Pop-up events are the new big thing. Pop-ups experiences are popping up all over the country. A new way to engage customers by bringing the products to them in a way that they love – Instagrammable moments. Pop-ups can drive sales, especially when you get the experience just right, this means you must have a cute display to attract customers with numerous other vendors competing for the same business. Let’s take a look at what it takes to win your first pop-up event.
First comes the planning. For those of you who have never done a pop-up event before and are online only (like me), you will have to purchase some items that you probably don’t already own. First and foremost is ensuring all of your products have the price marked on them. Pricing products is something online boutique owners can normally skip because the customer has already seen the price and purchased the item before the product ships.
I purchased two label makers and went to town pricing my products. A big piece of advice is don’t start this process the day before the event (unless you want to stay up until 3 A.M like me)! My recommendation is first to determine the number of products you want to bring with you. Some factors to consider are the amount of space you have to utilize the day of the event, how many clothing racks you are bringing (another thing to purchase in advance), whether you want those clothing racks to be crowded or spacious, and how many hangers you have or need to buy. Once you have determined the number of products to bring, make a plan to price a certain amount of items each day up until the event. Pricing products is something you can do while watching t.v and should not be something to stress you out. I originally purchased price tags in bulk on Amazon, but soon realized that I could stick the label directly on the tag from the brand. This will save you time, but if you do not want the brand’s tag on your products, you can certainly add your own. If your products are wrinkly, you may want to consider steaming them before setting them out for display.
The next thing you need to consider is the POS system. I received my POS card reader from Shopify for free when they first came out, but they are currently very cheap and will link directly to your Shopify store. If you are using another e-commerce platform, check to see if they provide a card reader and order one before the event. My recommendation is to test it out before the event. I waited until the day of and realized that it needed to be charged right as I had customers in line ready to check out. Luckily I was able to manually enter the credit card information on the Shopify POS app, but this takes time, and if you have a long line the card reader is the way to go. Another tip, if you are accepting cash, ensure you have enough spare change on hand before the bank closes a day or two before the event!
Next up, are the bags that customers will use to carry their purchases home. I purchased some plain ones in bulk on Amazon, but there are plenty of companies that will allow you to design your custom bags. I bought an excessive number because I wanted to be over prepared rather than under prepared, but as luck would have it, the mart I was participating in provided the customers with their tote, so I was able to return the majority of the bags I purchased. Think through how many customers you are anticipating and consider purchasing extras to be safe.
As you check out each customer, you may want to consider what to include with each purchase. You can include with purchase anything from a thank you card, freebie, or promotional flyer. I encourage that you hand out something to everyone stopping by that includes your website link, social media handles, and an incentive to check you out when they return home. These incentives can be a discount off their next order, a contest that exchanges follow on Instagram for a chance to win a gift card, etc. One great benefit of pop up events is that you are spreading your brand awareness to local customers without spending an arm and a leg on online advertising. Utilize this to your advantage!
Now let’s get to the creative part of the pop-up event, creating your Instagram worthy booth. Many vendors will stick to the basics – a folding table, a few clothing racks, maybe a sign with their logo and that’s about it. Boring booths will not attract many customers to take the time to browse through your booth when there are plenty of other competitors around. Think through your brand’s overall theme or style and take some time to come up with a fun way to incorporate it into your booth.
My store’s theme is traveling, so I took to Google and Amazon to begin searching for everything from travel accessories to travel quotes to travel decor and somehow ended up on Etsy looking at bachelorette themed parties. To my surprise, bachelorette and wedding showers often have a travel theme, and I was able to purchase some awesome decor and photo booth props. I recommend searching Pinterest for inspiration and then moving to Etsy, Amazon, and any other place you can find creative decor. If you have wall space, find something that will cover the majority of it and even allow for a backdrop to take pictures on. Have fun with this but also remember how much space you’ll be taking up that might take away from displaying your products. You will have to find the right balance.
Make sure your logo is displayed front and center, so customers know the name of your store and can identify you right away. You can have a big sign printed pretty quickly by using Fed Ex’s online center. Consider if you want your logo on the wall display or in a big frame out front, the options are endless.
Map out your booth on paper so you can get an idea of where you want to place things and the amount of space you are working with to maximize your booth. I thought I was going to put my table in the front of my booth and have four clothing racks out. The day of the event, we realized it would look much better against the wall. I started the day with two clothing racks out and halfway through assembled a third and completely changed both the look and feel of my booth and was able to display more products. I wasn’t able to pull out all of the clothes I brought, so I had to quickly prioritize which items to display. The day may not go according to plan, but it is perfectly okay to pivot and be flexible as needed. Don’t stress, focus on your customers, and everything will fall into place.
Lastly, make a clear plan of action on how to move and set up all of your products, supplies, and decor. A clear plan to pack and unpack your booth is essential (unless you are like me and try to throw everything into the car after you finish pricing your products at 3 A.M the night before). Luckily I had my fiancé ready to help me unpack the car, and two friends prepared to help design and organize all of my decors and set up the perfect booth. One big thing that I would have done differently is to put all of my clothing in garment bags and use rolling clothing racks. I noticed other vendors were able to set up and pack up much quicker with this approach and would have saved us a significant amount of time and effort!
By the time the customers appeared, I had placed everything out just in time, and the day went by without a hitch. I had a great time meeting new people and sharing my mission and goals for my store. Pop-ups are a great way to get your name out there and speak to your customers first hand enabling you to hear about the types of things they are and are not interested in that you do not typically get online. I recommend signing up for as many as you can, as long as you have a plan and are ready to meet some great new customers.
Let’s review what to do in advance and what to bring with you the day of the event:
- Select products to bring
- Price your products
- Steam your products
- Card reader/POS system
- Clothing Racks
- Hangers
- Garment bags
- Spare change for cash purchases
- Folding table
- Table cloth
- Gift bags
- Thank you for your purchase cards
- Promotional flyers
- Giveaway freebies
- Banner/sign/tapestry
- Supplies for hanging anything on the wall
- Scissors/other useful tools/supplies
- Trash bags (just in case!)
- Decorations
- Rug
- Photo booth props
- Water bottle
- Chairs to sit on
Lastly, do not forget to promote your event to your friends, family, and social media following! Get the word out there, and you might find that some hesitant customers are more inclined to purchase from you in person. Some people prefer to feel and see products up front before purchasing, so this is an excellent opportunity to share and sell your stuff and build your customer base!