pop up shop business plan

9 Best Pop-Up Shop Ideas In 2024

Updated: Apr 29, 2024, 8:14pm

Table of Contents

What is a pop-up shop and how does it work, how a pop-up shop benefits your business, 9 best pop-up shop ideas, essential tools for pop-up shops, bottom line, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Businesses small and large deploy a variety of pop-up shop ideas to kick-start sales and grow their customer base. Whether you’re a startup, established online seller or looking for side-gig opportunities, pop-up shops are a great way to test business concepts and expose your goods to shoppers who may not otherwise find you. Done right, pop-up shops also offer a unique opportunity to present your brand in a memorable way that keeps customers coming back.

Pop-up shops are retail stores or services set up in a temporary location. On any weekend across the nation, thousands of mobile retailers run these pop-up shops in fair and market settings. While local markets offer terrific sales opportunities, it can be hard for a brand to stand out among hundreds of sellers, and many venues are attended sparsely.

Better pop-up shop ideas center on unique experiences in well-trafficked areas. For example, kiosks filled with locally sourced goods can catch the attention of shoppers in malls and big-box stores. Likewise, pop-up shops with specialty or limited-time collections can create buzz and attract foot traffic to individual stores in malls and city centers. Restaurants, corporate office plazas, schools and churches welcome a variety of pop-up shops as well.

One secret to pop-up shop success is aligning the shop’s concept and collection with the host’s brand and complementing their offering without competing. Most successful pop-up shops are also self-sufficient when it comes to handling sales and payments. Mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) systems with credit card readers that work with smartphones are key tools for this.

Pop-up shops are ideal for established businesses looking to expand their existing footprint and customer base as well. Whatever type of business you operate, there’s a benefit to adding a pop-up shop strategy to your sales and branding mix:

• Showcase online products in person. Online sellers can benefit greatly from pop-up shops that present products in a physical location. The pros call this “experiential marketing,” which can be boiled down to “try it before you buy it.” With the popularity of pop-up shops for e-commerce brands, this adage still holds true in our e-commerce-driven world.
• Expand your retail footprint. Likewise, established retailers can stage pop-up shops in new locations to test potential market areas, attract foot traffic to their main store and boost awareness of online options in remote areas.
• Bring your products to the world. Pop-up shops are a terrific venue for artisans and independent manufacturers as well. Pop-up locations in malls, city centers and business districts expose unique products to a wide market of potential customers. Pop-up partnerships with local stores can be lucrative as well. Along with sales through in-store showcases, these can drive new wholesale opportunities if host stores see profit potential in the line.

Now that you know how pop-up shops work and the types of locations to target, it’s time to start brainstorming pop-up shop ideas. Here are nine popular pop-up shop themes that you can employ and, remember, you can incorporate several ideas in your ongoing pop-up shop business plan

Local Artisan Shops

Are you a local artisan or do you know any? Locally sourced goods and artisan creations are very on-trend. If you craft a specialty line yourself and have success on marketplaces, such as Etsy , consider pop-up shops in stores that align with your brand. Better yet, build an artisan cooperative to fill pop-up shops with a wide selection of local goods. The artisan collective concept works well in area malls and city centers, especially during the holiday shopping season.

Local Flavor Shops

Pop-up shops filled with local specialty foods are sure to please all types of shoppers. If the location and products support a tasting station, make that the highlight of your pop-up shop. Free tastings always attract foot traffic and one filled with the unique flavors of the region is sure to be memorable.

Holiday Shops

Holiday pop-up shops are always popular and focus on themed collections, such as eco-friendly decor, holiday pet items, specialty holiday foods or while-you-wait customized gifts can set your pop-up shop apart from the standard fare. Every pop-up shop idea on this list can be tailored to a holiday theme with the right merchandising and a few prepacked gift sets.

Local Celebrity Shops

Are you a local celebrity, such as a chef, golf pro, designer or e-book author —or do you want to be? Cleverly branded celebrity pop-up shops are an ideal vehicle to take you to stardom. Pop-up shops let you share your creations and services with the world and cement your public persona. Create social media buzz by offering a freebie based on what you do, such as a free audible download if you’re an author, on-site tastings if you’re a chef or swing critiques if you’re a star golfer. Fill shop shelves with products that align with your brand for added sales—and don’t forget to notify the press of your limited-time engagement.

Customized Product Shops

Customized products are on-trend and pop-up shops are the ideal outlet for things, such as customized clothing, embroidered items and laser-cut decor. Displaying samples and taking orders is necessary for some customized items due to production equipment and times. However, customized-while-you-wait products, such as T-shirts and totes, are sure winners for volume sales, especially in holiday shops.

Nonprofit and Fundraising Shops

Pop-up shops are ideal fundraising outlets for nonprofits as well as area schools, churches and social organizations. If you’re on the fundraising committee for these types of organizations, you can use the pop-up shop model to sell all types of fundraising goods and collect donations. If you’re exploring for-profit pop-up shop ideas with a social benefit, consider setting up a pop-up shop management group. You can contract with locations and plan and stage fundraiser pop-up shops for a fee.

Seasonal Must-haves Shops

Pop-up shops filled with trending seasonal items can attract traffic, especially when centered on a specific seasonal theme. Ideas such as eco-friendly springtime gardening, summertime skin care and football tailgating must-haves can set your shop apart from the usual seasonal competition. Seasonal pop-ups are also a good pitch for local independent stores that may not invest in a large selection of seasonal sellers.

Freebie and Demo Shops

Are you an online influencer or do you run an affiliate marketing website or publish a penny-pincher blog? Pop-up shops can present your online brand to brick-and-mortar main street shoppers with minimal costs. Tap your featured brands for free samples, items for demo stations and a special manufacturer’s discount. Use the pop-up shop to showcase demos and offer freebies and include your affiliate purchase link on coupon handouts to make a commission on all sales. Quick-response (QR) codes for instant online purchases work well for this concept, too.

Vending Machines

Branded vending machines are very hip and offer long-term sales opportunities with occasional upkeep. Vending machines work great for selling beverages and specialty snacks, but that’s not all. Personal care products, cosmetics, books, toys and pet supplies can all be distributed using vending machines. Tap local vending machine services to test-market your line in their machines or manage branded machines for you. You can also purchase and customize machines, contract locations and manage your own collections and refills.

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The best pop-up shops operate independently, without relying on host locations for managing sales and payments. They also cross-market their online store and permanent retail locations and use social media to create buzz and attract more traffic. Incorporating all of this into your pop-up shop plan is simple with the right systems and tools in place.

• Mobile payments with a POS system: Mobile payment processors give you a suite of mobile sales management, payment processing and business tracking tools. The most popular solution among pop-up sellers is Square , shown above, but Shopify is a close second if you plan to focus heavily on e-commerce sales.
• Online store: Pop-up shops are an ideal marketing vehicle for your online store, plus it gives customers a convenient place to purchase items in between your pop-up appearances. Again, Square and Shopify are two top-rated solutions that connect your online, in-store and mobile pop-up shop sales seamlessly.
• Social media marketing: Create buzz and excitement for current and upcoming pop-up shops using social media posts , videos, stories and ads. Posts that tease shop items and specials are useful, but contests, limited-time savings and flash giveaways are the real social media gold for pop-up shops. These tactics practically guarantee traffic.

Mall concourses, city centers, local stores and other well-trafficked locations are hot spots for pop-up shops. Thanks to mobile payment services, businesses and solopreneurs alike can stage pop-up shops practically anywhere. Pop-up shops help businesses boost sales and expand their customer base but, for most sellers, the ultimate goal is brand awareness. Done right, pop-up shops should create a memorable brand experience and boost ongoing sales on other outlets, such as online stores or retail locations.

What does pop-up store mean?

A pop-up store means a retailer is selling in a temporary location. Pop-up shops typically target high-traffic areas, such as mall concourses, shopping and city centers and busy streets in business districts. Pop-up shops operate independently of their host location, largely thanks to cloud-based mobile credit card processing and POS systems. Pop-up stores are ideal for product launches, increasing brand awareness and kick-starting sales.

What are the benefits of a pop-up shop?

The top business benefits of a pop-up shop include brand awareness, product testing, in-person exposure for online brands, marketplace and media buzz and relatively low-cost startup opportunities.

How much does it cost to run a pop-up shop?

Pop-up shop costs depend on a variety of factors, including the cost of the venue, contract commitments and the shop’s structure, technology and stock costs. Weekend mobile sellers may pay $500 to $1,000 for pop-up booth shops at local fairs and markets, while major brands may invest $100,000 or more annually for a pop-up shop that rotates in regional mall locations.

How do I choose the right POS system for my business?

The best POS system for your business depends on a variety of factors, including the type of business you have, your budget and the features you need. For many situations, it makes sense to invest in the best system you can afford and, preferably, the system can grow with your business.

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Krista Fabregas is a seasoned eCommerce and online content pro sharing more than 20 years of hands-on know-how with those looking to launch and grow tech-forward businesses. Her expertise includes eCommerce startups and growth, SMB operations and logistics, website platforms, payment systems, side-gig and affiliate income, and multichannel marketing. Krista holds a bachelor's degree in English from The University of Texas at Austin and held senior positions at NASA, a Fortune 100 company, and several online startups.

Cassie is a deputy editor collaborating with teams around the world while living in the beautiful hills of Kentucky. Focusing on bringing growth to small businesses, she is passionate about economic development and has held positions on the boards of directors of two non-profit organizations seeking to revitalize her former railroad town. Prior to joining the team at Forbes Advisor, Cassie was a content operations manager and copywriting manager.

How to set up a pop-up shop in 6 stages. Set yourself up for success with this handy checklist

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What is a pop-up shop? Everything you need to know to try short-term retail  > How to set up a pop-up shop in 6 stages. Set yourself up for success with this handy checklist

How to set up a pop-up shop, How to do a pop-up shop, or How to open a pop-up shop is the most frequent questions we get asked. Setting up a bricks and mortar pop-up store is a lot of work, and while Storefront is the expert in finding venues for pop-up shops, many other factors are equally important.

We’ve prepared the checklist below to help anyone contemplating running a pop-up shop. It takes the form of a list of questions and statements we recommend you consider before you go any further. Make sure you have considered every aspect and have an idea of how to answer most of them.

It won’t all be relevant to you, as so much of it depends on the specifics of your business, your product and what you’re trying to achieve with a pop-up shop. Nevertheless, we hope you find it useful, and if you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch .

We have broken the entire pop-up store journey into six phases; Planning , Getting Started , Ready for Opening , Operation , Closing and Evaluation .

Prepare for your pop-up store

Are you considering opening a pop-up store? Pop-up stores can be a great way to test out a new retail location, generate buzz for your brand, and boost sales. But before you open your doors, there are a few things you need to do to prepare.

In this blog post, we’ll share tips on how to prepare for your pop-up store, including choosing the right location, creating a standout design, and promoting your event. By following these tips, you’ll be sure to make your pop-up store a success.

Stage 1. Planning

Read More: 6 Tips for Planning a Pop-Up Store

• Have a clear objective – what are you trying to achieve with your pop-up shop?

This first item to tackle is probably the most important. Much of the success of your pop-up shop will depend on how stringent and thorough you are at the planning stage.

To do this properly, you need to clearly understand what you are trying to achieve and what it means for your business. In short, what’s your objective?

Are you looking to build your brand? Get new business? Simply test out your products. Raise awareness? Launch a new product? See what it’s like to have a retail or physical presence?

These are all valid objectives and ones many brands have employed before. Just make sure you know what you’re trying to achieve.

A clear understanding of your objective will help you to accurately complete the rest of your planning. Every person involved in the project should know what the objective is.

Keep your objective in mind when considering the following:

• Budget – How much are you able or willing to spend on a pop-up shop to achieve those goals? Budget will play a huge factor in the rest of your plans. You need to be clear about how much you will spend and what you will get back from it.
• Retail Location – Which country, city and neighborhood provide the best option for your business to achieve your goal? Consider footfall and foot traffic, as well as branding and behavior. Where is your ideal audience most likely to be? What kind of person are they?

Read More: How to Choose The Best Destination For Your Next Pop-Up Store?

• Venue – what does the retail space need to have for you to achieve your goals?
• What utilities do you need? ( wi-fi , video equipment , or kitchen space , for example) and how you will use them. Most spaces include this in the price but always double-check.
• Will you need storage? Will you need storage in the store, or will you need storage elsewhere?
• Design – how do you want your pop-up store to look? What will most appeal to potential customers and foot traffic alike?

Read More: 16 Amazing Fitting Room Design Tips for Pop-Up Stores

• Digital and offline synchronization – understand how you’re going to couple your offline sales with your digital sales and e-commerce setup. Is it the same customer base currently standing at the till who ordered something online last week?
• How are you going to promote it? Making people aware of your pop-up store is very important as you may not be able to rely solely on footfall (depending on where you’re located).
• Success? You should have an understanding of what success will look like and what factors will affect it. Is it a revenue target? A customer engagement target? The number of social media likes or retail sales? Online sales?

Set up your pop-up store

A pop-up shop is a great way to test the waters for your retail business. It’s a temporary space that allows you to see if there’s a demand for your product or service in a particular location. If you’re thinking of setting up a pop-up shop, there are a few things you need to do to get started.

There are many benefits to setting up a pop-up store, including the ability to reach a new customer base and test out a new product or service. However, before you can start reaping the rewards, you need to set up your pop-up store. This can be daunting, but with our tips, you’ll be ready to open your doors in no time.

Stage 2. Getting started

• Make sure you’re aware of what’s happening around your venue for your stay. If building or road works are planned, you need to know about it and decide whether it’ll impact your ability to achieve your goal. What will the traffic outside be like? What do the shops around you look like? Are they having work done?
• Pick your temporary location or physical location and book your venue . You can do this through the Storefront platform or work with our concierge team, who can liaise with the landlord for you. They’re all retail experts, so feel free to lean on their expertise.

Read More: How Long Should The Pop-Up Shop Last?

• Don’t forget to make sure your plans work with the landlord’s requirements – check there isn’t a limit on retail operating hours or similar that could scupper your plans
• Insurance – better safe than sorry.
• Get any permits or licenses in order. This will vary on the nature of your pop-up store, the nature of your retail and the country/city you are in. Do your research ahead of time.
• Visit your pop-up space and figure out its configuration, so you always have a clear picture in your mind.
• What will your window displays look like? How will you get your message across?

• You may need to purchase or hire equipment such as fixtures, furniture, lights and decorations.
• Hire your staff . Staff are incredibly important. Successful pop-up shops are staffed by enagaing, exuberant and on brand staff. They are the face of your brand so it is critical that you get people you trust to engage with your consumers. Don’t scrimp on this one, get people with retail or shopping experience or people you can trust.
• Start marketing. It is never too early to start drumming up buzz for your pop-up shop. Awareness is important.

Read More: How To Market Your Pop-Up Store

• How will you take payments? If you want people in and shopping you’ll need a foolproof and secure way of taking card payments. There are a number of payment systems out there that sync directly with the WiFi and can be securely run from a mobile phone. If you’re planning a ticketed event, select a solution to sell and scan tickets.

Stage 3. Ready for opening 

• Determine your pop-up store’s policies, such as whether animals are allowed and if only customers can use your restrooms. What happens if a shopper becomes unwell?
• Do something to draw visitors in – when you’re planning your marketing, ensure you include how you’re getting people walking past to come in.
• Give away swag. People love free stuff so consider giving away branded merchandise and make sure you plan it and order it well in advance. It doesn’t have to be your actual products. Think t-shirts, pens, stickers, mugs, chargers, umbrellas, batteries… Be as creative as you can – just bear in mind your objective.
• Events. Are you going to hold events during your pop up? They can be a great way to mobilise your customers and deliver impactful experiences. Try and tie them into your products and your brand.
• Stay in touch with your landlord. They are a person who probably has a fair amount of experience using their retail space. Keep them up to date with your plans and how it’s going. They want you to be successful and may be able to help.
• Test everything, from the lights and music to payment and other online systems.
• Are you going to have a grand opening? Think about whether you’re going to start with a bang. Retail relies heavily on the experience you can deliver. An opening event is a great excuse to put on a show. Wrap it up with your marketing efforts.

