Opening a pop up shop is just plain fun, and it’s about time you’ve opened your own. If you’re wondering how you can drive sales this season or how to get your products in front of new customers, a pop up shop might be the way to go.
Pop up shops are a great way to get in front of a new audience in a new city and show your products in person. They are appealing because they are a spur-of-the-moment, not-here-forever kind of event that makes shopping exciting.
Having a pop up show can help you attract new customers in a short amount of time
Pop up shops can even feature complimentary snacks, music, or giveaways which make them extra alluring. Today, Adolab is here to talk to you about Pop up shops and how they can help grow your Shopify business.
We’ll go over all the key benefits of holding a pop up shop for your Shopify store.
What is a Pop up Shop?
Pop up shops are temporary shop that literally pops up at a brick and motor location to showcase their goods.
They are not regular shops, but something entirely different. Pop up shops typically last only one day, but can even be as open as short as a couple of hours.
Pop up shops can be held in a traditional storefronts or at flea markets
Their appeal is their temporary-ness. If you fail to visit a pop up shop when it’s actually open, you’ll have missed out completely!
Similar to a taco food truck or a farmers market, a pop up shop is a place where you can sell your inventory at a physical location to real people.
Benefits of a Pop up Shop
Pop up shops provide a space where customers can truly engage with your brand and connect with your products.
Everything is online these days, from ordering groceries to renting a movie. This is especially true when it comes to shopping for clothing, gifts, and accessories.
The convenience of being able to click your mouse and get something delivered to your door is just… well… amazing.
But in this digital age, even redundancy can get kind of boring.
Showcase Your Goods
Ever wondered if a t-shirt you saw online would really fit you? You’re not alone.
Many people find themselves unconvinced by products being sold online, simply because they don’t know what they are truly like in person.
Having a pop up shop is a great way for customers to be able to see and feel your products in person before buying them.
Pop up shops are a wonderful place to showcase your goods, in-person
Being able to try on a piece of clothing can be the deciding factor in whether or not a customer purchases your product.
The texture of fabric, the quality of the material, the scent of a candle… all this can be lost in online photos and cliché descriptions.
Give your customers something to talk about. Let them see what your products are really like in person.
Increase Sales
Pop up shops naturally attract new potential buyers.
How? Some people end up attending a pop up store merely because they were just strolling by or happened to see your pop up event shared on Facebook.
Other folks might be attending with friends who already know your brand.
Make money offline too! Pop up shops help you to increase sales because they offer an alternative revenue stream
Word of mouth really works well with spreading the news about a pop up shop coming to town.
You can also post flyers in the neighborhood as a heads up.
By letting everyone in the city know that your pop up shop is coming soon, you can ensure that you’ll have a decent showing up customers on your first day.
Grow your Social Media
Pop up shops are a terrific way to grow your brand awareness.
By meeting new people who are buying your products, this adds a human element to your brand. People love making direct connections with the owners of a company.
Grow your social media with giveaways, discounts, announcements, and behind the scenes photos
You can encourage your customers to follow you on social media to stay up to date with sales, and future pop ups.
Try offering a 10% discount to customers who share your pop up shop on instagram. This can help you get more foot traffic from people who see the post.
Create an Email List
Pop up shops are a great way to start an email marketing campaign.
Even if someone isn’t ready to purchase a product at that moment, they can still write down their email and name so you can email them later.
Create a drip campaign for pre-purchases that first tells the potential customer about your brand, and educates them on why they should choose you over the competition.
Leave a sign up sheet out on a table so potential customers can leave their contact information
You can also offer a Shareable Discount Code to entice them to visit your online shop.
Better yet, if a person does end up purchasing an item, you can get their email details as well so that you can convert them into a repeat customer.
Test out a New Product Line
If you’re unsure about a new product line, holding a pop up shop is a great way to get instant feedback.
You can ask people browsing your shop what they think about your new line of shoes, or if they are enjoying the samples of your new gluten-free brownie recipe.
Launching a new product line at a pop up shop can give you instant feedback from real customers
Whatever it is that you’re selling, you can launch your new line at a pop up shop to see what kind of reaction it garners.
Make sure to leave a comments box out on a table so customers can leave feedback, such as products they’d like to see in the near future.
Low Overhead
If you’re looking for a new revenue stream that has low financial risk, a pop up shop is a great option for you.
Pop up shops are incredibly cheaper than a physical retail location because they don’t have to pay monthly bills, just a one time fee at most.
A temporary retail space has the advantage of not paying rent, just a small one time fee
By only committing to a short-term rental, you’ll be able to keep your overhead low while still marketing your goods.
Storefront conducted research and concluded that a pop up shop is 80% cheaper than running a brick and motor store.
Opening a pop up shop can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Meet Your Customers
A pop up shop is a wonderful way to meet your customers in person.
A great company has a leader behind the genius, and people want to meet the master-mind behind your products.
Burts Bees built their entire brand on the imagery of their co-founder, Burt.
By engaging with your customers and listening to their wants and needs, you can also generate ideas for future products.
Customer engagement can lead to an increase in sales. Most importantly, it can help create repeat customers
Meeting with your customers enables them to get the complete picture of what your company is all about.
Whether you’re selling handmade jewelry or temporary tattoos, getting to know your customers is the best way to ensure brand loyalty.
