Setting Up Your First Pop-Up Shop – Where to Start?
A pop-up shop is a worthy investment that can increase your retail presence in a cost-effective way – and on a short-term basis. Finding retail space for your products can be tricky at times, especially in the current market. Fortunately, a pop-up shop can be deployed in various locations for the public to explore and purchase your products. However, to fully gain as much traffic and potential customers as possible to explore your pop-up shop, you must consider certain factors.
Here at VKF Renzel, we are here to help with the best ways you can set up your pop-up shop, drawing in the biggest crowd possible to explore your merchandise and products.
What is a pop-up shop?
Online shopping has become the norm in terms of how consumers purchase goods, with e-commerce websites making a huge impact on the retail market. However, most people still want the real-life experience of visiting stores and physically seeing what they’re going to purchase. A pop-up shop is a low-cost way to get your brand out into the public sphere for people to explore and experience. If you are looking for a temporary space for consumers to have an interactive and immersive physical shopping experience, then a pop-up shop is the right thing to invest in. They are a great way to promote your business and allow consumers to get a real taste of what you offer, incentivising them to then make further purchases of your products online and driving further sales.
But what is the best way to set up a pop-up shop and how exactly do you achieve this?
Have a goal in mind
Just like any business venture, it’s important to set a goal for what you want to achieve. A pop-up shop is a great way to establish your brand and products to a wide audience, who perhaps would be unaware of its presence in the online space. You’ll also be able to interact with your customer base more personally – building a reliable service for customers will mean they are more likely to continue purchasing your products.
Your business so far may have only been present in the online realm, so you may be looking to test the waters of having your business in the retail market. The major benefit of a pop-up shop is that this will only be a temporary venture, with pop-up shops being incredibly easy to set up and take down when you feel your overall goal has been achieved.
How do you set up a pop-up shop?
Now that you have a goal for what you want out of your pop-up shop, you’ll need to know the ideal methods of setting one up. Setting one up can be relatively hassle-free. However, attracting consumers to come and look at what you have to offer is key to driving sales.
Choose a location to set up your pop-up shop
This may sound like an obvious step in the process, but choosing the right location can either be a blessing or a curse. There are several spaces where you can set up shop to maximise your presence – and it’s important to research your customer base.
First, look at your existing customer demographics to see who your main audience is, then scout out local venues where you could set up.
Some areas that are ideal to set up include:
- Shopping centres – Most shopping centres will have available space for you to rent out. You could set up at a kiosk, booth or, even, a vacant store. Shopping centres are a great location for your pop-up shop, as they have a plethora of consumers looking to spend their money.
- Pop-ins – These are stalls, kiosks and other spaces within already existing locations. If this is something you desire, it’s important to consider partnering with a company that is similar to your brand. You wouldn’t sell perfumes and colognes in an antique store.
- Event space – Events of all types attract massive amounts of foot traffic, making them perfect locations to set up an eye-catching pop-up shop for people to enjoy and explore.
- Go mobile – If you feel like your business could benefit from reaching several areas, with a stock that is easily transportable, then go mobile. By renting a van or larger vehicle to sell in various locations, including parks, festivals and street markets, you’ll boost both brand recognition and sales.
Factors to consider before setting up
Once you have decided on a location by analysing where your main customer base is and what type of pop-up shop you are going to utilise, there are some factors you must be aware of that will affect your costs and how you sell your products.- Rent payments – Get in touch with estate agents and the owners of the place you are going to set up to find out how much you will be paying for the duration of your venture.
- Know your layout – Plan how you want your shop to be laid out ahead of time. If you’re operating in an existing space, visit the space before setting it up to visualise what your pop-up shop will look like. This is vital, as you need to understand not only where your products will be placed, but also allow enough space for consumers to interact with your products, too.
- Insurance – You never know what could happen during the time your shop is running.
Stand out from the competition
Drawing people in to come and visit your pop-up shop is one of the hardest aspects of running a pop-up shop. Like any business, marketing is crucial for driving sales and advertising your business as the best place to go for the products you sell. Creating more brand awareness might be the reason you’re setting up a pop-up shop – and if that is the case, then owning the right marketing equipment at your pop-up shop will help you exponentially.
Your pop-up shop is a chance to showcase who you are as a business, and you can stand out from the competition in several ways. For example, the right signage can attract a host of different customers to explore your product range. Consider using bright and bold colours, lighting and signage to draw people in. Inflatable advertising is definitely a unique choice to help your business stand out and catch people’s attention from afar.
Effective point-of-sale equipment, such as banner frames, promotional signs and floor advertisement products also enable you to promote your brand in a unique way and can be used in both indoor and outdoor settings, making them ideal for any type of pop-up shop. Your pop-up shop is a chance to market your business to hundreds of potential new customers, so you can customise your pop-up shop however you want.
Technology has come a long way in effectively marketing a business, with the help of digital signage to offer a much more interactive experience for customers to enjoy. Using these types of marketing devices can not only enhance the customer experience but also drastically helps you to stand out from everyone else – especially businesses you are directly competing against. However, it is still important to know the mistakes to avoid when marketing, which you can explore in our detailed blog here.
Set up your pop-up shop with VKF Renzel
For one of the most important aspects of setting up a pop-up shop, come to VKF Renzel for all offline marketing needs, including a wide range of products, including frames, digital signage, UV printing, retail equipment and more.
Contact us today on 01527 878311 or send us an email at sales@vkf-renzel.co.uk for our team to help you set up your pop-up shop.