Stage 4. Operation

• Opening and shopper hours. When are you going to be open? Make these decisions early and communicate them as consistently as possible.
• Determine employee policies and think about how you can engage and motivate your staff. A happy employee will give your consumers a much greater level of service.
• Cleaning – keeping the store neat and tidy is important, and you need to decide whether it’s something staff can cover or if you need to look into a separate cleaning service.
• Maintenance and technical support. Make sure you have an understanding of how your kit works and put a process in place in case something goes wrong. Do you need contingencies for taking payments in case you go offline? Do you have a person you can call in case of technical issues?
• How are you going to say goodbye? A big party? An email? Make sure it is in line with your overall objective. Your last few days or hours are a great opportunity to give it one final push to engage with consumers.

Stage 5. Closing

• Clean up the space. You will need to ensure you leave enough time and energy to clean up the space. If you’ve created quite a mess, consider a private cleaning firm to come in and clean up after you. You’ll want to leave it in as good a state as you found it.
• Dispose of rubbish responsibly. Commercial waste needs to be disposed of in line with local regulations. Again, there are services you can look into that provide all-in-one solutions.
• Take down and disassemble all displays, furniture, banners, signs, and any furniture you customize for your pop-up. Can you recycle them for future projects?
• Return keys to the landlord. Make sure that any equipment provided with your rental ends back in the right hands.

Stage 6. Evaluation and analysis

• Measure your performance against the objectives and any benchmarks you created.
• Determine what your overall success metrics were. If it was social media engagement , what was the impact of the pop-up? How many shares did you get? New followers? If it was sales, then what was your net revenue? New customers? How many sign-ups did you receive?
• Promote the success of your project internally in your company and externally. Share your good work with other brands and customers.
• Reach out to your customers and anyone who helped the project to say thank you – including the landlord.
• Ask yourself: Would you do it again? was the location right? What would you do differently next time?
• Learn from any mistakes , and take note of the elements that worked so you can go bigger and better next time around.

In conclusion, Pop-up stores are a wonderful way for businesses to attract new customers, while also promoting brand awareness. While they are easy to set up, there are some important considerations that need to be made.

As always, feel free to let us know if you have any questions about booking a space or planning your pop-up store. We’re happy to help.

You can always contact us.

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How to Start a Pop-Up Shop in 2023: A Hands-On Guide

After being cooped up inside for more than a year, consumers are ready to get out into the world, interact with their environment, and buy some awesome stuff. That’s why we believe we’ll see a big jump in the popularity of pop-up shops in the coming months (and even years).

And as an ecommerce business owner, pop-up shops present some unique benefits to you: they’re easy to set up and take down, and they don’t require you to rent out expensive long-term real estate to set up a traditional store.

In this article, we’ll explore how you can dip your toes into the world of pop-up shops in 2023. You’ll learn what they are, how to set them up, and see some examples to inspire you into action.

What is a pop-up shop?

If you’re looking for a low-cost and low-commitment way to establish a retail presence, a pop up shop could be the solution for you.

A pop-up shop—also called a flash retail store—gives emerging online brands the opportunity to sell in a brick-and-mortar setting. The idea behind it is to let customers see, touch, and experience your products.

A pop-up shop can look like a regular store, but many brands use them to create a unique, immersive physical shopping environment. With that in mind, you can open a pop-up shop to add an intangible “wow” factor to your brand.

How much does a pop-up store cost?

The cost of opening a pop-up shop can vary based on the size, duration, and location of your storefront. While there’s no limit to the amount you can spend, it’s possible to set up a short-term pop-up for as little as $2,000. 

It’s worth noting that your pop-up startup costs will be significantly lower if you set up in a pop-up mall, like Boxpark Shoreditch . In other locations, the commercial rent price would drive the cost up. For instance, Inkbox, a tattoo parlor, had to pay $8,000 in rent to secure a pop-up space in Toronto’s downtown area. As the world recovers from the pandemic, commercial spaces will likely cost more to rent in the future.

How to pick the perfect pop-up shop space

It’s crucial to find the right space for your pop-up. Begin the search by thinking about what type of space aligns with your brand’s personality and will position you perfectly in front of your target audience. Common options include:

• Vacant storefronts. Vacant storefronts are convenient retail spaces you can customize to suit your brand. If you’re unsure where to look for available spaces, try contacting a local real estate agent. 
• Shopping centers/malls. Most malls have booth space, kiosks, and even small stores you can rent temporarily. Though this space can be expensive, it gives you access to a pre-existing audience of regular shoppers and foot traffic.
• Gallery/event space. Event and gallery spaces make it easy to showcase your brand in a creative and eye-catching format. These venues are ideal for events if you’re planning on turning your pop-up store into a memorable occasion.
• Pop - ins.  Pop-ins are stalls and small spaces within an existing brick-and-mortar location. When using pop-ins, look for a company to partner with that makes sense for your brand. For instance, a headphone company might “pop in” to a technology store.

If you don’t want to be limited to a single location, consider hiring your own trailer or bus for a mobile pop-up shop. This way, you can set up a sales environment in any location you visit and maximize your reach—you can open up shop at a public festival, park, or any place you think people would be visiting. 

How to choose your pop-up location

After determining what kind of pop-up store you’re going to have, you can start deciding on a location. Here’s where it pays to understand your target market and audience. For instance, if you plan on selling skateboards, it makes sense to establish your store close to some local ramps or skate parks. If you’re selling snacks, look for a location known to attract foodies.

Once you have a general spot in mind, think about:

• Nearby retailers and events.  Are there any nearby stores selling complementary products in the locations you’re considering? Will you be exposing yourself to a lot of competition? What about competing for attention against events happening in the vicinity?
• Foot traffic.  How many people generally walk by the area you’re going to choose? These individuals will be crucial to your potential for sales. Consider visiting the location ahead of time to see how many people drop by. 
• Reputation.  Does the area you’ve chosen have a good reputation? Are companies found there considered to be high-class and luxurious? Do people always talk about the amazing views or great quality of service they get when they visit the space?

Where to look for pop-up shop venues

Finding venues is much easier when you have the pertinent details of your ideal space in mind. However, you may need to compromise on some factors to find a space that’s both suitable and affordable. Try writing a list of your must-haves and nice-to-haves so you can accurately consider each location’s potential. With your list in hand, try:

• Pop-up shop databases.  Visit websites like  Pop Up Shops  and  Storefront  to find local listings for potential event space. Many databases let you filter your searches by store size and other factors, so you can quickly refine your options.

• Contacting locations.  If you’re considering a space inside an existing store or establishment, cut out the middleman and contact the owner directly. Be ready to negotiate with the space owner on things like the size of your stall and the number of hours you’ll operate on the shop floor.
• Speaking to realtors and landlords.  If you notice any listings in your area for retail spaces or see signs on a shop window, you can contact the realtor or landlord directly for pricing and other information.

Questions to ask before you book a space

Once you find the perfect pop-up space, it’s crucial to learn what exactly you’ll be getting for your money. Find out by asking questions about:

• The rent.  Determine the daily, weekly, or monthly rate depending on how long you plan to operate. 
• What’s included in the rent.  Make a note of specifics like occupancy dates, square footage, and amenities. 
• The shop’s layout.  Get familiar with the shop’s current layout so you can visualize what your pop-up setup could look like. 
• Whether the space can be modified.  Find out how much control you have over branding and modifying the space. Can you drill holes and hang banners? What about putting up LED displays or printing signage? 
• Who’s liable for damages.  Read the fine print on your lease to know who’ll be responsible in the event of a fire, flood, or theft.
• How much of a rental deposit is required.  You’ll need to put down a deposit equivalent to a month’s rent in most instances. Be sure to find out when and how you’ll get your deposit back after leaving the space.

Closing the deal on your pop-up shop space

Ready to sign on the dotted line? Before you proceed, make sure to familiarize yourself with the following legal documents:

• Lease.  The legal document giving you rights to sell your goods in a specific space for a certain term (length of time). Your lease outlines what you’re allowed to do in the space, how long your rental lasts, and the fees you need to pay.
• Licenses:  You may need a license rather than a lease based on the length of your pop-up store and location. A license gives you the authority to use an asset short term. 
• Permits:  Each region has specific legal regulations and permits requirements. For instance, most cities will require a permit for selling alcohol and food. Check with your real estate agent and the city to ensure you’re compliant with local laws. 
• Insurance:  Your commercial or business insurance protects your brand and business from anything that might go wrong. You might want to double-check if your location offers insurance to leaseholders as standard.

How to market your pop-up shop

With the legal hoop-jumping and location scouting out of the way, all that’s left for you to do is market your pop-up shop. While finding a location in a place with heavy foot traffic immediately improves your chances of conversions, proper promotion ensures you can attract as many of the right potential customers as possible. 

Before pop-up launch

Before you host your pop-up shop–do your research. Get to know your target audience and examine the competition for insights into how you can make your brand stand out. Remember, customers go to a pop-up shop for unique, memorable experiences. 

Think about how you’ll price your products to attract customers and what kind of local PR you can get for your event (like newspaper and radio coverage). Other ways to promote yourself include:

• Leveraging Influencer marketing . Connect with local influencers, bloggers, and content creators to help spread information about your upcoming store. Remember to engage plenty of micro-influencers so you can leverage their highly engaged local audience. 

• Creating press packages.  Send press packages including pictures of your products, information about your brand, and news about the pop-up store to local news companies. Keep your media pitch short and simple when advertising what you’re offering and invite interested journalists to get in touch with any questions. 
• Building buzz on social media.  Generate excitement among existing customers on social media. Hosting competitions where customers can enter to win a discount at your event or a free product is a great way to build hype. 

During the pop-up

While running your pop-up store, look for ways to keep the momentum going. You can continue working with your influencers, asking them to share photos and videos of them visiting your pop-up store. Other options include:

• Creating user-generated content.  Ask customers to share pictures of them at your pop-up store or using your products with a branded hashtag. You could create a selfie wall where people can pose under your brand logo or give people discounts for sharing their location in your store. 

• Engage in co-marketing .  Work with surrounding companies in your local area to help generate attention for your store on other social media feeds and blog pages. You could even send freebies to surrounding businesses to get them on your side. 
• Getting local celebrities involved. Invite local celebrities and social names to come along and get involved with your event. This will help to build a community around your brand and pull in the attention of local customers. 

After the pop-up

The buzz about your store shouldn’t die down when your pop-up is over. Below are some tips you can leverage to keep the conversation alive:

• Email customers.  Used point-of-sale to collect emails? Great—now re-introduce your online brand to customers and drop a hint of when you might set up a pop-up next. 
• Ask for feedback.  Ask your customers what they loved about the pop-up with polls and surveys. This keeps the conversation going while also collecting valuable feedback about what you can do to improve your future pop-up events.

Examples of pop-up shops to get your ideas flowing

If you’re unsure how you might want your pop-up shop to look, or want to learn from the pros, we’ve got just the thing. Check out these examples from savvy entrepreneurs who are nailing this whole pop-up shop thing.

1. Pantone Cafe

Image Source

Pantone, a global authority on color and color systems, stayed true to its name when it set up a color café in Monaco. Customers could order color-coded treats named after the company’s Pantone color system.

For example, Pantone 16-1731 is a pink shade—and when customers ordered it, they got a tasty scoop of strawberry ice cream. For the brown swatch Pantone 19-1625, customers received an éclair glazed with chocolate of the same shade.

This pop-up was a fun, creative, and whimsical way to celebrate the company’s work and achievements.

2. TopShelf Boutique

Women’s clothing boutique TopShelf has mastered the art of the pop-up shop by going mobile. The boutique’s creator, Christina Ruiz, is single-handedly responsible for San Francisco’s first-ever fashion truck.

With this brilliant idea, she’s able to cruise her way through markets, fairs, and outdoor events of all kinds. And her on-the-go presence, coupled with her trendy designs, have allowed her to gather a strong, loyal fan base in California’s Bay Area.

Naturally, this pop-up shop idea will require investment in terms of getting a truck. So if you’re just starting out and feel like this is a big spend, you can start with a more temporary arrangement to prove your pop-up idea works.

This is an example that shows you don’t have to sell physical products to run a successful pop-up shop. Solve, a creative agency based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, took a fresh and clever approach to hiring interns for the summer.

The company built a mini “office” where students and young professionals could win an on-the-spot interview for a position. They completed a five-minute challenge based on their interest area, and the winner snagged the interview.

Service-based businesses can take a lesson in ingenuity here.

Jump on the pop-up shop trend in 2023

For many businesses looking to create ways to reconnect with their customers in 2023 and beyond, pop-up shops will bring amazing results.

These shops give you the ability to have an engaging physical presence—without investing thousands of dollars to rent and design a retail space. 

Plus, with the added element of mobility, you’ll be able to introduce your brand to different events and audiences, giving you a unique and powerful way to explore your options and find the perfect selling environment for your business.

Want to learn more?

• Moving Your Business Online: How to Get Your Offline Online
• How to Stop Procrastinating: 11 Strategies to Unlock Your Potential
• Guerrilla Marketing: What It is and How to Use It for Ecommerce
• The 10 Greatest Word of Mouth Marketing Strategies to Utilize

How to Start a Pop-up Shop For Seasonal or Yearlong Success

Get ready to launch a pop-up shop with cost information, marketing essentials, and tips on how to find the best location..

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You've most likely seen them in your town, especially if you live in a major metropolitan area. They're pop-up shops, and the retail trend seems to be more than a craze that's going away anytime soon.

These are usually temporary–but sometimes turning permanent–retail stores that offer an experience-oriented location for people to shop, mingle, and enjoy entertainment.

In this article, we talk about how to start a pop-up shop , along with information about what goes into a pop-up shop, how much it costs, and how to successfully manage one.

Keep reading to learn all about how to start a pop-up shop!

Table of contents:

What is a pop-up shop, why should you consider running a pop-up shop, the cost to start a pop-up shop, essentials features of successful pop-up shops, how to start a pop-up shop – step by step guide, now go start a pop-up shop.

A pop-up shop , by definition, is a trial retail store. Therefore, it's technically a temporary operation that could potentially become something more permanent. Prominent online brands have a tendency to make pop-up shops to test if a retail store may work as a shift from 100% online sales.

From a retail business perspective, pop-up shops are smaller, trial stores that minimize the financial risk of signing a lease and stocking an entire retail location. A shop like this makes sense for growing, digitally-focused brands to examine certain locations and see if local customers might find it useful to have a nearby store. In addition, a pop-up shop serves as a marketing opportunity, seeing as how it generates word-of-mouth advertising, and you'll be marketing on places like social media and the local press.

From a customer's perspective, a pop-up shop is something cool, something that they can do with their friends, family, or just while walking by. These shops excite people because they often show that something new may come to their area. They're also like mini-festivals since most pop-up shops offer some sort of gathering and entertainment aspects such as refreshments, bands, and raffles.

Finally, we should talk about the physical aspects of a pop-up shop. There's no problem in making your shop look like a normal retail store, but you really must make a pop-up shop stand out in some way. The goal is to offer an engaging shopping experience that's unique for customers and difficult to recreate in an online environment.

You may ask yourself, “What's the point of launching a pop-up shop to begin with? I could just start an online store or create a real retail shop.”

That's a valid question, but before you write off pop-up shops altogether, let's take a look at the primary advantages (a lot of it has to do with incredible cost savings and extreme marketing potential).

• You can validate demand for new products and test new markets.
• Pop-up shops have become essential for regular retail and online stores to increase sales during busy seasons like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
• It's the most practical way to evaluate and test a location for a permanent location, or to see if a brick-and-mortar store makes sense for your brand at all.
• Pop-up shops allow you to minimize customer acquisition costs, seeing as how online acquisition costs through ads, email marketing, and social media have risen. You can take advantage of record-low rental agreements and flexible leasing terms due to the pandemic and a rise in online shopping in general.
• You're able to build an extraordinary amount of online buzz and real-world awareness with in-person pop-up shops, not only because they're fun, but because customers still crave the option to touch, examine, and test out products.
• Pop-up shops put a face to your brand, creating a more personal connection with customers and getting past the constantly impersonal, transactional environment of online shopping.

