How to Open a Pop-Up Shop in 5 Easy Steps
What do Kanye West, One Direction, and Mumford & Sons all have in common? They have all opened pop-up shops to sell their merch, swag, and albums.
Thousands of other brands, artists, designers and makers opened pop-up stores, showrooms and galleries in 2013.
Why?
There are myriad reasons why short-term physical retail stores are effective. Here are five.
*Sell more. A retail presence gives you access to attentive shoppers.
*Low cost. Booths and spaces can start at $50/day
*Test locations. Try out different spaces in different neighborhoods or cities.
*Events and holidays. From Christmas to Fashion Week, you can target relevant city foot traffic.
*Build Awareness. Create a unique experience and connect with customers.
So, that’s fine and dandy, but how do you actually do it? Below are five easy steps to guide you down the right path of pop-up execution.
5 Steps To Open a Pop-Up Shop
1. Design your experience. Are you going to create a beautiful booth, immersive store, host nightly events, or bring in musical acts? Overall, make sure you do more than just selling products.
2. Find the right space. Start by searching thestorefront.com for your desired city. Then consider the size of the space and neighborhood you want to be in.
3. Plan the logistics. How will you accept payment, get your products to the space, and setup and run the store?
4. Promote your pop-up. Reach out to local bloggers and reporters. Flyer the streets. Find creative ways to get your name out.
5. Open your store. Celebrate. Throw a opening party. Offer exclusive sales. Create other engaging experiences to consistently bring in new foot traffic throughout the life of the store.
Want to learn more? Get your free copy of The Ultimate Guide to Opening a Pop-Up Shop. It’s over 30 pages of beautiful design that dives deeper into each step of the pop-up process.
Tristan Pollock is the co-founder of Storefront, an online marketplace that helps brands, designers and artists find and rent retail space.
