Did you know that even though online shopping is doing well, so are offline stores? Studies show that 70 percent of all retail sales happen offline and that for every company closing a store, two are opening physical stores.
One of the types of stores that is making waves in the retail world lately is pop-up shops. They are a great way of launching a brand and beginning your journey in retail, and there is no better time to launch one of these shops than now.
Read on to learn what a pop up shop is and how to make it a success.
What’s a Pop-up Shop?
A pop up shop is a shop that appears at a location for a short period of time. E-commerce brands can benefit greatly from this kind of shop to try their products out on a local customer base, but all kinds of brands can benefit.
When you choose to create a pop up shop, you are choosing a low-cost and low-risk way of seeing how well your product or services do in a particular area. Some people choose to set up the shop for a month, while others can do so for a day or two. This gives you maximum flexibility and ensures that you do not have to worry about renting a space for a long time.
Many pop-up shops look like regular stores, but lately, more business owners are choosing to be more creative in how they set up their shops.
Pop Up Shop Tips
As with any other business, you want your pop up shop to have the highest chance of succeeding. There are some tips that can help.
1. Arrive Early
Whether you are setting up shop for a few weeks or only for a day, you want to make the most out of the time you have. The best thing you can do is get there the day before you have to set up so that you can get a sense of the space. It will allow you to prepare a mental map of how you want to organize the space.
If you cannot get to the space a day early, do so a few hours early. You want to have as much time as possible to prepare. If you are setting up the shop in a market, you may only get one hour before customers arrive, so being there early is essential.
If you are going to a market, take a fold-up table with you just in case you need it.
2. Creativity Pays Off
For a pop up shop that you want to set up for a few days or even weeks, you want to find something a bit more creative than a regular store. Shipping containers that can work as a mobile office are one excellent option that can really catch attention and draw people in.
You want to be creative in your displays, as well. If you sell clothes, you want clothing racks that are not your standard options. Think shelves, trays, boxes, and other containers.
3. Separate Samples From Stock
It can seem easier and more convenient to have your stock out where people can reach it, but it is better to separate the stock from samples. You will prevent the shop from looking crowded and you can also prevent damage to your items.
In markets, where people walk around with food and drinks, this is particularly important. The last thing you want is for a drink to spill on all of your available stock of a product.
4. Build Buzz
Turn to social media to create a buzz for the pop up shop. Think about creating an online contest that can earn customers discounts and special promotions for when the shop opens. A good way of having a strong first few hours at the shop is to offer giveaways to the first few customers who show up.
You can also create press packages and send them to your local news companies. Press packages include a description of what you offer, pictures of your best products, and a media pitch. Keep the pitch short and invite journalists to contact you to ask questions.
5. Make Checkout Memorable
You want your customers to have a memorable experience from the moment they come into your pop up shop until they leave. That includes checkout.
You need to place your items in something when you hand them to your clients. Branded bags are particularly great choices because not only will the person have bought something from you, but they will also carry your logo as they walk around. Think about offering customers samples or any other goodies you may have that will not hurt your profit.
For a truly unique experience, why not set up drop sheets with backgrounds featuring your logo or brand name? People can never resist a photo-op for social media. Encourage them to tag you so you can share.
6. Stay in Touch
You want to stay in touch with customers and create future leads. Offer business cards or brochures with all of your shop’s social media profiles on them and consider offering discounts for your online store.
You may also want to consider offering discounted rates for people who share what they purchased on social media and tag the shop.
If you want to be more personal, you can offer handwritten thank you notes to each customer, encouraging them to leave a review of the shop.
Make Your Pop-up Shop Really Pop
By engaging with customers and being as creative as possible with your pop-up shop you will be able to clear the first hurdle any business has: getting people’s attention.
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