We can't put an exact number on the cost of a pop-up shop, but it's possible to provide some estimations and insights on potential expenses.

Pop-up shops are meant to save costs, but also to present the potential for turning it into a permanent fixture.

To start, these are the primary elements that affect the cost of a pop-up shop:

Each day in operation presents more costs, from the cost of goods sold to WiFi, and equipment rentals to your leasing fees. The same can be said about the location, seeing as how you'll end up paying more for a prime neighborhood, shopping center, or even to block off part of a street.

Size also comes into play: more customers mean you need more staff; a larger venue calls for higher rent; more sales means you must pay for new inventory.

There are also additional costs to consider such as:

• Needed improvements to the retail space.
• Hired entertainment.
• Staffing needs.
• Utility costs.
• Payment processing fees.

Here are some more concrete insights to help with pop-up shop costs:

• It's more expensive per day to rent equipment, get internet, and lease space if you only plan on running the shop for one or two days. The per-day cost dramatically decreases if you expand to a weeklong or monthlong event.
• The Shopify POS software starts at $29 per month and goes to $299 per month.
• Shopify POS hardware rentals start at around $115 for one day. This includes a Shopify Retailers Kit with an iPad, card reader, retail stand, and 1GB of data. The per-day rental cost gets far cheaper with longer rentals; the same setup is around $145 for an entire 5-day span and $209 for an entire month.
• POPertee estimates a 30-day pop-up store to cost around $34,000 with elements like WiFi, insurance, utilities, rent, promotion, and staffing all factored into the equation.
• Shopify suggests you can run a short-term pop-up shop for as little as $1,500.
• Inkbox, an online store for temporary tattoos, ran a two-week pop-up shop that cost $15,000 with an added $3,000 for furniture they were able to reuse.
• Create an experience that's memorable, picture-worthy, and fun. You, as a merchant, want to make money. But your customer craves an experience where they can take pictures, mingle with friends, and sample products. Pop-up stores should be like mini street festivals, where someone can shop, but also grab a bite to eat, play board games, or even get their beard trimmed (I went to a Tie Bar pop-up shop that offered this). Other thoughts include contests, raffles, drinks, live music, and a photo booth.
• Get the buzz going before your launch. As of right now, pop-up shops thrive from social media attention, local media coverage, and word-of-mouth. Start the buzz with these outlets at least a month before you launch. Get on the local news channel, and incentivize local social media influencers to not only share information about the store but come and participate.
• Take advantage of social media's obsession with pop-up shops. This ties in with the previous point, but you should also create an event hashtag, generate official event pages on places like Facebook, and have beautiful pictures ready for people to share through all social media outlets.
• Interact with customers in a unique way. Most pop-up shop customers are first-time visitors who're not only interested in buying products. Therefore, interact with newcomers by offering freebies, outlining how the pop-up shop works, and getting them to sign up for your email list (maybe that gets them an entry to a contest or a coupon). Interacting with your customers also means you should have plenty of staff on hand to answer questions, along with someone who's chatting with your virtual customers by posting real-time media to social sites.
• Offer top-notch WiFi. People love taking pictures at pop-up stores. You already need WiFi for payment processing, so make it as reliable as possible, then prominently display the login information for customers. It's free advertising if customers share to social media, and photo-taking is often part of the pop-up store experience.
• Don't skimp on finding an excellent location. The venue must have the right atmosphere, space, and logistical offerings. The location must be convenient to get to by most modes of transportation and preferably nearby other popular businesses. We'll cover more about finding the right location and venue in the following sections.
• Figure out all legal requirements and leasing paperwork. Ensure you know everything that's allowed in your lease. Also, many municipalities have specific rules set in place, or required permits, for pop-up shops.

Further reading 📚

A pop-up shop doesn't necessarily require you to already manage an online store , but it's far more common for an established online brand to delve into the pop-up shop world.

In general, you're best off following these steps to figure out your pop-up shop's theme, seek out ideal pop-up locations, set up the best equipment and software, and market the heck out of your shop.

1. Plan Out the Allure Before You Start a Pop-up Shop

It's one thing to take any online store and turn it into a small, physical pop-up shop, as long as you have a little startup capital. But there's nothing that appealing about a random women's clothing store, or furniture gallery, or cupcake restaurant if you simply turn on the “Open” signage and have a cashier waiting behind the register.

Of course, marketing comes into play, but consumers have come to expect more from pop-up shops.

The first step is taking your current brand, or the one you plan to establish, and shrinking it down into a hip shop with allure.

What are some things that could provide that allure?

We're thinking whimsical decor, tourist-heavy locations, local cuisines, free giveaways, raffles, excitable and knowledgable staff wearing fun outfits, entertainment like music and dancing, and services that relate to your shop like personalized tailoring, haircuts, decorating classes, woodworking showcases, or whatever you can think of!

Here are some alluring pop-up shops from the real world:

A Mobile Flower Shop to Promote Fendi Bags and Vases

Photo Credit: MyModernMet

The Birchbox Tour Where They Offered Astrology Readings and Manicures While Selling Beauty Items

Photo Credit: LA Racked

The Squish Marshmallow Pop-up in the Middle of Union Square (New York City) – They Offered Homemade Hot Chocolate for Cold Holiday Shoppers

Photo Credit: Squish Marshmallows

The Tie Bar Launched a Chicago Pop-Up with Specialty Drinks, Grooming Tips, and Haircuts

Photo Credit: Chicagoings

2. Seek Out the Perfect Location to Start a Pop-up Shop

A significant part of establishing a successful pop-up shop is the location.

You've heard it a million times for retail businesses: location, location, location. Although it might sound annoying, it's been true for a long time, and some argue it's even more important for pop-up shops.

So, how do you go about finding the ideal location for a pop-up?

The idea is to land on a place that's:

• Rentable for short periods of time.
• Near local hotspots. Make sure the pandemic hasn't influenced a typically bustling area.
• Near foot traffic, public transportation, and roads.
• Affordable.
• Offers all the logistical and utility-based needs.
• Has the potential for transforming into something special.
• Near other businesses that are helpful towards other businesses and not too competitive.

Here are a few common types of places that can help you check off some of those boxes:

• A mobile truck, bus, or other vehicles. This keeps costs low, allowing you to either rent a vehicle or look towards your own vehicles (or ask friends). It also gives you mobility, control, and a hook for your marketing. “Come see John's Traveling Shoe Bus to get a free shoe shine and learn about the cobbler process!”
• An event space or gallery. These are often blank spaces that are meant for rentals. Therefore, you're not trying to haggle with the leasing company, and you're working with a new canvas instead of trying to repurpose an old restaurant or warehouse.
• A store within a store. Often seen in shopping malls, these are typically pop-up kiosks or little stores that meld well with a current business. They help you thrive off of the foot traffic that already comes in, while also engaging with other business owners.
• A mall or shopping center. Check out empty spaces in shopping centers and malls to figure out if you can find a cost-effective option. Avoid those malls that hardly have any foot traffic anymore, and consider some of the newer outdoor malls. Again, you're feeding off current customer traffic and potentially finding cheaper rent in the growing world of online retail.
• Empty storefront space. These don't have to be located in malls or shopping centers, but rather in a district that at least has some other type of attraction. Look to your local tourism board, see if there are breweries/wineries nearby, or check with your local commercial realtor. Again, there's potential for rather cheap rentals.

How to Find and Book Pop-up Shop Venues

Contacting a local realtor stands as the go-to solution for locating commercial space. In your email or phone call, mention that you're interested in a pop-up space and ask if they have any experience with that. Also, explain your requirements (listed above – rentable for short periods, lots of foot traffic, near popular businesses…) to ensure the real estate agent understands what you're looking for and you don't end up seeing random spaces just because they want to try to sell a defunct retail shop that's been on the market for years.

After that, consider browsing online databases and leasing websites that either cater to pop-up shops or some sort of temporary leasing agreement. Some favorites include:

• PopupInsider
• We Are Popup

3. Get the Right POS Equipment

Point of sale equipment comes in many shapes and sizes. For a pop-up shop, you'll want at least the following:

• An iPad to install your POS software, manage inventory, and check out customers.
• A tap and chip card reader to process those payments in person.
• A retail stand to present the iPad in a reasonable fashion.
• A dock for the card reader, allowing you to move it around and provide an ergonomic payment environment.

What's more is that all of these elements should remain portable, seeing as how you're running a smaller, temporary shop. Not to mention, some pop-up shops are on-tour or moving from place to place.

Although not always necessary, you may need additional equipment to start a pop-up shop:

• Barcode scanners.
• Receipt printers.
• Cash drawers.
• Receipt paper.

And don't forget: you must figure out how many of each item you need to efficiently run your store. One iPad and chip reader may work for a smaller pop-up shop, but others may need ten iPads, readers, and retail stands, along with cash drawers and receipt printers.

Shopify sells all of the equipment listed above. We recommend starting by renting the hardware, then committing to a purchase if you plan on continuing with the retail shop.

For more information, read our in-depth guide about Shopify POS equipment .

4. Configure Your POS Software and Payment Processing

The primary hub for selling at a pop-up shop is the iPad (or whatever tablet you plan on using). On that device, you install POS software, which manages retail and ecommerce business elements like:

• Reports and metrics.
• Payment processing.
• Integrations with your online store.
• Custom sales.
• Discount processing.
• Integrations with all hardware like card readers and cash drawers.
• Returns and exchanges.
• Customer profiles.
• Personalized marketing campaigns.
• Loyalty programs.

In short, quality POS software fuels any pop-up shop, ensuring you're keeping up with the inflow of traffic and keeping customers happy.

We recommend opting for the Shopify POS since it not only offers a wonderful interface for managing every aspect of your pop-up shop, but it integrates well with all Shopify hardware, and it syncs all sales, inventory, and promotions with your online store.

You must sign up for a Shopify ecommerce platform plan to run the POS system. These start at $29 per month and go up to $299 per month depending on what features you need. The ecommerce platform offers a beautiful dashboard for building an online store, processing payments in person, adding products, and marketing your products.

After signing up for a Shopify account, you can install the Shopify POS app on the dashboard to begin adding the interface to your POS devices (like iPad or Android tablets or phones).

In the Shopify dashboard, you'll see a POS Setup Guide that walks you through every step to establishing the ideal point of sale configuration. This includes adding products to the point of sale channel, getting the POS mobile app on your devices, and finding the right POS hardware. They even allow you to run a test transaction before going live with customers.

You also need to install POS mobile apps on all devices when you start a pop-up shop. Shopify offers an Apple Store app and one on the Google Play Store . These present the actual point of sale interface on your devices, giving you buttons to ring up products, process certain types of payments, and incorporate discounts if needed.

The POS apps also integrate with other pieces of hardware. So, for example, you could have a barcode scanner to swipe in products and automatically pull up the right items in the Shopify POS app .

When you have a POS app installed on your devices, it provides a detailed interface with buttons to complete tasks like:

• Search anything in your store.
• Add or remove customers.
• Add or remove discounts.
• Ship to customers.
• Run gift cards.
• Add special buttons on the home screen.

You can either scan a barcode to place items in the cart or use the Search Anything bar to find a product and place it in the cart. After that, all items go into the checkout module, along with whatever discounts are available. The Total gets presented, along with a Checkout button.

You can then select a payment option. Choose from the following:

• Enter credit card details.
• Bank transfer.
• Split payment.

These are all customizable depending on the types of payment methods you allow at the pop-up shop.

Finally, the payment processing goes through the app where you accept a credit card, cash, or whatever alternative payment option your customers want to use.

The best part about Shopify POS is that you're not stuck with an interface that's difficult to manage. It's simple, to the point, and available to sync with your online store and all other devices you have in the pop-up shop.

Furthermore, the POS system merges together all hardware with the Shopify POS software so that automation occurs, like a cash drawer popping open when a cash payment is received or a product appearing in the shopping cart when you scan a barcode with a handheld scanner. All elements of the POS work in tandem to enable a smooth transaction process, making both you and your customers happy.

5. Market the Pop-up Shop

You can market a pop-up shop using all sorts of methods, but these are our favorites:

• Social media posts and ads.
• Partner with social influencers to get your pop-up shop event in front of thousands or even millions of eyes.
• Mentions in local publications and news channels.
• A website (built before you launch the pop-up shop) to showcase what's to come. You might include featured products, a list of fun events, and pictures of the pop-up shop being built.
• An email marketing campaign that starts long before the event (collecting emails on your website as you share content about the setup process) and continues throughout the pop-up event. The email marketing goes on and on to convince people to come back to your online store, while also driving sales in the future for a potential physical retail store.

Here's a guide to give you a plan for marketing a pop-up shop before, during, and after the initial pop-up event:

Before you start a pop-up shop

• Make a list of all relevant influencers, online marketers, and bloggers. Then, contact the ones that fit and ask to propose a partnership for the launch of your pop-up shop. Consider sending them some free products to review or talk about on their platform, and make sure you get an agreement that details how many times they should showcase the product. Also, think about having them come to the pop-up event so that they continue to share posts about it while in action.
• Post pictures during the setup process. Share these on your website, social media accounts, and to influencers on your squad. Share pictures, videos, and details showing your workers, the inventory, and some of the more interesting parts of the shop, even if it's some sort of construction.
• Generate buzz by hosting online contests, creating a hashtag for your event, and actually making an official event page on a place like Facebook so that people can sign up for the event (and you get an idea of how many people plan on coming).
• Explore co-marketing opportunities in the area. Speak with restaurants, bars, hotels, and other retail shops to figure out if they'd like to provide some sort of giveaway, entertainment, or service at the event.

During the pop-up shop event

• Get some influencers at your event so that they share content in real-time while the pop-up launch happens. This gives their followers a first-look glance into what your pop-up shop is all about, while also creating a sense of “missing out,” promoting those followers to come to your shop later that day or maybe the next day.
• Encourage the posting of customer content. This means you need to have alluring, picture-worthy decor, like a photo booth, a wall with a creative sign, gorgeous plants, or an interior that's screaming for people to take a picture and post it on Instagram. People want to have an experience, and they'll be sure to share online if you give them one.
• Collect contact information. It's easier to grab emails and names for your list if you promise a discount, free gift, or entry into a raffle. You should ask every single customer that walks through your doors to fill out a form. In fact, it's best to dedicate one or two iPads for this purpose alone (make sure they're portable for someone to walk around and ask for contact information).

After the pop-up shop

• Devise a plan to send out engaging emails to customers who gave their contact information. Send out discounts for them to return to the pop-up or online store. Or simply shoot out a thank you for their participation, along with recap photos, an explanation of the business, and maybe some tips that can help them with whatever it is you sell.
• Take every picture, video, and other pieces of content you have from the pop-up event and store it in a special folder. That's now an incredible amount of content you can use for months, or maybe years, into the future. Use your own content on places like Facebook, Instagram, and even email marketing campaigns. Also, check out the results from your social hashtag to repost content sent out by influencers or regular customers. You never know, sometimes the best moments get captured by some random customer you didn't even know about.
• Keep the buzz going with continual marketing through things like social medial, online ads, and email marketing. Start pushing people more towards shopping on your website as opposed to promising them that a return to your shop will come (it might, but that's not a guarantee). Ensure your online store is complete with all the right marketing tools. Have promotional banners in place, as well as things like abandoned cart emails, coupons for new customers, and a sign-up form to get on your email list.
• Follow up with your influencer partners to see if they're willing to post a recap of the event. Make sure they have another product to talk about and consider giving them a coupon code to share with those who went to the event (and those who did not). The goal, once again, is to continue the buzz and keep people coming to your store. Sure, you may eventually expand into a permanent retail store, but now's the time to take advantage of the hype that comes from a pop-up shop. Focus more on your online sales, interacting with customer questions online, and showing that the same personality/friendliness you showed off during the pop-up event is prevalent in your customer service as well.

6. Consider Selling Online As Well (Before or After Your Start a Pop-up Shop)

You may already have an online shop. After all, pop-up shops tend to arise after an online business does well and wants to expand into retail.

However, that may not be the case.

If you're starting your small business with a pop-up shop, or if all of your sales come from physical, retail locations, it's prudent to consider the potential for improved revenue by adding an online store.

Shopify already includes its online store builder when you sign up for the Shopify POS, so it's at least worth launching a store.

