The festive season is upon us and that means Christmas markets and pop-ups are in full swing. More and more people, love buying from pop-ups as they like to support small businesses and buy unique products. Hence, we were super excited to host our very first pop-up in Boots, in Victoria Center, Nottingham in collaboration with The Great British Pop Up. The pop-up took place from the 29th of November until the 5th of December.
Our three business development managers: Rachel, Dan and Christina were all present at the pop-up talking to customers and showcasing our eco-friendly and ethical ranges. At the pop-up we had ranges from all our artists including; Julia Gash, Lauren Thorley, Rosie Smith, Elizabeth Olwen and Urban Illustration.
It was so nice to meet so many amazing people in Nottingham, as well as receiving lots or positive feedback on our collections. We would like to give a massive thank you to the Great British Pop up and Boots Nottingham for this wonderful opportunity.
A pop-up shop is a temporary store as it is open only for a finite time period, which ranges from 3 days to a few months. The pop-up shop phenomenon started in 2008 in the wake of the financial crisis, and it has been a great hit ever since.
Pop-ups are a great way to create a unique, engaging physical shopping experience. They allow you to meet your current and new customers and encourage sales in a more friendly setting.
At pop-ups, retailers can test marketing and branding tactics, nurture relationships with leads and trial new product lines. Therefore, whether you are a brick-and-mortar retailer looking to go more digital or an e-commerce brand looking to go more physical, launching a pop-up shop or event is an excellent choice.
We are going to give you some tips on how to create the best pop up!
First impressions are everything! So, if you want to attract people to your pop-up stand you need to make it look clean, organised and engaging. A good way to start is to think of either a theme or a concept that will resonate with your audience. From there, start visualising your stand, and find creative ways to display your products. Think of shelves, trays, boxes and other containers that will show off your products in the best light.
Don’t forget about branding! Having a banner with your brand’s name and logo which is clear and easy to read will draw people’s attention. If possible, also choose some relevant music for your pop-up and make sure, your playlist matches your brand’s identity!
Plan your content in advance so you have enough time to drum up interest and get people excited. In the lead-up to your launch, you should create:
Furthermore, a temporary pop-up shop with a definite end date encourages shoppers to visit before missing out, as it creates a sense of urgency. You can even, have the option to click and collect at your pop-up. This is something that can be used in your marketing campaigns to ensure footfall at your pop-up.
We currently live in a hyper-connected society; hence it has never been more important to find ways to bridge the gap between the physical and online world. Therefore, it is vital during your pop-up to use features such as QR codes or tablets that lead customers to content about your brand story, specific product pages, landing pages or email subscription portals.
Some ideas on what to post on social media during your pop-up:
Don’t forget that pop-ups are a great opportunity to collect lots of User Generated Content. A fun thing you could do is to set up a drop sheet with backgrounds where people can snap a quick photo of themselves for Instagram or other social media channels. It can be as simple as encouraging people to tag you on social media with a photo of their products or goodies. You can also add some funny or Instagrammable signages to make it even more fun. This can also be connected to a in-store competition. This is a great free advertising technique to raise brand awareness.
Pop-up shops are great for exposure and networking. Therefore, you should take advantage of this opportunity by continuing to engage with people talking about your brand and the pop-up experience. A good way to do this is, is to give people business cards so they have an opportunity to look you up afterwards, to follow you on your store’s social media channels and ultimately to remember you.
Additionally, you can give thank you cards to customers who make a purchase, and the note can kindly ask for a review of your brand. Likewise, you can offer pop-up customers a little discount for your e-commerce store, by providing promotional codes for purchases or newsletter sign-ups. All in all, don’t let the conversation stop once your pop-up is over. Stay in touch with your leads
Final thoughts
Launching a pop-up shop or event can be a lot of work, but once you’ve launched successfully, you will enjoy endless rewards. Pop-ups are very powerful customer acquisition and retention tools, an accessible way to test ideas and gather data, and a great way to build buzz and awareness for your brand.