If your customers believe in your vision, there is a better chance they’ll also believe in your products as well.
Liquidate Seasonal Inventory
Pop up shops are great time to get rid of seasonal inventory that might be piling up in your stockroom.
Holiday pop up shops are very profitable and tend to bring in a lot of sales because December sees a high surge in shopping behavior.
Want to get rid of your old inventory at your pop up shop? Try offering a huge discount or a BOGO deal (Buy One Get One Free)
If your shop as a lot of surplus inventory, you can offer a sale on certain products to get them to fly off the shelf.
Try grouping similar products in one area of the store to encourage pairing and bulk sales.
Pop up shops are a great way to get rid of old products that you no longer want to have listed on your online store, but can still bring in revenue.
How to Open Your Very Own Pop up Shop
We’ve gone over some of the key reasons of why opening a pop up shop is a great idea.
Now we’re going to concentrate on the ‘How’ part of opening a pop up shop.
For a small business owner, opening your own pop up shop can be a very exciting and validating experience
We’ll give you advice on how to figure out what you’re going to sell, where to find the right space to host your pop up shop, and how you can get some initial momentum going before your pop up shop ever opens.
Decide on what to sell
The first step is to brainstorm what kind of products you’ll be selling at your pop up shop.
Since pop up shops are small, it’s a good idea to remember that you’re inventory will also be small.
You’ll have to be selective because it’s just not possible to sell everything you offer on your online shop.
Most customers are interested in finding unique, one-of-a-kind pieces for their wardrobe or to give as a gift to someone else.
Opening up your own pop up shop is pretty easy, but the first step is figuring out what to sell
This brings me to my second point. Pop up shops are the perfect place to offer seasonal products that can only be found once a year, at your shop.
Make sure to offer a wide range of prices at your pop up including a large amount of reasonably priced items.
To tap into impulse buying, you can also offer bargain bins with $1, $5, and $10 items.
Create a list of all the items you intend to sell, and review their pricing before placing them on the sales-floor.
How to Find a Space
There are lots of infrastructure options when it comes to hosting a pop up store.
You can either go with a more open market approach and inquire with your local farmers market for an available booth. The white cube option is an inexpensive way to get started on a budget.
Finding a location for your pop up shop can take some looking around. Don’t be afraid to post a flyer up at a local coffeehouse
Or you can go with a more traditional storefront with windows and a door. Ya know, a regular looking shop.
The benefit to having a storefront as that you can attract a passerby by showcasing your merchandise on the sidewalk.
Flea Markets
Having a pop up shop at a flea market can help you have a successful opening without any advertising.
Flea markets are full of people who are ready to shop, which is a big plus.
Flea markets are ideal for selling handmade goods such as soap, edibles, and crafts
You can find a very handy guide to local flea markets in your area by checking out Market.
Ask Local Businesses
Do you know of a similar business that has a storefront?
Chances are, if you’re both selling the same types of products, they might want to host your pop up shop.
For example, if you both sell organic, fair-trade baby clothes, you already have something in common that you can use as an ice breaker.
Find a store that sells similar products to host your pop up event. Sharing the same type of clientele can help boost sales, both ways.
As an incentive, you can offer your a portion of the profits from the total sales.
This is a win win situation for both you and the other business because you can help to attract new customers to their store.
By creating an event where both brands are emphasized equally, you can create a successful collaboration.
Research Short-Term Rentals
Once you’ve created a budget of how much you’re willing to spend, you can start looking for a short-term rental that would be good for you.
Storefront offers an exclusive catalogue of thousands of retail spaces available for rent.
Short-term rentals are widely available in every city and town. Try renting a corner shop with high foot traffic
You can choose from small white cubes, traditional retail spaces, industrial lofts and even hotels.
Make sure to consider the amount of space you’ll need to showcase all of your goods, as well as the space requirements for a possible talk or music band.
Generate some Buzz
Pop up shops are a great way to get attention for your brand. Even mainstream bands have adopted a fondness for pop up shops as a way to market to a larger audience. Racked reported Sprite opened up a corner store in New York City that sold nothing but Sprite soda!
Here are some marketing ideas for your upcoming pop up shop:
- Have an influencer do a talk at your pop up shop. They can easily announce your pop up shop to their followers.
- Post flyers around town. Grass roots type of marketing will never die.
- Create an event on Facebook and invite all of your followers. You can also ask your friends to share your pop up event on their profile.
- Get written up by a local blogger. Free press is always the better option.
- Offer a discount for the first 100 shoppers
It’s Time for your Shopify Store to Pop Up
Now, are you ready to open up your own pop up shop? We hope the answer is yes.
The timing is never going to be perfect, so it’s best to just start as soon as possible.
Monetizing your store with a pop up shop can help you attract a larger audience, increase sales, and improve your overall branding.
Branding is everything. A pop up shop can help you cultivate your ideal audience
Pop up shops are one of the most cost effective ways to market your goods without spending very much.
Pop up shops are neat for generating an alternative revenue stream, but they are also invigorating because you get to be out there in the real world.
Thanks so much for reading our super useful guide to opening your own pop up shop.
Our aim here at Adolab is help you become even more successful running your very own Shopify store. We hope you can walk away with a clear picture of how to open up your pop up shop.
Don’t have a Shopify store yet? Get started today with a 14-day Free Trial by clicking right here.
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