Both your online and pop-up shops get managed in the same dashboard, where you can switch between sales channels but still edit products, process payments, and design store elements all in the same place.

The Sales Channels section in the dashboard provides a list of options like the Online Store and POS, along with many other online sales options like Pinterest, eBay, and Etsy. We encourage you to take it one step at a time, but there's always potential for widening your reach and finding customers on other marketplaces.

You can also customize every aspect of the online store on the same Shopify dashboard. The website you build includes product galleries, blog posts, payment processing, and a shopping cart. Then, you can go into the dashboard to analyze reports, fulfill orders, and integrate with a wide range of apps for social media, accounting, and shipping.

And you don't have to be a professional web designer to make it happen. There are hundreds of pre-built themes to choose from, some of which cater to certain industries, while others are best if you're looking for a certain color to boost brand awareness, or even a specific layout like a one-page, one-product website.

Learning how to start a pop-up shop takes research, time, and a true understanding of how customers perceive pop-up shops to begin with. These types of retail stores aren't for running a quiet launch and seeing how it goes.

The point is to be as loud about it as possible: get in the local paper; have exuberant social influencers rave about it online; create a website that's filled with stunning pictures of the shop.

With that, we encourage you to take the pop-up shop approach with patience and diligence, seeing as how the keys to a successful pop-up shop include things like social marketing, location, and the creativity that you put into the shop itself.

Sure, people would probably swing by to check out a regular new tie store in town, but you're far more likely to boost sales, get people talking, and throw an incredible event if that store included picturesque art, plants, bartenders, live music, and personalized style guides.

Good luck! If you have any questions about how to start a pop-up shop, let us know in the comments section below.

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Joe Warnimont

Joe Warnimont is a Chicago-based writer who focuses on eCommerce tools, WordPress, and social media. When not fishing or practicing yoga, he's collecting stamps at national parks (even though that's mainly for children). Check out Joe's portfolio to contact him and view past work.

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• What is a Pop-Up Shop?
• Build a personal connection with customers
• Real-time feedback from customers
• Build your brand’s credibility
• Create content for marketing
• Is Setting Up Pop-Up Shop Right for You?
• 1. Create a Unique Theme
• 2.-give-an-exclusive-sneak-peek"> 2. Give an Exclusive Sneak Peek
• 3. Offer Customization at the Shop
• 4.-organize-an-art-event-with-a-pop-up-shop"> 4. Organize an Art Event with a Pop-Up Shop
• 5. Use the Event for a Good Cause or Charity
• 6.-organize-a-fun-and-engaging-contest"> 6. Organize a Fun and Engaging Contest
• 7. Offer Live Product Demos
• 8. Offer a Free Sample (with Paid Products)
• 9. Go to a Local Marketplace Event
• 10.-partner-with-other-brands"> 10. Partner with Other Brands
• 11.-collaborate-with-an-influencer"> 11. Collaborate with an Influencer
• Step #1 Plan Your Budget, Goals & Strategy
• step-#2-choose-the-right-location"> Step #2 Choose the Right Location
• Step #3 Create Pricing and Discount Strategy
• Step #4 Prepare for Shop Design & Decoration
• Step #5 Manage Payment Options
• Step #6 Start Marketing for Your Pop-Up Shop Event
• Requires a big investment
• Limited time to sell
• Inventory & logistic management
• Higher risk factor
• Final Thoughts on Pop-Up Shops
• FAQs about Pop-Up Shops

10+ Pop-Up Shop Ideas, Examples & Step-by-Step Guide [2024]

When selling online, one thing is almost always missing — face-to-face interaction with your customers.

From a customer’s standpoint, they miss the physical shopping experience. While online shopping has its benefits and convenience, the experience of shopping at a physical retail shop has its own delight.

Setting up a pop-up shop can help you bring these missing elements into your eCommerce business and customer experience. However, there are several things you must consider before and during your pop-up shop event to make sure it’s worth your investment.

In this blog post, we’ll share the basics of pop-up shops, the best pop-up shop ideas , examples, and the step-by-step guide on setting up your pop-up shop.

A pop-up shop is a temporary setup of a retail shop at a physical location to sell products in person. This setup allows your customers to directly interact with your brand and get a feel of your products physically.

The transactions could be connected with the eCommerce platform in the backend, e.g., using Shopify POS (Point of Sale).

Depending on your budget — you can set up a pop-up shop just like a brick-and-mortar store by renting a commercial space for a few days or months OR just create a temporary setup at an open place or physical marketplace where multiple sellers gather to sell their products.

Why Set Up a Pop-Up Shop?

According to CapitalOne Sharing, pop-up shop s generate annual revenue of nearly $80 billion — and the market is expected to go beyond $95 billion by 2025.

Here are some of the key benefits of setting up a pop-up shop:

As an online business owner, you get a great opportunity to meet your  customers in person, get to know them better, and work toward building a great brand with loyal customers.

It’s altogether a different experience when you can meet your customers in person and get their feedback on a real-time basis. This feedback could be immensely helpful to improve your products as well as your brand.

When you’re selling in person to your customers, they could see who’s actually behind the brand — and it’s going to help enhance the trustworthiness of your brand. 

Create behind-the-scenes of your pop-up shop event and share it on your website. Also, you can create user-generated content with the help and consent of your customers.

Before you work on setting up your pop-up shop, you must evaluate if it’s the right business strategy or decision for you. Because let’s be real — it’s not for every business or brand.

You would not want to invest huge money in something that can’t generate a tangible or intangible return on investment. So, consider setting up a pop-up shop if any of the following aspects are in your favor:

• You're already an established brand.
• You have a good enough customer base or followers to be confident to bring traffic to your physical store.
• You have a sufficient budget to manage all resources.
• You're looking to start a brick-and-mortar retail store but want to test things first.

Best Pop-Up Shop Ideas

Pop-up shops are becoming quite a common practice in eCommerce brands. To build the interest of your target customers, you should come up with interesting pop-up event ideas. 

Here’s a list of the best pop-up shop ideas we’ve curated to inspire you:

If your budget allows, you can design a pop-up shop with a special and creative theme that aligns with your brand. For example, if you’re selling eco-friendly products, you can create a theme representing beautiful nature and greenery.

You can even design the store with your brand’s unique or funky elements. Here’s a great example shared by Hypebeast where a clothing and apparel brand — RIPNDIP — had designed its pop-up shop with its mascot — Lord Nermal.

2. Give an Exclusive Sneak Peek

If you’re launching a new product or an entire product category, you can create a buzz by offering an exclusive sneak peek at your pop-up shop.

By doing this, you can also gather valuable feedback from your customers and identify any areas of improvement in product design, pricing, or any other aspects.

Customers love customized products that fit their specific requirements or are designed with the style and aesthetics of their preference.

If your product allows/requires customization, you can set up a pop-up shop where customers can get customized products in real time. 

Here’s another example shared by Hypebeast showcasing the visuals of Nike’s pop-up shop.  The shop was created to offer made-to-order customized products to the customers.

4. Organize an Art Event with a Pop-Up Shop

This could be a great idea if your target customers are art lovers.

You can use the art event as the key attraction to your event and use it in your marketing as well. You can target art lovers when sharing promotional events on social media or running paid ads.

You can incorporate a noble cause with your pop-up shop campaign. For example, you can raise awareness for a good cause or offer donations for charity. Take initiative that can help society in some manner.

BizBash shared this great story of the brand — Kotex — that offers feminine hygiene products and advice on menstruation. The brand launched a pop-up shop for its campaign "The Period Projects" with a mission of removing the stigma around feminine hygiene. 

The visitors had a fun experience of shopping custom merchandise and products from “U by Kotex”. Also, the brand organized musical events with DJs and musicians, and offered ice cream and chocolate treats to visitors.

6. Organize a Fun and Engaging Contest

To create great excitement and increase the participation of potential customers, you could run a contest at your pop-up shop.

Alternatively, you can organize a virtual or social media contest first and then invite the audience to your event.

Pro tip:  Collect customers’ contact details (email or phone number) for participating in the contest, with their consent for email/SMS marketing. OR you can request for the same at your pop-up shop as well. This way, you could increase your sales even after the event, through email marketing.

If your product is complex or something that customers would love to see in action before making the purchase, you can do so through your pop-up shop. Help customers understand your product better through personal demos and digital displays.

Also, you can record the in-person demos and use them as video content on your website or social media.

In a way, this is a “buy one, get one” offer, but still different. Here, you’re offering customers a free sample to try it first — and then, they can purchase more products from your shop.

Especially if you’re selling products like food, beauty products, and beverages; this could be a great idea to let the customer try and buy.

Pop-Up Shops for Small Businesses

Here are some more ideas that are specifically suitable for small businesses:

Check if you have a local event where sellers/vendors gather and set up retail shops for local customers. 

If you’re looking for some inspiration as a small business owner, here’s an example of how Trey Teixeira, the owner of a small clothing brand — Sixshooter — set up a pop-up shop at a marketplace along with other vendors.

He also shared his entire experience on his YouTube channel .

10. Partner with Other Brands

If starting a pop-up shop alone sounds scary to you, partnering with another brand can make you feel more confident. Partnering with another brand that sells complementary products could be a great idea.

Also, you can encourage other brands to partner with you by setting up a dedicated page for the same. Frankie's on the Park is a great example.

11. Collaborate with an Influencer

If you don’t have a decent social media following, it might sound risky to go out and set up a pop-up shop. You might think — what if people don’t show up?

But, in that case, you may collaborate with a local influencer who can help you bring his followers to your pop-up shop. Make sure to perform research about the influencers to ensure their followers are aligned with your brand.

How to Have a Successful Pop-Up Shop — Setup with Shopify POS

First things first, you need to take care of the fundamentals for implementing an event as big as a pop-up shop. As yourself these questions:

• For how many days do you want to keep it open?
• How much can you spend on the whole event?
• What goals do you wish to accomplish through this event?
• What’s going to be your key strategy?

Your strategy may vary significantly depending on your goals. For example, if you’re a relatively new brand, your primary goal might just be to raise brand awareness. In that case, you can decide on a strategy that helps spread the word about your brand — e.g., offer free samples or branded merch.

What all things you need to consider in your budget:

• Property rent (+ Deposit)
• Property maintenance cost (e.g., store cleaner’s salary)
• Utility expenses
• Staff cost (if applicable)
• Furniture for store décor and design
• Marketing cost
• Logistics cost
• Legal expenses for lease contract and insurance (if applicable)
• Payment processing device 
• E.g., Tap and chip card reader or Shopify POS terminal

You might ask — how much does it cost to set up a pop-up shop?

The overall cost may vary depending on various factors such as the number of days, location, staff requirements, etc. However, let us share some of the recent statistics shared by CapitalOne Shopping :

• 44% of pop-up shops were created with less than $5,000 investment.
• 17% of pop-up shops required a $5,000 to $10,000 investment.
• 20% of brands spent $10,000 to $25,000.
• 19% of pop-up shops went above the $25,000 mark.

Step #2 Choose the Right Location

Choosing the right location is the most important part of your overall strategy.

You can take any of the following approaches to finalize the location:

• Research and find a place where your target customers hang out.
• Ask your customers directly about the best place to meet them.
• Inquire with property owners about the space suitable to your business.

Shortlist certain places and then evaluate them further. Make sure to check if there are any direct competitors in the area.

Check the monthly rent and costs associated with it to ensure it fits into your budget. Review the lease agreement carefully and check your liability and insurance requirements.

You may find spaces available for pop-up shops in the US through online platforms like Peerspace .

Another platform you could use is Storefront .

Pro tip: If you’re running short on budget but still looking to set up your pop-up shop, you can partner with a brick-and-mortar brand and use their space. Make sure it has a similar target audience so that you both can mutually benefit from the partnership.

Decide on your pricing strategy keeping in mind the discounts you’re planning to offer. While you want to ensure the event is profitable, you also need to entice customers with attractive offers.

You can even come up with creative ideas to keep a healthy profit margin. For example, offering a small branded gift item instead of giving away a heavy discount.

Just like you design your eCommerce store with lots of love for your brand, your pop-up store must also be designed and decorated with your branding.

Here are some important aspects you should consider:

• The entire setup needs to look on-brand.
• Design some brand merch if you can.
• Put a QR code for your social media and encourage visitors to follow your brand.
• Use digital signage , digital posters, etc.
• Get some affordable furniture items.
• For example, if you’re a clothing brand, you should keep a mirror.

Pro tip: When designing your store, consider human psychology factors that impact customer behavior. For example, retail stores and shopping malls often place shiny items in the front row for impulse buying.

Most people don’t often carry cash these days. So, you need to make sure you have digital payment options as well.

If you’re on Shopify, you already know that you’ve got all the commerce solutions, right? With Shopify POS (Point of Sale), you can easily collect payments at your pop-up shop.

Learn more: Bringing Everything Together with Shopify POS Go

You need to start marketing for your event at least 2-3 weeks in advance.

Here are some of the ideas to create buzz around the event:

• Social media:

Announce the dates on social media and start posting about the event in advance.

Prepare a giveaway contest to attract people to the event. Organize the distribution of the giveaway prizes at the location of your pop-up shop.

• Influencer marketing:

Collaborate with influencer(s) to bring more traffic to your pop-up shop.

• Email marketing:

Share the event details with your email subscribers.

Run paid ads on platforms like Facebook, Google, Instagram, and TikTok.

• Offer exclusive discounts:

Promote your exclusive discount offer in all of your promotional campaigns. You can even create referral discounts for your existing customers who bring their friends to the shop.

Challenges in Setting Up a Pop-Up Shop

Running a pop-up shop campaign could be costly. If you’re a small-budget online store, it may not be feasible to invest a huge capital. That said, you can find ways to build a cost-effective setup.

Since it’s literally a physical store, your time is likely to be limited to certain hours. You may not be able to run it 24/7 like your online store — unless you have a great budget and sufficient resources (and permission, of course).

Managing your inventory and logistics could be challenging. You may not have an exact idea as to how much stock is needed to meet the customer demand. Also, it could be time-consuming to move things from your warehouse to the shop.

You may spend a lot of money on the whole campaign; however, there’s a risk that you may not be able to sell enough products to cover all the costs. 

In the eCommerce world, brands often need to experiment with several things. Setting up a pop-up shop could be one of your experiments. 

But again, consider all the factors that we shared in this article before planning to launch your pop-up shop. All in all, you need to ensure you get the desired return on investment.

Once you’ve finalized to launch your pop-up shop, make sure to put great effort into marketing your event, well before launching it.

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Pop Up Shop Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Joy Nwokoro

Home » Business ideas » Wholesale and Retail Industry » Pop Up Shop

A pop-up shop is a temporary retail space that is established for a short period of time, typically ranging from a few days to several months. It “pops up” in a location and then disappears after the predetermined period. Pop-up shops have gained popularity in recent years as a creative and flexible approach to retail.

Pop-up shops are often used by businesses to create a unique and engaging shopping experience, generate buzz and excitement around a brand or product, test new markets or locations, or take advantage of a specific event or season. They can be set up in various locations, such as vacant storefronts, shopping malls, markets, or even mobile setups like trucks or tents.

Pop-up shops can sell a wide range of products, including clothing, accessories, electronics, cosmetics, art, food and beverages, and more. They often incorporate unique and eye-catching visual merchandising, interactive displays, and immersive experiences to attract customers and make a lasting impression.

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Steps on How to Write a Pop-Up Shop Business Plan

Executive summary.

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. is an innovative retail business that specializes in creating unique and captivating shopping experiences through temporary pop-up shops. Our company aims to establish a strong presence in the vibrant city of Miami, Florida, where there is a thriving market for creative retail concepts.

We are set to offer customers an immersive and exciting shopping experience that goes beyond the traditional brick-and-mortar store. By leveraging the power of pop-up shops, we aim to generate buzz, build brand awareness, and foster a strong connection with our target audience.

Our strategic location in Miami will enable us to tap into the city’s diverse and fashion-forward population, as well as attract tourists and visitors looking for distinctive retail offerings.

Through our commitment to innovation, adaptability, and a customer-centric approach, we aim to create a lasting legacy in the pop-up industry, inspiring both our customers and industry peers. We envision a future where Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. is synonymous with unforgettable retail experiences and serves as a launchpad for emerging brands and concepts.

