increase brand awareness,” Patricia Lopez from Dirt Pitch Apparel says. Click To Tweet

8 Tips to Make Your Pop-up Shop Successful

When we talk about pop-up shops, they are no longer just a trend in retail. They have become beneficial for retailers who want to get face time with customers and other stores.

In this article, we will provide eight tips on making a successful pop-up shop.

1. Arrive early on the first day

If possible, gain access to the physical space before the first day. It is essential to set up early because you may not have much time. Some markets only give you an hour, so be sure to plan.

It is always a good idea to bring your table. If the venue doesn’t provide one, you can use it as an emergency backup plan.

2. Make your stock stand out.

If you want to sell clothes, your customers must see them. Don’t just have a pile of shirts sitting on the floor or stacked in an old dresser drawer! Get creative and find ways to display your products, so they’re easy for people to browse.

3. Separate your samples from your stock

If you are new to the world of pop-ups, it might be tempting to lay out all your items on a table or rack. This may make it easier for customers browsing and buying but in these strange times we live in, I would recommend against this.

If you’re running a pop-up store, it’s essential to keep some of your stock behind you and out of sight. However, put some signage up so that people know there are more sizes available.

4. Select your pop-up products carefully.

Lopez suggests that the key to a successful pop-up store is only to have enough stock not to overwhelm customers. These products need to be coherent and make sense together, but they should also highlight your main product line.

5. Get paid with cash and POS terminals. 

The process of paying for your product or service is as important as the price. Click To Tweet

You’ll need a quick and easy way to receive payments from customers, too.

If you’re starting in retail, a POS system that can accept card payments and keep track of inventory may be all that you need. More experienced retailers might want to invest in portable iPads or displays.

Even though cash is slowly dying out in this age of cards and digital payments, it’s still a good idea to have the right amount on hand for giving change. I suggest getting lockboxes to keep coins or banknotes around if needed.

6. Practice COVID-safe measures

Most people already know the drill regarding COVID-19 safety protocols, but here’s a quick reminder. Wearing face masks, promoting pick-u only options, and doing cashless transactions are just some of the ways pop-up stores are protecting customer safety and wellbeing.

7. Make checkout time memorable.

What are the things you need for checkout? You’ll want to have bags. This way, when people walk out, they can see your brand on their backpack, or some other customer may be interested in what’s inside.

Giving away free samples or complementary accessories to customers is an excellent way of getting them engaged with your product. The problem, however, is that giving these things away might not always work, and it may be wise to limit the giveaway items for your first 20-30 customers.

If you are good at branding and marketing, then drop sheets with backgrounds for Instagram or other social media channels would be a great way to get your name out there. It does not need to be complicated – encourage people who buy from you in person to tag the photo on their feed so that more people will see it.

8. Stay in touch with your leads.

Pop-up shops are a great way to introduce your brand and network with people.

Sometimes you won’t make as much money on a day as you had hoped, but networking is worth it.

• Give people business cards so they can remember you.
• You can also hand out thank you cards for customers who purchase your pop-up. 
• You can also offer a pop-up discount to your customers to increase sales. Offer them a promotional code for purchases or newsletter signups, and you’ll see an instant boost.

Are Pop-up Shops Right for You?

So what is a pop-up shop? Pop-up retail shops are a completely different experience. Unlike brick-and-mortar stores or eCommerce websites, where the goal is to drive sales and conversion rates, pop-ups should be thought of as an experimental learning process that you can use to learn what your customers want.