10 Pop-Up Shop Tips for Small Business Owners | Tory Burch Foundation
10 Tips for Winning Pop-Up Shops
A retail strategist helps you elevate your next vending experience.
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Pop-up shops are a game changer for brands of any size, offering a unique opportunity to connect directly with customers, reach new audiences, test new ideas, boost your sales and generate buzz. As a veteran buyer and founder of Retail Huddle, I have plenty of experience helping founders make the most out of the opportunity. Here are 10 pop-up shop tips to help you make the most of your next event .
LOCATION IS EVERYTHING.
A great product assortment won’t get you very far if you aren’t in the right location! Start by identifying where your target customers spend time. Are they in busy urban areas, trendy local shopping districts or malls?
If you have a website, a great place to start is with geo-location analytics. Where’s most of your audience based? This can give you a good indication of where they will likely travel to shop in person. If you are an emerging brand, this is an especially good strategy because your current audience will probably be ready to show up, bring their friends and family and spread the word on your behalf!
CONSIDER COLLABORATIONS
Another smart move is to partner with established brands that align with your market positioning and attract your ideal customers. Consider setting up space inside a well-known store or sharing a venue with a complementary brand that won’t create too much competition. For example, if you sell apparel, you could team up with jewelry or accessories brands that have shared values and similar customers. This can create a cohesive experience for customers, giving them more reason to attend in-person. Both brands in the collaboration will also benefit from the shared mission of leveraging each other’s audience.
If you set you a pop-up inside another retailer’s shop, it’s common to compensate the host retailers with a one-off fee or a percentage of sales, or in some cases both. The arrangement largely depends on the size of retailers and the opportunity to you as an emerging brand.
CURATE WITH CARE.
Your job is to create an enticing product assortment but remember that less is more when it comes to turning those browsers into buyers. Focus on the products your customers love and keep coming back for, and thoughtfully expand to create a product range that demonstrate your brand’s values. Display your selection authoritatively to make a statement, in a way that ‘tells’ the customer what they should be buying from you. Do this by creating authoritative displays that highlight your seasonal items, best sellers, new launches or top picks. Use clear signage and interactive elements like marketing assets, customer testimonials or elements from press features (for example, a magazine list’s badge). Building your display with intention speaks to your customers’ desires and emphasizes the value or unique features of your products.
To go even deeper and build emotion connections, you might use displays to show behind the scenes of the production process or the inspiration for the product. You can create an interactive area or use props of raw materials, tools or videos of what it takes to bring your product to the shop floor. These kinds of narratives help the customers feel personally connected to your brand, turning a simple purchase into a meaningful experience.
Lastly, remember that less clutter means more clarity and, ultimately, more sales.
MAKE IT SOCIAL MEDIA FRIENDLY.
Creating Instagram- or TikTok-worthy spaces and interactive experiences for the customer encourages sharing, turning visitors into brand ambassadors. Whether it’s a quirky backdrop, an eye-catching product display or a collaboration with an influencer, creating a social media moment can increase your brand’s visibility beyond the pop-up’s run. These small touches invite customers to snap and post, spreading your brand message to customers you can’t reach.
The best part? You are essentially gaining free advertising through authentic user-generated content!
MAKE IT EASY FOR CUSTOMERS TO BUY.
A frictionless shopping experience is key to running a successful pop-up shop, so set yourself up to accept multiple payment methods.
If people pay by cash, make sure you have plenty of change ready. Have a mobile POS system ready to process credit cards, debit cards, mobile payments, and contactless options.
Enable email and SMS receipts to save time and process the customer’s transaction quickly and efficiently.
The easier it is to pay, the more likely people are to make a purchase.
LEVERAGE EXCLUSIVITY.
Nothing creates more urgency at a pop-up shop than an exclusive product or special promotion. Tap into the scarcity principle, which will encourage customers to act fast to avoid missing out. Whether it’s a limited-edition product, a new colorway of a best seller, a new launch, on-the-day discounts or a freebie for the first 50 customers, a pop-up promotion can increase foot traffic and strengthen customer loyalty, while creating buzz around your brand.
PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE.
Don’t rely solely on passing trade. Create awareness by creating a pre-event, during-event and post-event marketing plan,
Before your pop-up, raise awareness through your social media, email list, website and other customer touch points. Also, don’t forget the power of local advertising, something we tend to forget in our digital world. Think of directories, magazines and flyers.
Continue the excitement during the event by sharing social media posts that tag visitors and highlight bestsellers, exclusive deals, and anything else shareable. You never know who will watch and decide to pop in!
Make the most of the new customers and followers in your orbit. How can you use digital marketing to entice your visitors to continue the relationship post-event? Think of come-back promotions, shop online, or referral rewards.
BUILD YOUR LIST.
Not everyone will buy from you on the spot, so use the opportunity for customers to stay connected to your brand and continue a relationship beyond the pop-up. Encourage visitors to sign up for your email list, join a loyalty program, or follow you on social media. Sweeten the deal by offering incentives, like samples, discount codes or exclusive offers.
By capturing email addresses, you’re building a valuable list of potential customers you can nurture with future offers, product launches and events.
G
DON’T FORGET TO CONNECT.
Pop-up shops aren’t just about selling products, but also about creating memorable experiences to build loyalty, brand recognition and engagement.
To truly stand out, think of your pop-up shop beyond a space to fulfill sales, and consider how you want to connect with visitors on an emotional level.
You could effectively engage your audience by simple and easy tactics like telling the story behind your brand in a visual way or creating hands-on interactive experiences like a DIY station or product customization stand or an activity that allows the customer to interact like workshops or demos
For example, if you are a candle brand, you could create a scent-bar where customers can explore your different scents by the power of a multi-sensory experience using objects, color, sound and raw materials that inspired the scent. This allows the customer to experience the scent on a much deeper level, turning choosing a scent into a more intuitive natural choice which resonates deeply.
Any marketing tactics that evoke positive emotions, whether nostalgia, joy or curiosity, are great at driving connections, engagement and, of course, sales.
THE MAGIC IS IN THE FOLLOW UP.
The real magic happens after the event. Keep the momentum going with thoughtful follow-up to continue nurturing those relationships.
Send a thank-you email to everyone who attended. Consider sharing offer exclusive promo codes or offers and a first glance at a new product to make them feel special. Stoke excitement by sharing customer stories or behind-the-scenes content of the set-up before. This sort of content transforms the excitement from the pop-up to sustained engagement and loyalty.
Pop-up shops create an engaging atmosphere where your customers can come in, have a tactile experience with your products, and connect with the founder or people behind the brand. Keep these tips in mind to set yourself up for pop-up success, but also lay the groundwork for continuing the momentum in your business.
Key takeaways
- Selecting the right location for your pop-up shop, where your target customers spend time, can significantly impact your event’s success.
- A well-curated, visually appealing product display that highlights your brand values and bestsellers can enhance customer engagement and drive sales.
- Creating Instagram or TikTok-worthy experiences encourages customers to share, turning them into brand ambassadors .
- Offering limited-time products or exclusive deals creates urgency, drawing customers to your pop-up and fostering brand loyalty.
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