Company Profile

A. our products and services.

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will feature a carefully curated selection of fashion apparel, accessories, and lifestyle products from emerging designers, local artisans, and popular brands. Our product offerings will cater to diverse tastes and provide a blend of quality, style, and exclusivity.

b. Nature of the Business

The nature of a pop-up business is temporary and transient. Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar stores, pop-up businesses are designed to exist for a short period of time in a specific location and then close or move on to a different location.

c. The Industry

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will operate in the retail industry.

d. Mission Statement

At Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc., our mission is to revolutionize the pop-up retail experience by offering a captivating fusion of creativity, innovation, and exceptional customer service. We strive to curate unique and immersive pop-up shops that leave a lasting impression on our customers while showcasing a diverse range of products that inspire and delight.

e. Vision Statement

Our vision at Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. is to become a trailblazer in the pop-up retail industry, known for our cutting-edge concepts, unparalleled customer experiences, and the ability to transform any space into a vibrant retail destination.

We envision ourselves as a catalyst for brand collaborations, creative partnerships, and market expansion, setting new standards and redefining the boundaries of temporary retail experiences.

f. Our Tagline (Slogan)

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. – “Fostering a culture of exploration, excitement, and inspiration that captivates our customers and empowers our partners”

g. Legal Structure of the Business (LLC, C Corp, S Corp, LLP)

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will be formed as a Limited Liability Company (LLC).

h. Our Organizational Structure

• Chief Executive Officer (Owner)
• Shop Manager
• Cashier (Accountant)
• Sales Assistant

i. Ownership/Shareholder Structure and Board Members

• Shelly Hulk (Owner and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer) 52 Percent Shares
• Edison Hadaway (Board Member) 18 Percent Shares
• Bob Jefferson (Board Member) 10 Percent Shares
• Raph McMillian (Board Member) 10 Percent Shares
• Sharon George (Board Member and Sectary) 10 Percent Shares.

SWOT Analysis

A. strength.

• Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. offers a unique and immersive pop-up retail experience, setting itself apart from traditional retail establishments.
• The company excels in creating visually appealing displays and engaging environments that capture the attention of customers and leave a lasting impression.
• Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. has established strong collaborations with local artists, designers, and influencers, enhancing the brand’s appeal and expanding its network.
• The company prioritizes exceptional customer service, aiming to create a personalized and memorable shopping experience for each customer.

b. Weakness

• The temporary nature of pop-up shops can limit the time available to generate sales and build a loyal customer base.
• The success of pop-up shops relies heavily on the choice of location. Finding prime and high-traffic locations for each pop-up can be a challenge.
• As a relatively new company, Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. may face challenges in building brand awareness and establishing itself as a go-to destination for pop-up retail experiences.

c. Opportunities

• The pop-up retail industry is growing, providing opportunities to expand into new markets and attract a broader customer base.
• Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. can leverage seasonal events, festivals, or cultural celebrations to create themed pop-up shops and capitalize on increased foot traffic.
• Developing an online presence and incorporating e-commerce capabilities can enable the company to reach customers beyond the physical pop-up shops and extend the brand’s reach.

i. How Big is the Industry?

The pop-up shop industry is a small segment of the retail industry, but it is important to note that pop-up shops can be found in various countries and regions across the globe. From bustling urban centers to smaller towns and even online platforms, the industry has expanded its reach and attracted businesses from different sectors.

ii. Is the Industry Growing or Declining?

Yes, the pop-up shop business line of business is a growing business. Major cities worldwide, including New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo, have witnessed a surge in the number of pop-up shops, indicating a growing demand for unique retail experiences.

iii. What are the Future Trends in the Industry?

The pop-up shop industry continues to evolve and adapt to changing consumer preferences and market dynamics. Several future trends are shaping the direction of the industry

Pop-up shops are likely to integrate digital and physical elements to create hybrid experiences. This could involve incorporating augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) technologies, interactive displays, or digital platforms to enhance customer engagement and extend the reach of pop-up experiences beyond physical locations.

With increased consumer awareness and demand for sustainable and ethically sourced products, the pop-up shop industry is expected to align with these values. Pop-ups may focus on showcasing eco-friendly brands, promoting upcycling or recycling initiatives, and incorporating sustainable materials and practices into their setups.

Mobile pop-up shops, such as food trucks or mobile boutiques, are gaining popularity. Additionally, collaboration between multiple pop-up shops or between pop-ups and established businesses (such as hotels, galleries, or event venues) can create unique partnerships and shared spaces, maximizing the potential of both parties.

iv. Are There Existing Niches in the Industry?

Yes, there are various existing niches for a pop-up shop business. Pop-up shops thrive in unique and specialized market segments. Here are some examples of niche pop-up shop ideas:

• Art and design
• Fashion and accessories
• Health and wellness
• Beauty and cosmetics
• Food and beverages
• Technology and gadgets
• Books and Literature
• Pop culture and fandom
• Sustainable and eco-friendly
• Local and artisanal products.

v. Can You Sell a Franchise of Your Business in the Future?

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. has plans to sell franchises in the nearest future and we will target major cities with thriving markets in the United States of America.

• The pop-up retail industry is becoming more popular, and competition from other pop-up shops and traditional retail stores can pose a challenge.
• Economic downturns or fluctuations can impact consumer spending habits, potentially affecting the success and profitability of pop-up shops.
• Compliance with local regulations, obtaining necessary permits, and navigating legal requirements can present obstacles for pop-up shop operations.

i. Who are the Major Competitors?

The major competitors for a pop-up shop business can vary depending on the industry, location, and target market. Here are some potential competitors you may encounter:

• Other pop-up shops
• Traditional brick-and-mortar stores
• Online retailers
• Established brands
• Events and festivals
• Local markets and fairs
• Online marketplaces and flash sale websites.

ii. Is There a Franchise for Pop up Shop Businesses? If YES, List at least 20 of them and their cost

No, there are no franchise opportunities for pop-up shop businesses.

iii. Are There Policies, Regulations, or Zoning Laws Affecting Pop up Shops?

Yes, there are county and state regulations as well as zoning laws that may apply to pop-up shop businesses in the United States. The specific regulations and laws can vary depending on the location and jurisdiction.

If your pop-up shop is set up as part of a temporary event or fair, additional permits or agreements may be necessary. These may include agreements with event organizers, health and safety inspections, insurance requirements, and compliance with event-specific regulations.

There may be regulations governing signage size, placement, and content. Restrictions on outdoor banners, sandwich boards, or temporary signs may exist, and adherence to these regulations is important for maintaining compliance.

Pop-up shop businesses are generally required to register for sales tax purposes and collect and remit sales tax on applicable sales. This requirement varies by state, so it’s important to understand the specific obligations in your jurisdiction.

To ensure compliance with regulations and zoning laws, it is advisable to consult with local government authorities, such as city planning departments or licensing offices, or seek legal advice to understand the specific requirements and processes for operating a pop-up shop in your desired location.

Marketing Plan

A. who is your target audience.

i. Age Range

Our target audience primarily falls within the age range of 18 to 40. This demographic represents individuals who are fashion-conscious, open to new experiences, and actively engage in retail trends.

ii. Level of Education

Our target audience consists of individuals with diverse educational backgrounds. We cater to customers who value creativity, innovation, and unique retail experiences, regardless of their educational level.

iii. Income Level

Our target audience includes individuals with varying income levels. While we aim to offer products that cater to different budget ranges, our focus is on attracting customers who prioritize quality, style, and the overall experience rather than solely price-conscious consumers.

iv. Ethnicity

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. embraces diversity and aims to appeal to customers of various ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. Our offerings are designed to be inclusive and appealing to a wide range of individuals.

v. Language

We cater to customers who primarily communicate in English, as it is the primary language of communication in our pop-up shop locations. However, we welcome customers of various language backgrounds and strive to provide a welcoming and accommodating environment.

vi. Geographical Location

Our initial focus is on targeting customers in urban areas, particularly in fashion-forward cities and regions. While our pop-up shops can be located in different geographic locations, we aim to capture the attention of customers in areas known for their vibrant and diverse retail scenes.

vii. Lifestyle

Our target audience consists of individuals who appreciate creativity, style, and unique retail experiences. They value the exploration of new trends, seek personal expression through fashion and lifestyle choices, and are open to discovering emerging brands and concepts.

b. Advertising and Promotion Strategies

• Deliberately Brand All Our Vans and Trucks.
• Tap Into Text Marketing.
• Make Use of Bill Boards.
• Share Your Events in Local Groups and Pages.
• Turn Your Social Media Channels into a Resource
• Develop Your Business Directory Profiles
• Build Relationships with players in different industries.

i. Traditional Marketing Strategies

• Marketing through Direct Mail.
• Print Media Marketing – Newspapers & Magazines.
• Broadcast Marketing -Television & Radio Channels.
• OOH Marketing – Public Transit like Buses and Trains, Billboards, Street shows, and Cabs.
• Leverage direct sales, direct mail (postcards, brochures, letters, fliers), tradeshows, print advertising (magazines, newspapers, coupon books, billboards), referral (also known as word-of-mouth marketing), radio, and television.

ii. Digital Marketing Strategies

• Social Media Marketing Platforms.
• Influencer Marketing.
• Email Marketing.
• Content Marketing.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing.
• Affiliate Marketing
• Mobile Marketing.

iii. Social Media Marketing Plan

• Start using chatbots.
• Create a personalized experience for our customers.
• Create an efficient content marketing strategy.
• Create a community for our target market and potential target market.
• Gear up our profiles with a diverse content strategy.
• Use brand advocates.
• Create profiles on relevant social media channels.
• Run cross-channel campaigns.

c. Pricing Strategy

When working out our pricing strategy, Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will make sure it covers profits, insurance, premium, license, and economy or value and full package. In all our pricing strategy will reflect:

• Penetration Pricing
• Cost-Based Pricing
• Value-Based Pricing
• Competition-Based Pricing.

Sales and Distribution Plan

A. sales channels.

Our channel sales strategy will involve using partners and third parties—such as referral partners, affiliate partners, strategic alliances in the entertainment industry and freelancers help refer customers to us.

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will also leverage the 4 Ps of marketing which are place, price, product, and promotion. By carefully integrating all these marketing strategies into a marketing mix, we can have a visible, in-demand service that is competitively priced and promoted to our customers.

b. Inventory Strategy

As a pop-up shop, Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. requires a well-planned inventory strategy to ensure optimal product availability, customer satisfaction, and profitability during the limited duration of each pop-up.

We will curate a selection of products that align with the target audience’s preferences and reflect the brand’s unique identity. Focus on offering a range of high-quality, trendy, and desirable products that generate excitement and drive customer engagement.

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will make sure we work with “Just-in-time (JIT) inventory” – (JIT involves holding as little stock as possible, negating the costs and risks involved with keeping a large amount of stock on hand.)

c. Payment Options for Customers

• Bank Transfers
• Credit or Debit Card
• Electronic Payment Systems such as PayPal or Venmo.

d. Return Policy, Incentives, and Guarantees

At Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc., will be offering a return policy, incentives, and guarantees to build trust and loyalty with your customers. We will make sure the policy is clearly communicated on our website and in-store signage, and provide instructions for customers to initiate a return.

Return Policy:

• Customers can return products within 3 days from the date of purchase, subject to certain conditions.
• Products must be returned in their original condition, unused, and with all original tags, labels, and packaging intact.
• Customers are required to provide valid proof of purchase, such as a receipt or order confirmation, for returns to be processed.
• Customers may choose to receive a refund for the returned product or exchange it for an alternative product, subject to availability.
• Certain items, such as personalized or perishable goods, may be non-returnable. We will communicate such exceptions clearly to customers.

Incentives:

• We will implement loyalty programs where customers earn points or rewards for repeat purchases.
• We will offer special discounts or promotions for customers who refer friends or family members to the deli restaurant.
• We will organize social media contests and giveaways to increase engagement and attract new customers.

Guarantees:

At Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc., we are committed to providing our customers with confidence in their purchases. Our guarantees aim to assure customers of the quality, authenticity, and satisfaction associated with our products.

e. Customer Support Strategy

To ensure customer satisfaction, we will encourage customers to provide feedback and suggestions. This will help us provide excellent customer service to all our clients and investors, it will help us to first understand their needs, experiences, and pain points. We will work with effective CRM software to be able to achieve this.

On a regular basis, we will work towards strengthening our Customer Service Team and also Leverage Multi-Channel Servicing as part of our customer support strategy

By following this strategy, we aim to exceed customer expectations, build long-lasting relationships, and ensure that customers leave Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. with a positive and satisfying shopping experience.

Operational Plan

Our operational plan will outline how the business will run on a day-to-day basis. It will cover areas such as staffing, inventory management, customer service, and marketing.

Overall, we plan to expand our revenue by 25 percent in the second year and the plan will include a marketing, sales, and operations component. By developing a strong plan and implementing it effectively, we will be able to run our pop-up shop business smoothly and attract and retain loyal customers.

a. What Happens During a Typical Day at a Pop-up Shop Business?

• Setup and Opening
• Customer Interactions and Sales
• Monitor inventory levels throughout the day and restock products as needed
• Utilize social media platforms or other marketing channels to promote the pop-up shop and attract customers
• Close the pop-up shop at the designated time or when customer traffic slows down.
• Process any final sales transactions and reconcile cash registers or point-of-sale systems.
• Clean and tidy the pop-up shop space, including restocking inventory, organizing displays, and ensuring that the space is ready for the next operating day.

b. Production Process

There is no production process for a pop-up shop business.

c. Service Procedure

• Upon entering our pop-up shop, customers are warmly greeted by our staff members.
• Based on customer preferences and needs, our staff offers personalized recommendations and suggestions to help customers find the products that best suit their requirements.
• Customers are encouraged to engage with the products on display.
• Our staff members are available at dedicated checkout counters to process purchases, handle payment transactions, and provide receipts.
• Our staff members are available to assist with product exchanges, returns, or warranty-related matters, adhering to our return policy.

d. The Supply Chain

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will rely on a supply chain model that involves the process of sourcing, transporting, storing, and managing inventory of the various products and supplies needed to run our pop-up shop business.

e. Sources of Income

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will generate revenue primarily through the sale of products (fashion apparel, accessories, and lifestyle products from emerging designers, local artisans, and popular brands).

Financial Plan

A. amount needed to start your pop-up shop business.

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. would need an estimate of $105,000 to successfully set up our pop-up shop business in the United States of America. Please note that this amount includes the salaries of all our staff for the first month of operation.

b. What are the Costs Involved?

• Business Registration Fees – $750.
• Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits – $3,300.
• Marketing, Branding, and Promotions – $3,000.
• Business Consultant Fee – $2,500.
• Insurance – $3,400.
• Rent/Lease – $35,000.
• Operational Cost (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $25,000
• Start-up Inventory – $25,000
• Website: $600
• Opening party: $5,000
• Miscellaneous: $2,000

c. Do You Need to Build a Facility? If YES, How Much Will it Cost?

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will not build a new facility for our pop-up shop business; we intend to start with a long-term lease and after 5 years, we will start the process of acquiring our own warehouse facility.

d. What are the Ongoing Expenses for Running a Pop-up Shop Business?

• The cost of renting or leasing the pop-up shop space.
• Utility expenses, including electricity, water, heating, and cooling, are ongoing costs.
• Inventory (If your pop-up shop sells physical products, ongoing expenses will include the cost of purchasing or restocking inventory)
• Marketing and advertising
• Maintenance and repairs
• Licensing and permits
• Payment processing fees
• Miscellaneous expenses such as supplies, technology and software subscriptions, security systems, packaging materials, and any additional services or resources required to operate the pop-up shop.

e. What is the Average Salary of your Staff?

• Shop Manager – $46,000 per year
• Cashier (Accountant) – $35,000 per year
• Sales Assistant – $28,000 per year
• Cleaners – $26,000 per year

f. How Do You Get Funding to Start a Pop-up Shop Business?

• Raising money from personal savings and sale of personal stocks and properties
• Raising money from investors and business partners
• Sell shares to interested investors
• Applying for a loan from your bank/banks
• Pitching your business idea and applying for business grants and seed funding from the government, donor organizations, and angel investors
• Source for soft loans from your family members and friends.

