Do you have a new product or brand to promote and share? Starting a pop-up shop may be just the ticket. Pop-up shops are temporary retail spaces generally set up in areas with high foot traffic such as a mall, city streets, or city centers.
The holidays are quickly approaching, so knowing the best pop-up shop location will help you gain more customers and frequent shoppers. In this article, we’ll discuss the perfect pop-up shop locations and pop-up shop venues that might be especially relevant to e-commerce.
The perfect pop-up shop
Pop-up shops must be centered around the customer. The perfect pop-up shop should provide the best customer experience possible. Always consider what kind of interactions you want to have with your customers. Before finding a pop-up shop location, you must have an idea of what kind of shop you intend to start.
Holiday shops
It seems like the stores are pulling out Christmas stuff earlier and earlier every year. Between Halloween and Thanksgiving, people start finding and buying gifts. People are looking for the perfect gift for a specific recipient. Consider starting a pop-up shop around the holidays. Get in the holiday spirit by giving your store a holiday theme to attract customers.
Interactive product demos
E-commerce has become popular for a number of reasons. These businesses don’t have a physical location. Sometimes people are hesitant to buy a product online without seeing or touching it. A pop-up shop will give you a perfect chance to demonstrate your product to customers and teach them about it. This will give the customer an opportunity to physically check out the product before making a final purchase.
Sampling tents
Pop-up shops can be great for consumer packaged goods such as food or beverages. This gives customers a chance to try your food and then buy it on-site. It’s a way to quickly draw in those impulse buyers. You could also go mobile and set up a cart or truck to reach more customers. Rather than the customers coming to your location, you can go to your customers.
Themed selection shops
Because pop-up shops are small, you can focus on curation. It’s an opportunity to curate a themed shop where customers can get a specific selection of products from your store. All the products in your pop-up shop would have something in common. This could potentially drive sales when your customers see how your products relate to one another.
Special guests
Meeting a brand ambassador such as a celebrity, influencer, or expert is a great way to draw people to your pop-up shop, as people like to meet these special guests in person. Invite these guests to exclusively appear in your pop-up shop location. Use your social media to let people know about your location and ask your guests to promote your content on their channels as well.
Competitions
Who doesn’t love a competition? If you have a product that lends itself to competition, then have customers face off against each other. Have a panel of judges or even other shoppers. For instance, if you have a food product, ask people to have a cook-off to see who can make the best dish using it.
Vending machines
Your pop-up shop doesn’t have to be a traditional store. For smaller products, you can pop-up vending machines in a location with high foot traffic. People can instantly purchase your product and don’t have to wait for the product to ship. A vending machine could sell a multitude of things – food products, make-up, or books.
In-store experts
Customers love learning from the experts. They like to know the ins and outs of a product and how to get the most out of it before making a purchase. An example of this might be bringing in a chef to demonstrate how to use your spices. If you’re a clothing line, you could bring a stylist out to help customers select clothing.
Discounts and bonuses
Offering limited sales or promotions on specific products is another great way to draw people to your pop-up shop. You could also select a dollar amount or percentage off of a certain purchase in your store. If you’re a lotion company, another example would be to give customers who purchase a full-sized bottle a free sample-sized or travel-sized bottle.
Charitable donations
Depending on your company, consider adding a giving component to your pop-up shop. You could donate a percentage of your profits to a charity that aligns with your brand and mission. For instance, you could take 10% off of your profits from the pop-up stand and donate them to a clean water cause.
Pop-up shop venues
Whether your business only sells online or you have a physical location, pop-up shops can be beneficial. Oftentimes, pop-up shops are a way to provide customers with opportunities to interact with products sold only online. Pop-up shops can be an extension of an existing physical store.
Find a pop-up shop space
Your event space must make sense and be practical to your business. There are different common spaces to set up a pop-up store, let’s take a look at some of them.
Vacant storefront
As you look for a place to start your pop-up shop, keep in mind that empty storefronts are just waiting to be used. Look around your area for vacant storefronts. You can also get the help of a local realtor to help you find the perfect place.
Shopping center or mall
Every mall has kiosks, booth spaces, or places to rent. The mall is a more cost-effective way to set up a pop-up store. Because of all the foot traffic, a shopping center or mall is the perfect place to get noticed – consumers are always looking to buy something in a mall.
Pop-ins
Pop-ins are stores within another store. You’ll have a built-in marketing partner when you open a pop-up shop within an established store. Both you and the established store will benefit from the foot traffic. Also, working with another retailer gives you more flexibility with leasing terms and a lower rental cost. One benefit is that you can open seasonally or for short periods of time.
Gallery/event space
Gallery or event venues offer a great chance for your digital brand to get a physical location. These spaces are prime for events as well as an eye-catching display. This environment is very different from brick-and-mortar retail stores.
Decide on a pop-up shop location
Once you’ve decided on the type of the pop-up shop you want to open, it’s time to find the location. You first must know your goals. Find out where your target audience and existing customers are. After looking at all the factors, you can begin to zero in on the perfect location. Consider whether or not the retail stores around you are competitive or complementary to your pop-up store. Again, always keep in mind the foot traffic. Are there lots of people passing by the area? In a post-pandemic world, people have started pop-up shops in local neighborhoods and suburbs.
Cost to start a pop-up store
The cost of starting a pop-up store varies. It’s usually based on the size of your storefront, the location, and the duration of your shop. A short-term pop-up shop can cost as little as $2,000 to set up. However, commercial spaces will likely cost more in the future.
Questions to ask before booking a venue
Before booking a venue for your pop-up shop, make sure you have all the facts. There are several questions to ask your real estate agent or property manager.
What’s the rental cost?
Don’t just choose the first venue you see. Make sure you check out more than one place and weigh your options. Find out the daily, weekly, or monthly rates. Be bold and negotiate the price before signing.
What’s included in the rental cost?
It’s important to know exactly what you’re getting. Write down the square footage, occupancy dates, and amenities. By taking note of these things, there’ll be less confusion or questions in the future about what was discussed.
Are there any additional utility costs?
Utility costs for a pop-up rental can become a large unexpected expense. Make sure you know and understand how additional costs are split up. Then decide whether or not the expenses are reasonable for you.
What’s the layout space?
Know the current layout of the venue. Being able to visualize how you’d use the space will help you determine whether it’s the right place for your pop-up shop. It may help to sketch out your ideas to see what your final layout could look like.
What are specific dimensions of ceiling, windows, doors, counter, and pillars?
Knowing the specific space will help you know what you have to work with. With this information, you can plan ahead before you begin printing signage and displays. This will give you a sense of how much you need to dress up the space.
Can the space be modified?
Find out how much control you have over the space and whether or not it can be modified. Determine the do’s and don’ts from the landlord. For instance, can you drill holes in the wall or make major changes.
Is there internet or wi-fi?
You’ll need wi-fi in your pop-up shop to process payments and credit card transactions. Be sure to ask whether or not that’s included or if you need to set it up yourself.
Will I need insurance?
Property insurance will protect you from a number of possible problems. Some of these problems include theft, venue or glass repairs, and merchandise damage.
Finally, pop-up shops have become a trend and are a great way for retailers to connect with customers. They provide good opportunities for face-to-face interactions and to answer questions. Any brand, whether new or established, can benefit from pop-up shops.
