Tips and Advice for your first Pop Up Shop experience

by Startacus Admin

“Pop Up Shop – A temporary retail space in which businesses can showcase and advertise their products on a short-term basis.” Whoever brought this idea to life hit the nail on the head.

Pop up shops are exciting and becoming increasingly popular in the UK, promoting some of the most influential and unique upcoming businesses. Here in Britain, we are witnessing high streets changing. But it’s not all bleak, Pop up shops are reviving creativity and independence. They give online businesses an opportunity to sell face to face in a retail environment, learn from the experience and analyse strategies. Find out why people want to buy your products. Online shopping is great, but there is nothing better than buying in person, seeing and feeling the quality of the item and meeting the creator or founder. Customers love to know your story.

If you are considering doing a pop up shop, here are some points to help you with the basics:

Stock
Make sure you have enough stock to last for your time in the shop. What stock is popular and will sell best? You want to keep the shop stocked and looking full of life.

Research
Look at the location of the Pop Up shop, as it could be vital to your success. What town/city is the shop in? Do you think your products would sell there? What is the footfall like? Speak to previous tenants for any tips or advice.

Travel & Accommodation
How will you travel to the shop everyday? Where will you stay temporarily and how much will it cost?

Advertise
Get business cards and flyers printed. Promotional flyers are a great incentive to bring more people into the shop. Contact media, bloggers and tweet about your time there. Increase awareness at both ends of the spectrum – online and offline, locally and further afield. Take advantage of seasonal events and advertise accordingly (Christmas, Mothers Day, Valentines and Easter)

Merchandise
Display your products attractively. The window display is the most important and will determine if people come in or not. Make your space ‘shoppable’ by placing products within reach so they can look and touch. Show the customer how they might use the product for example; place some cushions on a chair how they might at home. If you are sharing a shop with other businesses, don’t be afraid to merchandise together by experimenting and being creative. Additionally, it is great practice for future events.

Know your USP
One of the best things about being in a Pop Up shop is that you get to show your customers your unique selling point. You can interact directly with your customers and tell them about your business. Competition is fierce so go get that sale!

Talk to your customers
Listen to their feedback, look at how they react and talk to them about your products. It may be an eye opener.

Overall, use your time wisely, enjoy yourself, make contacts and take the most from the experience. Remember, it’s not all about selling, it’s an adventure into helping you and your business develop.

Some great tips there, we're sure you'll agree! 

This post was a guest post written by Sarah Chorlton, the founder of Bonny Boutique. Designing and creating quirky products by hand is her forte and passion. She studied a Fine Art degree and has done many Pop-Up shops in London. She innovates, creates and never cuts corners.
Interested in finding out more about Sarah's wonderful creations? Why not check out the Bonny Boutique website, or on Facebook or @Bonny_Boutique on Twitter. We think you'll love them. We do.

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Published on: 27th April 2013