Financial Projection

A. how much should you charge for your product/service.

The price of our products is not fixed, it will depend on the type of products.

b. Sales Forecast?

• First Fiscal Year (FY1): $260,000
• Second Fiscal Year (FY2): $380,000
• Third Fiscal Year (FY3): $450,000

c. Estimated Profit You Will Make a Year?

• First Fiscal Year (FY1) (Profit After Tax): $26%
• Second Fiscal Year (FY2) (Profit After Tax): $30%
• Third Fiscal Year (FY3) (Profit After Tax): $35%

d. Profit Margin of a Pop-up Shop Business 

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will aim for a profit margin of 26 to 30 percent on sales. This means that for every dollar spent on our product by a customer, the business should aim to earn 26 to 30 cents in profit.

Growth Plan

A. how do you intend to grow and expand by opening more retail outlets/offices or selling a franchise.

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. will grow our pop-up shop business by first exploring other key cities in the United States of America within the first five years of establishing the business and then will start selling franchises from the sixth year.

b. Where do you intend to expand to and why?

Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. plans to expand to

• New York City, New York
• Los Angeles, California
• Chicago, Illinois
• San Francisco, California
• Miami, Florida
• Dallas, Texas
• Seattle, Washington
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Houston, Texas.

The reason we intend to expand to these locations is the fact that available statistics show that the cities listed above have the highest and thriving market for the products we retail in our pop-up shops.

The founder of Shelly Hulk® Pop-up Shop, Inc. plans to exit the business via family succession. The company has placed structures and processes in place that will help us achieve our plan of successfully transferring the business from one family member to another and from one generation to another.

The company has successfully developed a detailed transition plan to smoothly hand over responsibilities to the new successor. This includes transferring ownership, training key personnel, and communicating with employees, customers, and suppliers about the change.

How to write a business plan for a pop-up shop

Table of Contents

Explain the business

Unique selling point, detail your audience, market research, customer profiles, highlight your location, carry out a swot analysis, opportunities, make financial projections with a tool like countingup.

Setting up a pop-up shop requires a lot of forward-thinking. Putting together a business plan is a way to set out your intention for your future. You may also need to look for additional sources of finance from investors or loans from banks. This guide will outline the elements you’ll need for your plan to make sure that you provide everything you need to present your business.

To help you create a business plan for a pop-up shop, we will cover:

• Make financial projections

For the first section of the business plan, you need to make clear what you will sell and how you plan to present your brand.

Your business will sell a product or service. Being a pop-up shop, you’ll likely be near a lot of competition, so it’s important to put across what your main draws are. Your USP (unique selling point) is the thing about your offering that customers can only get from your business. Whether it is the experience you provide or item you offer, use this section to show what you expect people to love about your shop.

It is essential to include your brand in your plan to show how you want your customers to view the business. To explain your branding, you could put together brand guidelines.

Guidelines include a name, logo, colour scheme, and tone of voice you plan to use for your brand. This shows that you have started to consider building a reputation. By explaining your branding decisions, you will lead the company’s scalability. In addition, having planned guidelines ensures your marketing will be consistent.

To have a business plan that shows off your ability to market the shop, you need to demonstrate that you have done research on the market and know who you are going to target.

Conducting market research is a vital part of any new business. Often, potential investors want to see this in your plan. You can research in various ways to find out more about your market. For example, you can either talk to potential customers directly through surveys or investigate who other businesses target by making notes of their marketing activities. 

Many businesses include customer profiles (sometimes called customer avatars) in their plans to show their target audience in a relatable way. This is a hypothetical person who can represent the lifestyles of people you would like to target.

Your customer profiles can include:

The locations you choose to set up for a pop-up business are crucial for your success. Potential lenders and investors will likely want to know where you plan to be and why you have chosen those areas. 

Be specific if you have one location in mind or if you plan to use multiple places, describe the types of sites they will be. It would be helpful to look at your customer profile and think where you should reach that person to help you decide on a location. Research where you can set up and inquire what it costs to be there.

It could be helpful to do a SWOT analysis to demonstrate that your plan includes considerations from all business areas. This is where you analyse your shops’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Your business’s strengths should be all of the reasons it is likely to succeed. For example, suppose you have identified a busy area that your target audience frequent and have prior knowledge of the site. In that case, this could be a strength.

Every new business is likely to have some weaknesses. By identifying them in your plan, you can show how you intend to overcome them. For example, you may have little experience in managing finances. You can mention using an accounting tool like the Countingup app to make it easier.

Your plan should demonstrate that the business is likely to have growth potential. To do this, include some possible opportunities that you could take advantage of in future. If you sell food, your shop may open in festivals, for example. 

There will likely also be potential threats your business may need to face. By thinking about some things beforehand, you can plan how you would deal with the situations. For example, suppose the COVID guidance encourages people to work from home. In that case, you may also decide to sell your products online.

Another important section to include in your business plan is your company’s expectations for your early finances. You can write this by putting together a sales forecast. This is when you multiply the number of customers you expect by the sale price and work out how much money would come into the business. It can either be used to show a month, quarter or year.

Your numbers must add up and be laid out correctly for your business plan. To ensure that you can manage your finances correctly, setting up a separate current account for your shop may be helpful. With a business account, you can clearly see what comes in and out.

Countingup is the current business account with built-in accounting software that allows you to manage all your financial data in one place. With the expense categorisation feature, you can ensure that your financial projections are accurate and precise. The app also offers cash flow insights, so you can routinely compare your business’s performance with your plan. 

The app’s ease of use lets you confidently keep on top of your business finances wherever you are. You can also instantly share your bookkeeping with your accountant without worrying about duplication errors, data lags, or inaccuracies. Seamless, simple, and straightforward! 

Start your three-month free trial today. 

Find out more here .

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11 Tips To Make Your Pop-Up Shop a Roaring Success [For Retail Store Beginners and Pros Alike]

• by Luke O'Neill

minute read

Who doesn’t love the feeling of a good pop-up shop purchase?

There’s something exciting about nabbing a rare product from a pop-up shop . And it feels good to support small businesses, instead of the top end of the retail town.

And for newbie retail business owners and seasoned ecommerce entrepreneurs alike, pop-up stores can be a great way to take your business to the next level.

Right here, we’re going to take you through some tips to give your pop-up shop the best chance of success. We’ll look at:

• What pop-up shops are [for those of you new to them]
• Why you should consider doing pop-up shops
• How you can make your pop-up shop a success [with 11 proven tips]

First, let’s explain what pop-up shops are, for any of you first-timers reading this. 

7 ways to run your retail store smarter this year

Learn how to thrive with the right technology and approach to customer experience.

What is a pop-up shop?

A pop-up shop is a temporary store. 

You open it up for a finite period of time. 

For example, you can open your pop-up shop for a few months in a mall or for as little as a day at an outdoor event, like a community festival or market. Pop-up shops give experienced and beginner retailers the opportunity to: 

• Trial new product lines
• Meet customers in person
• Learn who your products appeal to
• Test marketing and branding tactics
• And nurture relationships with leads.   

Why should you start a pop-up shop?

Ray Ko, the senior eCommerce manager of ShopPopDisplays , believes pop-up stores have become more relevant during the pandemic too. 

“The great thing about operating from a pop-up store during this pandemic is that it removes the pressure to engage in a long-term lease,” said Ko. 

“Without the hassle that comes with a traditional store, you can showcase your product, build brand awareness and extend a human connection to your consumers with your physical presence,” he added. 

This leads us to another question, for budding retail entrepreneurs and long-term retail business owners.

Should new and more experienced retailers approach pop-ups differently?

“The best moment to plan a pop-up store is when the store owner is looking to reach a new audience and gain brand exposure,” suggests Patricia Lopez, the founder of Dirt Pitch Apparel , an eCommerce brand that focuses on sportswear apparel inspired by retro soccer culture. 

“Doing it immediately after starting up might be tricky and dividing your attention at such an early stage might end up damaging your store.” 

11 tips on how to have a successful pop-up shop

As we’ve talked about before at Lightspeed, the pop-up shop is no longer just a retail trend. It has become a useful tool in the toolbox of retailers who are keen to get face-time with customers, leads, and other retailers.

Whether you’re opening a pop-up shop for just a day, or for a little bit longer, here are eight tips to help you get the most out of the experience.

1. Scout your location 

Prioritize high foot traffic areas like busy streets, shopping centers or popular markets. 

Take note of the demographics of the area to ensure they match your target audience. For instance, a trendy fashion pop-up may thrive in a youthful, bustling neighborhood. Additionally, align your shop with local events or festivals to capitalize on increased visitors. 

Always visit potential locations during different times to gauge foot traffic and ensure visibility. 

2. Decide on your marketing strategies

Launching a successful pop-up shop requires more than just a great location and products; effective marketing is essential to attract customers and generate buzz. 

Try reaching potential customers with more than one strategy. Here are three to consider:

Sell your pop-up shop on social media 

• Engage early: announce your pop-up shop on social media weeks in advance. Use eye-catching graphics and videos
• Leverage stories and reels : use Instagram Stories and Reels to give behind-the-scenes looks and build anticipation
• Create event pages: set up Facebook events to invite followers and send reminders

Use email marketing campaigns to get the word out

• Pre-launch announcements: send teaser emails to your subscriber list announcing the pop-up shop with dates and locations
• Exclusive invites: offer exclusive early access or discounts to email subscribers
• Reminders: send reminder emails as the event date approaches, emphasizing special offers and what attendees can expect

Take advantage of some influencer partnerships

• Local influencers: partner with local influencers who align with your brand to promote your pop-up shop
• Collaborative content: have influencers create content (posts, stories, videos) about their experience at your pop-up shop
• Takeovers: allow influencers to take over your social media accounts for a day to share their visit and experiences live.

3. Pick your POS system

Flexible POS systems like Lightspeed enable swift and secure transactions, reducing wait times and improving customer satisfaction. 

A pop-up shop POS needs to be as powerful as a standard POS—you’re still running a store, after all. Take Imagine Exhibitions, for example: their traveling exhibits are supported by pop-up shops everywhere they go. They need a POS that’s easy to train on, that connects with their NetSuite ERP, that connects them to their data and enables monitoring and management from anywhere. With Lightspeed, they get all that, no need to compromise. 

No matter what you pick, make sure you can accept various payment methods, including credit cards, digital wallets and contactless payments, catering to diverse customer preferences.

Lightspeed also offers robust inventory management, ensuring that you always have accurate stock levels, even in a temporary setting. This helps prevent overselling and keeps customers informed about product availability. 

4. Arrive early on the first day

Practice makes perfect, so get access to the physical space before the first day, if you can.

And if you can’t get there before the first day of your pop-up, get there early, to have plenty of time to set up. Some pop-up situations, like markets, may only give you an hour to ‘bounce in’. That doesn’t leave you much wiggle room for any last-minute challenges. So plan ahead.

For example, tables are often first-come, first-serve. Get there early to position yourself in a place where you know people will see your table. 

Another tip: Always bring your own fold-up table. Many pop-up venues will provide tables, but if they don’t, bringing your own prevents some last-minute stress on your part. 

5. Make your stock stand out

If clothes are your thing, you’ll need some clothing racks. If you don’t sell clothes, you’ll need other ways to properly display your items. Get creative. Think shelves, trays, boxes and other containers that will show off your products in the best light.

6. Separate your samples from your stock

You might be tempted to stack all your goods on a table or rack if this is your first-ever pop-up. Yes, that may make it a little easier to keep all the sizes there for your customer to browse and buy. But in these strange old times of ours, you probably don’t want folks touching too many items. 

Spillages do happen at pop-up stores too, especially if your pop-up is located near a food market or café. Keep the majority of your stock behind you out of sight, but put some signage out to let everyone know you have more sizes available.

7. Select your pop-up products carefully

“The main ingredient for a successful pop-up store is a laser focus on product selection,” suggests Lopez. “If you set up your pop-up with many stock-keeping units (SKUs) , it will feel overcrowded and messy. Instead, work around your main products, and be sure they tell a coherent story and make sense while displayed together,” said Lopez. 

8. Get paid with cash and portable POS terminals 

You’ll need a quick and easy way for people to pay you, too. 

Companies like Lightspeed can help you accept and reconcile card payments while you’re on the go. More experienced retailers may want to go the whole hog, and use portable iPads and displays to show off their pop-up with some pizzazz. But start-up retailers can get by just as well with a portable POS system that will help you accept card payments, keep track of your inventory and reconcile your payments against the right SKUs.

And don’t forget cash. Yes, more and more people are using credit cards— 70% of people prefer them —but that doesn’t mean a decent amount of people won’t buy with cash. In fact, many people assume that pop-up stores only accept cash. Think about getting a lockbox and having the right quantities of notes and coins on hand for giving people change.

9. Make checkout time memorable

What do you need to help people check out? You’re going to need bags. You could have tissue paper to wrap things. Branded bags, ideally, would be awesome. That way, when people move off, they have your bag with your brand on it. Other people may see it and it may spark some curiosity. 

Giving some customers free samples or accessories is an effective way to engage them. It’s important to make sure that what you’re offering doesn’t hurt your profits too much. Giveaways might not work every time and it might be helpful to limit them to your first 20-30 customers.

If you have a flair for branding and marketing , then you could look at setting up drop sheets with backgrounds where people can snap a quick photo of themselves for Instagram or other social media channels. It doesn’t need to be complicated. It can be as simple as encouraging people to tag you on social media with a photo of their products or goodies.

10. Stay in touch with your leads

Pop-up shops are great for exposure and networking.

Hey, we get it, you want to make money. Especially if you’re paying to be there. But your number one goal should always be to create future leads.

Sometimes you won’t make as much as you thought you were going to make for that day. But networking is worth it.

• Give people business cards so they have an opportunity to look you up afterward, to follow you on your store’s social media channels and ultimately to remember you. 
• You can also use thank you cards, for customers who walk away from your pop-up after making a purchase. Handwritten notes are great too.
• You can even offer pop-up customers a little discount for your ecommerce store, by providing promotional codes for purchases or newsletter sign-ups. Every little thing helps.  

11. Conduct a post event analysis on your pop-up shop

After your pop-up shop concludes, conduct a thorough post-event analysis. 

Start by tracking key metrics such as sales volume, foot traffic and conversion rates to measure performance. Compare these numbers to your initial goals to assess success. 

Additionally, gather customer feedback through surveys or comment cards to understand their experience and identify areas for improvement. Analyzing social media engagement and online reviews can also provide valuable insights. 

By combining quantitative data and qualitative feedback, you can refine your strategies for future pop-up events and enhance overall effectiveness.

Legal considerations for pop up shops

Setting up a pop-up shop requires careful attention to legal requirements, permits and insurance. 

Here’s a breakdown of what you might need to have on hand:

Business licenses and permits

• Temporary business license: required in many cities to legally operate a short-term business
• Vendor permit: necessary for selling goods in public spaces or markets
• Health permit: needed if your pop-up shop involves food or beverage sales
• Fire department permit: ensures your space meets safety standards, especially if using open flames or heating equipment
• Sign permit: for any signage displayed outside the shop

Location specific permits  

• Zoning permit: confirms the location is zoned for commercial use
• Building permit: required if making any structural changes to the space
• General liability insurance: covers injuries or property damage occurring at your pop-up shop
• Product liability insurance: protects against claims related to the products sold
• Event insurance: useful if your pop-up shop is part of a larger event or festival

Always check with local government offices for specific requirements in your area, and consider consulting a legal professional to ensure full compliance.

Could pop-up shops work for you?

Pop-up retail shops involve a different kind of mindset. Think of them a little differently than your brick-and-mortar store or your eCommerce website, where driving sales and cart conversions are the order of the day. Pop-ups are experimental. They’re a learning experience.  

Get your pop-up shop ready in a flash

Watch a demo to see how Lightspeed can help make your pop-up shop a roaring success.

Frequently asked questions about pop-up shops

What are the essential permits and licenses needed to set up a pop-up store.

Depending on your location, you may need a temporary business license, vendor permit, health permit (if selling food), fire department permit and a sign permit. Check local regulations and consult with a legal professional to ensure full compliance.

How do I choose the best location for my pop-up shop?

Select high-traffic areas such as busy streets, shopping centers or popular markets. Consider the demographics of the area to ensure they match your target audience. Visit potential locations at different times to gauge foot traffic.

What marketing strategies can help promote my pop-up store?

Utilize social media to announce your pop-up, create event pages and use engaging content. Send email campaigns to your subscriber list with exclusive invites. Partner with local influencers to increase visibility and attract more customers.

How should I design and layout my pop-up shop for maximum impact?

Create an inviting and functional space with eye-catching displays and clear signage. Use shelves, racks, and tables to organize products effectively. Ensure there’s enough space for customers to browse comfortably and interact with your staff.

What are some cost-effective ways to stock and manage inventory for a pop-up shop?

Source products from reliable wholesalers or local artisans. Use a mobile POS system to track inventory in real-time. Start with a limited selection of best-selling items and replenish stock based on demand. Consider renting display equipment to save costs.

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Luke O’Neill writes for growing businesses in fintech, legal SaaS, and education. He owns Genuine Communications , which helps CMOs, founders, and marketing teams to build brands and attract customers.

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The 16 Best Pop-Up Shop Ideas for 2022

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Whether you started a business online or in a brick-and-mortar location, pop-up shops are a great way to increase your brand awareness, gain customers and drive sales. Although there’s been a move away from brick-and-mortar stores as e-commerce has grown, many brands are finding that customers still like to experience their products or services and buy in person. And, customers may even be more motivated to buy if they experience a product in store versus purchasing online.

Exploring pop-up shop ideas and setting up a location could be a great next step in giving your customers a unique experience and driving sales. Not sure where to start? We’ll cover several of the best pop-up shop ideas so you can find the one that’s right for your business.

What are pop-up shops and why are they important?

Pop-up shops are temporary locations that enable customers to interact with products they’re often not able to, often for brands that only sell online. They can also be extensions of existing physical stores, popping up as new locations in other areas, or providing different product experiences than usual, such as demos or curated selections. Pop-up shops are an example of experiential marketing, designed to draw more customers to your store and build brand awareness.

The importance of customer experience in pop-up shops

Pop-up shops are all centered on customer experience. Because one of the main points of a pop-up shop is to drive traffic that turns into sales, it’s important to consider what kind of interaction a customer wants to have with your product in a novel way.

Are customers looking for demos? Are they looking for exclusivity? Are they looking to have a sensory experience? Are they looking to access your product in an unusual location? Consider all of these factors, which will help steer you to the best pop-up shop idea for your business.

How much do you need?

with Fundera by NerdWallet

We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.

Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.

16 creative pop-up shop ideas

Once you’ve figured out what you think your customers will respond to and what you’re hoping to accomplish as a business with your pop-up store, it’s time to choose the best pop-up store idea for you. Hopefully, you’ll be excited to see that there are lots of options to pick from, or use as a jumping-off point to brainstorm your own.

1. Holiday shops

The holidays are obviously big for many retailers — sales jump and consumers are very focused on not only spending, but also on finding the right gift for their recipients. You can consider launching a pop-up shop that’s timed to the holiday shopping season, potentially opening between Halloween and Thanksgiving, when people begin to gear up for gifting.

Think about giving your pop-up location a holiday theme, which may potentially motivate buyers to purchase as they get into the holiday spirit.

2. Interactive product demos

Many e-commerce businesses don’t have brick-and-mortar outlets that enable customers to touch, feel, try, or even smell products. This might make customers hesitant to pull the trigger on a purchase if they’re not entirely sure that they’re going to like it in person.

One of the best pop-up shop ideas is to create interactivity with your products and even demonstrate them to customers. This can be especially important if your product has a slightly higher-than-average education component, which is easier to teach in person than online.

3. Sampling tents

For food, beverage and other consumer-packaged goods, sampling pop-ups can be a huge boost. You can set up a pop-up station that enables customers to try your product and then purchase on-site. This can prompt not only confidence in your product, but even help spur impulse purchases, since customers will hopefully want more after they taste.

For a sampling station, you might want to consider a mobile pop-up, such as a cart or a truck, to reach more customers. (More on this below.) This will let you go to where the customers are, rather than having to wait for them to find you.

4. Themed selections

Pop-up shops are generally small, which means there’s an emphasis on curation. One pop-up shop idea to consider is curating a themed shop, where customers get a specific selection of products from your line that all have something in common.

This could be any number of things. For instance, if you set up your pop-up store in New York, you could have urban-themed merchandise. Or, maybe you’re a clothing company that wants to just focus on your T-shirt line . Curating your selection can help consumers see many products they identify with, instead of having to search for one they like. It could even drive sales when they see how your products relate to each other.

5. Special guests

Customers often love the opportunity to meet special guests in person. If you have brand ambassadors — celebrities, influencers, experts — invite them to exclusively appear at your pop-up shop. This can drive foot traffic, especially for fans who might not be in your normal demographic.

Here, make sure you take advantage of social media to let people know who is going to be there, and see if you can ask your guests to promote your content on their channels as well.

6. Competitions

Don’t underestimate the power of competitive spirit. If your product lends itself to competition, invite customers to face off against each other in front of a panel of judges, or even fellow shoppers.

For instance, maybe you have a food product — host a competition over who can use your product to make the best dish. Or maybe you have clothing and you can create a competition over who can style one item the best. There are lots and lots of possibilities, so get creative here.

7. Vending machines

Your pop-up store doesn't have to be within a tent or a traditional storefront. If you have a small product, consider popping up vending machines in high-traffic areas. Here, customers will instantly be able to get access to your product without having to wait for it to ship to them. It might even drive impulse purchasing. This could work for a number of different products: packaged food, makeup, books and more.

8. In-store experts

Customers always like to learn from experts who can teach them how to get the most out of a product. Maybe you bring in an esthetician for mini spa treatments to demonstrate your skincare products. Maybe you have a personal stylist to help customers pick out clothes. Maybe you have a chef demonstrate how to use your spices. You can bring in outside experts, or utilize your own staff members if you have an expert on your team.

9. Discounts and bonuses

Some companies like to offer promotions to customers who visit their pop-up shop. For instance, you can offer limited sales on certain products, or a percentage or dollar figure off of certain purchases.

You can also consider giving away free products with a purchase that are only available at the pop-up shop. For instance, maybe you have a fragrance company. Customers who purchase a full-size bottle could get a free bonus of a travel size, too.

10. Mobile store

Pop-ups don’t just have to exist in stationary spaces. A mobile store is a great idea for many businesses that want to reach lots of different customers in different locations and neighborhoods. This could be a truck, van, bus or a cart — whatever suits your business best.

And mobile stores aren’t just for food brands, like a food truck. You could set up a station to try products or experience them outside of the physical vehicle, too — which can help bring in additional passersby as well.

11. Customization

Another trendy pop-up shop idea is customization — enabling buyers to customize their products on-site. Maybe this means monogramming or picking special colorways. If customers usually have to wait to get their products personalized, being able to provide this service same-day could be an incentive to purchase.

12. Previews and early releases

A lot of brands build up anticipation for product launches. And you don’t have to be a major electronics company with a stage to get customers hyped for the next thing in your product line. Consider building a pop-up that enables customers to preview new products or styles that are coming (you might even find valuable feedback from customers as they interact with your new products, too).

Alternatively, your pop-up store might enable customers to get their hands on a new release faster than customers who are just shopping online.

13. Entertainment

Bring customers to your pop-up store with entertainment. Music, dancing, photo booths — anything that customers will find exciting (or Instagrammable) and want to go out of their way to attend. If you’re hosting a performance, create breaks between sessions so customers can spend time shopping around, too.

14. Exclusivity

Another pop-up shop idea is to create a product that’s only available at the pop-up. Maybe it’s a certain scent or colorway, a new design, or a limited edition of one of your products. This can drive customers, especially big fans of your brand, to show up to your pop-up to get their hands on a product that they otherwise couldn’t under normal circumstances.

LLC Formation

15. Charitable donations

If you’re an ethical company, consider integrating giving into your pop-up shop. You can donate a percentage of the profits from your pop-up shop to a charity that aligns with your brand’s mission. For example, say you run a company that creates reusable products to avoid disposable plastic. You could take 10% of your profits from your pop-up and donate them to a cause that fights ocean pollution.

16. Behind-the-scenes look

Providing a behind-the-scenes look at your brand gives shoppers an exclusive experience. Consider hosting a pop-up store that shows how your product is created from start to finish. This isn’t for everyone, especially those who outsource their products. But for handmade goods, this could be an interesting approach.

This article originally appeared on JustBusiness, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

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Pop-Up Shop Marketing: 8 Must-Have Tips for Success

Pop-up shop marketing is crucial to the success of your next event. Get ideas and tips to help build buzz before, during, and after your next pop-up shop.

As a small business owner, each day is an adventure filled with the excitement of introducing unique products to the world and the challenge of making them stand out in an ever-crowded marketplace. 

Pop-up shops are a great way to showcase your products in a fresh, creative environment while driving buzz, awareness, and sales. But without a good   pop-up shop marketing   strategy you could spend a lot of time and money on the event without much success. That’s why it’s essential to understand the ins and outs of pop-up shop marketing. 

Whether you’re a seasoned retailer or a passionate entrepreneur dipping your toes into the retail space for the first time, use this article as your guide to learn what pop-up shop marketing is, why it’s important, and ideas and strategies that you can use to increase foot traffic and sales at your next event. 

Table of Contents

• What is pop-up shop marketing?

Why is marketing your pop-up shop important?

8 pop-up shop marketing ideas, what is pop-up shop marketing .

Pop-up shop marketing is a strategy that involves the temporary setup of a retail space. This isn’t your traditional brick-and-mortar store that’s open year-round. Instead, think of a pop-up shop as a unique, short-term event, designed to make a big splash in a short period of time. It’s about creating a memorable, one-of-a-kind shopping experience that people will want to be part of.

Pop-up shop marketing, as a strategic tool, helps small retail business owners like you extend your brand’s reach, tap into new markets, and offer an exclusive, urgency-driven shopping experience to your potential and existing customers. 

A pop-up shop is more than just a sales platform; it’s a brand-building channel that fosters customer loyalty and enhances brand visibility, leading to long-term sales growth. That’s why using the right pop-up shop marketing strategy is crucial to ensuring that your unique ideas reach the right audience. 

In order to maximize the impact of your pop-up shop, it’s important to develop a strategy that builds anticipation, creates buzz, and amplifies brand awareness. 

Now that you know what pop-up shop marketing is and why it’s an important growth strategy, let’s look at some ideas and tips to help you spread the word about your next event: 

• Involve the media and influencers
• Create buzz for your pop-up shop with social media
• Don’t forget visual signage and cues
• Create a Facebook event
• List your pop-up shop on Google Maps
• Have wayfinding assistants
• Employ local marketing and geo-targeting
• Keep information consistent

1. Involve the media and influencers

• Create a list of the key influencers, bloggers, and digital creators   that best represent your vertical and reach out to them, highlighting different incentives for them to get involved. Set aside some budget to offer free products in advance of your pop-up launch if they’re not already familiar with your brand, and/or offer them an exclusive discount code to share with their audience.
• Understand who you’re pitching and what their needs are.   There’s nothing wrong with using a template, but you’ll still have to customize it to elicit a good response rate.
• Give the media enough advance warning   about your event to leave them time to do a story. Aim for two to three months before launch for local print, and two weeks for online media.
• Keep your media pitch short and simple.   Be considerate, and make sure all of the important information about your event is prominent and easy to find.
• Open your pop-up shop on a high note . Consider throwing a launch party and inviting an exclusive list of who’s who in your local region. For example, when apparel brand   Kith   opened a pop-up in Paris, it had a fantastic turnout and received great coverage from influential local blogs read by its target demographic.

2. Create buzz for your pop-up shop with social media 

Social media is a great tool for increasing awareness of your pop-up shop (and your brand). Let’s look at how you can leverage this pop-up shop marketing tactic before, during, and after the event: 

• Keep any buzz you established with your initial outreach going.   Include a branded hashtag in your press materials and other collateral to help you find and curate content posted about your event online.
• Look for co-marketing opportunities.   Ask local businesses near your pop-up shop to mention you on their social media feeds and in their email newsletters (and offer to do the same for them).
• Post behind-the-scenes content on your own social channels   showing your pop-up being built and set up. Give users a sneak preview of the products they can expect to see. Host an online contest and announce the winner at your pop-up.
• Send influencers, bloggers, and creators your products   and ask them to post about them. The more products they can touch and feel, the more likely they are to connect with one of the products and post about them.   Note:   Make sure to schedule this beforehand and get in contact with them three to four weeks before your launch.

At the pop-up

• Music for the mood.   What kind of mood are you trying to create in your pop-up shop? Make sure your playlist matches that. If you’re a streetwear fashion brand, orchestra music may not be the right fit.
• Encourage user-generated content.   You have to create moments around your store that make customers want to take a picture or a video. In other words, you have to   make your store Instagrammable . This could mean a selfie wall, a personalization of the product, or funny signage that people want to share and remember. You want customers taking pictures around the store and posting them online—you benefit from the free advertising and positive word of mouth. You can even gamify it to incentivize sharing with contests.
• Encourage influencers to create content.   Taking it a step further, encourage Instagram influencers and TikTok creators to create and share content while at your pop-up. This will help you build a community around your brand—and bring their entire fanbase to your pop-up and/or website as well.

At one of its pop-up shops, florist brand   Misflorism   did a flower wall installation for couples to take photos in front of—a concept quite literally born out of people’s commitment to getting the   perfect   Instagram shot.

Post-pop-up

• Don’t let the conversation stop once your pop-up is over.   Keep up the buzz you worked so hard to build and continue engaging with people talking about your brand and the pop-up experience.
• Leverage user-generated content   on your website, social feeds, product pages, and other online channels.   Bazaarvoice   found that more than two-thirds of shoppers prefer real customer photos of brands, not just on display or professional shots. Interesting product page photos can increase conversions by   as much as 24% .
• Use your point-of-sale to collect email addresses   and run targeted social media ads to drive shoppers to your online store. The lessons you learn from your pop-up can inform future digital campaigns.

💡 PRO TIP: Sending digital receipts via email is a great way to organically collect customer contact information at checkout and build an email list to fuel your retention marketing. Just make sure they’ve opted in to hearing from you before sending them anything.

3. Don’t forget visual signage and cues

First and foremost, you’ll want to make sure there are ample visual cues at your actual pop-up. This includes your storefront,   window displays ,   signage , and sandwich boards. You can also create temporary chalk art leading pedestrians to your pop-up with messages and directional signage written in chalk (just make sure this is OK at your location from a legal perspective first).

Evelyn & Bobbie   painted the outside of the building for   its pop-up   with an eye-catching, branded design to help the pop-up stand out against the surrounding businesses.

Pop-up shop marketing can—and should—get more creative than traditional   brick-and-mortar store   strategies. Remember, a pop-up is an event, not a typical retail experience. It should be presented as such, particularly if it is a   holiday pop-up shop .

“Though at first blush it seems counter-intuitive, a pop-up should look exactly like a pop-up. It should feel temporary,” says Christian Gilbert, senior account executive at   brand experience agency MC2 . “Passersby should know instantly that it’s different from other shops—that it will go away, and they’d better check it out now.”

Inflatable signage, cubes, marquees, and even logos can help shoppers spot your pop-up from afar.

“Brands with a healthy budget could take inspiration from Samsung at Americana in LA,” Christian says. “Every car entering the parking garage was presented with a gigantic wall mural advertising the [pop-up].” This spread awareness about the event for individuals who parked at the garage for other reasons.

💡Looking for more ideas? Check out these two articles:

• A Foolproof Guide to Creating Window Displays That Turn Heads and Drive Foot Traffic
• 12 Unique Window Displays To Inspire Retailers To Build Their Own Eye-Catching Design

4. Create a Facebook event

Facebook events are a great way to not only keep the pop-up top of mind but also to share important updates and—you guessed it—the location of the pop-up.

When you create an event on Facebook, you can list the location of the event. If your pop-up is at an established business, landmark, or other location, you’ll often be able to simply type that in as the location. 

You can also enable the Message Host feature, if you’re able to keep up with it. This way you can be available to help people find their way in case they’re lost.

Not holding your pop-up at an established or well-known location? Or maybe the location is very large, making it hard to pinpoint where your pop-up shop is. With the coordinates, users can tap on the address and be taken to navigation assistance.

5. List your pop-up shop on Google Maps

Speaking of maps, these are crucial for helping people find your pop-up location. One of the biggest mistakes a brand can make, according to Christian, is “not including the address and ZIP code of the pop-up so shoppers can get smartphone directions.”

You can list the pop-up address on your site, as well as   embed a Google Map   with a pin denoting the location. 

• Go to   Google Maps .
• Type in the address.
• Click the   Share   icon. 
• Click the   Embed a map   tab.
• Click   COPY HTML .
• Paste it into the HTML of your website or blog.

💡 PRO TIP: Use Shopify’s Google channel to manage your Google Merchant Center, Google Business Profile, and Google Ads accounts from Shopify’s back office. Get all the perks of marketing your business on Google without jumping between accounts.

You can create your own Google Map and embed it on your site, as well as offer a direct link for users to navigate.   Google has a guide   to help walk you through this process.

You can also create your own map that has helpful landmarks and visual cues, similar to how tourist destinations often have free maps of the area to help visitors get around.

FURTHER READING:   Increase your online and offline store traffic   with Google’s “Near Me” results .

6. Have wayfinding assistants

Sometimes, maps and signs just aren’t enough and it’s time to call in human reinforcements. Assigning employees, or even   hiring temporary staff , to stand near the location of your pop-up to direct people where to go can help increase foot traffic. (Bonus if they can offer samples to lure in passersby!)

Roody Originals, which sells   ugly Christmas sweaters , has used this very tactic. The brand has successfully opened eight seasonal pop-up shops, timed for when its products are in demand. Promotional staff donning ugly sweaters stand outside and give away chocolates.

“While we didn’t ask passersby for anything or even mention the shop unless they asked, we always got an uplift in customers when out on the street,” says CEO and founder Ross Culliton.

One of Roody Originals’ pop-ups was at an upstairs space, which had the potential to deter foot traffic. As a solution, Ross hired a band to play out the window.

“Crowds gathered on the street to look, and passersby came up to check out what was happening,” he says. The band indirectly helped shoppers identify where the action was at.

7. Employ local marketing and geo-targeting

This next pop-up shop marketing idea is a bit more advanced, but it can yield great results when done well. Because your pop-up shop will be in a specific location and you’ll ideally target a specific customer profile, you’ll have extremely targeted advertising options.

Christian stresses the importance of knowing who you’re selling to at your pop-up.

“Closely identify the target audience,” he says. “This not only ties into the physical location of the pop-up, but also how to reach them. Use the medium your target demo uses.”

Run geo-targeted paid social and display ad campaigns (again, depending on where your audience hangs out) to get the word out about your pop-up to a local audience.

“Be very specific about what is happening at the pop-up to heighten curiosity,” advises Christian. “For   St. Ives in Manhattan , a social media campaign to young women pushed a particular aspect of the pop-up experience: mixing your own cosmetics.”

💡Check out these guides to get started with your own   local marketing   campaigns:

• Online Banner Ads
• Facebook Ad Types for Your Ecommerce Store
• Advertise on Facebook
• The Beginner’s Guide to Advertising on Instagram
• What is Local SEO? (+ How to Improve Yours)

8. Keep information consistent

While there are many different pop-up shop marketing tactics to employ to help shoppers find your pop-up, it’s even more imperative to keep the information consistent. It could be helpful to create a list of where you’ve advertised or published the location of your pop-up, so you can easily refer to it should the location change or you need to update it to something more specific.

Get started: pop-up shop marketing

Now that you know pop-up shop marketing offers a versatile and dynamic approach to retail that can help take your business to the next level, it’s time to introduce your brand to a wider audience, test new markets, and create an unforgettable shopping experience for your customers. 

Make sure you have a point of sale (like   Shopify POS ) equipped with useful features to accept in-person payments wherever you sell, track inventory across channels, and keep in touch with customers well after the pop-up shop has closed its doors. 

Which tactics have you employed to increase awareness and attendance to your pop-up? How do you make sure shoppers don’t get lost on the way?

Additional research and content from   Alexis Damen .

• 8 Successful Examples of Pop-In Stores (And What You Can Learn From Them)
• Deals on Wheels: Why More Retailers Are Taking to the Streets
• Making the Leap to Retail: Why These Online Brands are Investing in In-Person Sales
• Clicks to Bricks: Why Ecommerce Brands Are Leaning Into Physical Retail
• Small Storefront, Big Impact: Distinguish Your Brand with a Pop-Up Store at Expos
• 7 Reasons Ecommerce Brands Should Consider In-Person Selling

Pop-up shop marketing FAQ

How do you market a pop-up shop, what kind of marketing is pop-up shops, how do i get my pop-up shop to stand out, what is pop-up store concept.

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28+ Pop-Up Shop Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2024]

Interested in starting a pop up shop business in 2024?

We put together 28 of the best pop up shop businesses you can start in today.

For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples of other pop up shop businesses to help you see what it really takes.

Here's the full list:

1. Start a photo booth business

A photo booth business involves providing a portable and automated photography setup that allows individuals to take fun and creative pictures at events or venues.

This business is becoming more popular for various occasions like weddings, parties, and corporate events, providing a unique and entertaining experience for guests.

To start a photo booth business, you need to invest in quality equipment, create a user-friendly website to showcase your services and market your business to event planners and individuals hosting celebrations.

How much you can make: $50,001 — $500,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $6,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 37 days (?)

This case study follows the journey of an Indian first-generation entrepreneur who built Studio 31, a profitable and award-winning wedding photography and film company capturing over 350 weddings annually, with a unique focus on customer experience and organic marketing, serving more than 90% NRI clients and generating an annual revenue of about a million dollars.

2. Start a shipping company

A shipping company can be a great business to start. You can get the support and training that you need to run a successful small business. You may already have some of the resources at hand. This could include what you need to transport goods and a vehicle or two that you can use to get these materials from point X to point Y.

Shipping is a crowded industry. Starting your own shipping company isn't as hard as it used to be. With the explosion in eCommerce, there's an increasing demand for small package shipping. Becoming a shipping company entrepreneur has its rewards. Shipping is an area where there's a lot of potentials to earn bounties, it serves as a good source of income.

How much you can make: $20,000 — $2,400,000/month

How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)

Nationwide Auto Transportation ships approximately 4,000 vehicles per month and has served more than 50,000 customers, offering custom services such as help for clients who cannot find suitable carriers for their vehicle.

3. Start an ecommerce marketing agency

Ecommerce agencies help online sellers achieve their eCommerce business goals through creative, technology, and marketing skills.

Hiring an eCommerce agency enables online sellers to start an eCommerce business or grow an existing one without employing full-time staff.

The eCommerce industry is often changing, and online sellers must match the current trends or risk being paced out by the competition. Balancing between production, launching creative services, and working on growing their eCommerce brands can be extremely difficult. Thus, the brands have no other option than hire eCommerce agencies.

Starting an eCommerce agency can be a profitable and fulfilling business opportunity. If you plan to state your eCommerce agency, educate yourself on the current trends and focus on building digital skills. You may focus on a particular niche or offer end-to-end services to your customers.

How much you can make: $7,500 — $8,300,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

Iman Gadzhi made over $1.2M in profit within two years with his social media marketing agency and education company, where he teaches entrepreneurs how to start and scale a profitable SMMA, with over 45 of his students making over six figures with their SMMA, and over 300 students having quit their regular jobs.

4. Start a holiday pop-up shop business

A pop-up holiday shop refers to a short-term, temporary retail event during the holiday season, often in winter.

Setting up an online or a brick & mortar pop-up shop provides a practical way for entrepreneurs to tap into the year's biggest shopping season.

5. Start an online retail store

Starting an online retail store is straightforward. All you need is a computer, a domain, and a web hosting service. Then, determine a niche for your online store, and conduct product research before listing products.

You can start your online store based on a drop shipping business model or list your self-made products in your online store.

How much you can make: $400 — $1,000,000/month

How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)

A high school student turned his love for LEGO into a $1.6k/month business, Summerfield's Toys, by reselling sets online through eBay, BrickLink, and Facebook Marketplace, in addition to buying and reselling brand new sets.

6. Start a flash sale offering business

7. start a complementary care provider business, 8. start a sample offering business, 9. start an interactive product demos business.

Ever wished customers could experience your product firsthand without stepping into a store? Enter the world of interactive product demos.

This business revolves around creating immersive, digital experiences that allow potential buyers to virtually engage with products in real time. Imagine developing software or apps that use augmented reality, 3D modeling, or live webinars to showcase products in a way that feels tangible.

The demand for interactive product experiences is growing as businesses seek to set themselves apart in an increasingly crowded market. If you have a knack for tech and creativity, this venture could be highly rewarding. The work involves collaboration with product teams, creating dynamic demo content, and staying ahead of tech trends.

If this piques your interest, it's time to delve deeper into the world of interactive product demos. Your journey could redefine how people shop and experience products digitally.

How much you can make: $1,000 — $4,000/month

SmartCue, a demo automation platform, is helping software sales teams close deals faster with personalized product demos and has attracted 10+ pilots, both free and paid, since its launch in 2022.

10. Start a sampling tents business

11. start an exclusive products business, 12. start a themed selections business.

In search of a unique business that sparks curiosity and creativity? Consider starting a themed selections business.

A themed selections business curates and markets collections of products around specific themes or events, such as seasonal holidays, birthdays, or niche interests. It’s a creative enterprise where you thoughtfully assemble and sell packages of complimentary items, creating convenient, ready-made experiences for your customers.

The appeal lies in the mix of personalization and convenience. Imagine offering a "Summer Beach Day" package with sunscreen, a beach towel, and a novel, or a "Cozy Winter Night" set featuring hot cocoa, fuzzy socks, and a good book. Customers love the curated experience, and you get the thrill of crafting each collection.

If you're passionate about curation and have an eye for what works well together, this venture can be both enjoyable and rewarding.

How much you can make: $40,000/month

ThemeSelection offers a wide variety of fully coded admin dashboard templates and UI kits tailored for designers and developers, helping to kick-start projects with ease and saving time and resources.

13. Start an in-store demonstration service business

14. start a special guests business, 15. start a street entertainer business.

Ever considered turning your talent into a business? Street entertaining offers a dynamic opportunity to do just that.

Street entertaining involves performing in public spaces, capturing the attention of passersby, and earning money through tips from delighted audiences. This could range from magic acts and juggling to playing a musical instrument or performing dramatic sketches. The beauty of this business lies in its low startup costs and the freedom to perform almost anywhere.

What makes street entertaining compelling is the instant feedback from your audience, the flexibility in your schedule, and the chance to showcase your unique talents in an organic, engaging environment. Start by crafting a captivating act, securing any necessary permits, and scouting out high-traffic areas.

If you’re passionate about performing and enjoy the thrill of live interaction, this business could be an ideal path for you.

How much you can make: $20,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)

Gary Ferrar, a professional magician and mentalist, shares how he marketed himself to high-end clients and corporations, resulting in a 25k/month career which has included performances for clients such as Google, Facebook, Uber, and Pepsi.

16. Start a spooky deals and discounts offering business

Looking to tap into the thrill of spooky season year-round? Start a "Spooky Deals and Discounts" business.

This idea revolves around curating and promoting eerie-themed bargains, special offers, and exclusive discounts from various retailers and brands. By partnering with businesses selling Halloween costumes, horror books, gothic home decor, and more, you can create an irresistible hub for all things spooky.

Imagine a website or app where consumers find year-round frightful deals on their favorite macabre products. This venture has the potential to attract a niche yet fervent market of horror aficionados.

You don't need extensive upfront investment, just a knack for negotiating deals and marketing skills. If you love eerie aesthetics and have a flair for business, this could be your perfect haunt. The demand for unique, themed deals isn't going away, so take advantage of this niche and make spooky shopping a delight.

How much you can make: $30,000 — $250,000/month

How long does it take to build: 85 days (?)

Discover how EMUCoupon achieved a 16% annual growth rate by targeting the untapped Australian market for online discounts, growing to a team of 21, and now attracting 20% of their traffic internationally—a must-read for aspiring founders keen on market gaps and global expansion.

17. Start a vending machine business

Starting a vending machine business in a crowded, busy city is an easy way to make money. Whether you want to run your own business, start a side hustle, or generate an income while at the office, this is the best business.

There are many advantages to starting a vending machine business, such as: low startup costs, simplicity, all cash-based transactions, and flexibility.

Here are the steps on how to start a vending machine business.

• Buy a franchise
• Find a location
• Secure all licenses and contracts

How much you can make: $30,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)

iKrave Vending founder Lakinya started her vending machine business after observing the lack of consultants who specialize in vending machine operations, and now offers online training courses and mentoring to help others achieve success in the billion-dollar industry.

18. Start a mobile store

19. start a competition organizing business, 20. start a customization business.

Stand out in a world of sameness by starting a customization business. This entrepreneurial venture revolves around creating personalized products tailored to individual customer preferences.

From custom t-shirts and mugs to bespoke phone cases and home decor, the opportunities are vast. You can use digital tools to design and manufacture unique items that speak to your customer’s identity.

The commitment involves setting up a business platform, working with clients to understand their needs, and managing production and delivery. While it does require some upfront effort and creativity, the reward is a loyal customer base who value the personal touch.

If you have an eye for design and are ready to meet the increasing demand for personalized products, a customization business offers a fulfilling path to explore.

How much you can make: $5,000 — $3,000,000/month

Bookblock co-founder shares how they grew their corporate gifting platform to a £2m annual turnover, and their plans to expand to the consumer market through their new gifting platform.

21. Start a charitable donation business

22. start a previews and early releases business, 23. start a behind-the-scenes look business, 24. start an on-brand decor renting business, 25. start a light bites business, 26. start a magnetic signs business.

Looking for a flexible and creative way to advertise? Think about starting a magnetic signs business. This involves designing and producing removable magnetic signs for vehicles, storefronts, and other surfaces—perfect for businesses needing temporary advertisements.

The beauty of magnetic signs is their versatility; customers can easily apply and remove them, making it an attractive solution for advertising that doesn’t involve permanent changes. For small to medium-sized businesses, this is an effective way to increase visibility without the commitment of traditional signs.

You'll need some graphic design skills and access to quality printing equipment. Once set up, market your services to local businesses and fleet owners. It's a straightforward business with a clear target market and tangible products, making it easier to demonstrate value and attract clients.

Starting a magnetic signs business combines creativity with practicality, offering a valuable service for advertising solutions that can adapt and change as needed.

How much you can make: $220,000/month

Sign Spot, a family-owned custom signage business, earns $220,000 in revenue per month and is projected to grow 25% in 2022, thanks to the streamlined processes and infrastructure it implemented through continuous investment in innovative machinery and technology.

27. Start a tote bags business

A white label tote bags business is where you order unbranded tote bags from a wholesaler, put your brand logo and resell them as if they were your own. You could request the manufacturer to customize the tote bags, so they fit your target market.

With a white label tote bags business, you do not worry about the tedious manufacturing process. All you do is market the tote bags to your target customers. Therefore, you can maximize your profits by negotiating discounted rate from the manufacturer.

28. Become a social media influencer

Social media has become integral to people's lives and daily routines. Given the importance of social media, brands are flocking to different social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok in the hope of connecting with their target audience.

A popular approach taken by these brands is engaging social media influencers. A social media influencer has established credibility in a specific industry and has access to a vast audience they can persuade to act based on recommendations.

Anyone can become a social influencer so long as they have the right strategy. Choose a popular niche based on your interests and start creating relevant content.

How much you can make: $2,500 — $166,666/month

How much does it cost to start: $800 (?)

How long does it take to build: 155 days (?)

How one mother built a profitable frugal motherhood, life, and travel blog from scratch, using Instagram, Pinterest, and paid sponsorships to grow from 0 to 18.5K followers and generate $1,500-$3,000 per month in less than two years.

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